Raspberry water kefir (pink water)

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Nathalie / 3rd April 2019

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Kefir water is a fermented drink, full of healthy bacteria which helps to flourish the gut.  It’s a fun drink to experiment with if you want to start learning about fermented foods.

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Makes 6 cups

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First ferment
6 tbsp kefir grains
6 tbsp of raw cane organic sugar
1 tsp of unsulphured molasses
6 cups of filtered water
Slice of lemon
Knob of fresh ginger
1 Mejadool date

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Second ferment
1/4 cup frozen mixed berries

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First ferment

Place the kefir grains in a clean/sterilised mason jar and add the filtered water.  Mix in the cane sugar and mix in your molasses.  Add a slice of lemon, peeled ginger and a mejadool date.  Secure a muslin cloth over the top of the jar with a band.  The trick is to find a nice warm place for the first ferment.  You want to aim for a temperature of around 24 degrees and the first ferment will take around 24-48 hours depending on this temperature.  You will see that the date and lemon will rise to the top of the drink as the fermentation takes place - this is a good indication of the first ferment working well.  It will also smell a little gassy.

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Second ferment

Remove the date, ginger and lemon and discard.  Using a small sieve, drain the grains from the first ferment liquid.  It is best to do this by draining into a clean mason jar.  The grains can be used to start a fresh ferment. The next cycle of kefir water. Add the mixed berries to the liquid and again secure with a muslin cloth for 12-24 hours.  I normally leave the second ferment in a cooler place so not to encourage too much further fermentation. Otherwise it may taste a little vinegary. 

 

Drain the berries into a cap top glass bottle using a small funnel with the small sieve placed on top.  I like to leave the bottle in the fridge over night and better still for a few days before drinking as it creates a very nice fizzy drink.  When you open the cap to enjoy,  you get a nice popping sound!  If it tastes flat and sugary, re-check your temperature and conditions.  It can take a bit of time for the grains to adapt to their environment so don’t be disheartened if you don’t have success the first time.  Just discard the water and try again.

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Tips: Keep some grains in the fridge in a sugar/water solution to rest them.  Rotate the grains every 4-6 weeks to give them a break.  If you find that your grains look a little soggy or slimy, it’s time to give them a rest.  Make sure you feed the resting grains when you leave them dormant in the fridge.

To learn more about fermented foods and how to prepare and flavour kefir water, please visit; http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir
This is a good troubleshooting resource also.

Don’t be tempted to use honey or other alternative sugars as normal sugar is needed to feed the grains and encourage the fermentation.  The ginger and lemon add a nice flavour.  The molasses and mejadool date add more minerals. 

 

You can buy mason jars and glass bottles from IKEA as shown in the picture.  My sieve, funnel and muslin cloths I buy from Lakeland.

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Warning! As this is a fermented drink it does contain a small amount of alcohol.  I advise not to give more than 4 oz of kefir water to your children and not at all to children below the age of 2.