Evelyn Benchimol Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Would this be considered similar to Kombucha? I mean most of the sugar is consumed by the culture. Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I drink it- I know coconut water I allowed so why not cultured coconut water? It is like Kombucha IMO. Hopefully a mod will chime in with a for sure answer tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Oh I just realized you didn't specify "coconut water kefir" - that is just what I had in my mind. I have made water kefir from the grain like culture before with fruit juices as well and while I haven't had them on w30, I still think it's just like Kombucha. In a kombucha thread a lady mentioned using a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity to be sure the sugar is out- but I've not gotten that scientific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted March 6, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 6, 2013 Yes, but let's talk about some conditions. Water kefir can be kind of sweet. If you have a serious sugar dragon, drinking water kefir may be not okay for you personally because it may keep you hungry for sweet stuff. If you don't have a sugar dragon, water kefir is a good source of probiotics. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir-versus_kombucha-tea is a good discussion of the differences between water kefir and kombucha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I used to make water kefir years ago when I first gave up dairy. I remember it as being much sweeter than the kombucha I make now. To be honest, although that was long before I heard of W30, it was because it was so sweet that I stopped making it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 The water kefir grains I have would eat the sugars out of a quart of apple juice so fast it would dang near turn into hard cider if I wasn't careful. Makes me wonder about y'all getting sweet stuff?? Maybe I was doing it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Benchimol Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Thank you all for the responses! Luckily I don't have a sugar dragon and my water kefir is never sweet (I let it ferment for longer than most maybe or my grains are really good at eating up all the sugar). I do it for the probiotics not the sweetness, never drink fruit juices and such so it won't be a substitute for other W30 non compliant drinks. I was doing raw milk kefir smoothies before my W30 so this is just something I want to have to keep my probiotics up (already do fermented vegs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I stopped making water kefir because my grains were eating up all the sugar so fast I couldn't keep up with it. It would turn alcoholic if left for even 24 hours too long. Not that that was a bad thing- I would find that fizziness quite enjoyable postw30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgoldenjr Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Jumping into an old "thread" here. I have evolved from cow milk kefir to goat milk kefir to water kefir, which I what I presently do for the probiotic benefits. My kefir is never sweet and I always mix it with something else....well, that something else may be going away while I am on my first Whole30, starting Monday. My question is, if it isn't sweet any more (can't feed sugar dragon), does that make it okay to consume during Whole30? Does Whole30 replace the need for a kefir probiotic treatment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Water kefir is a bit like kombucha in that, we're okay with it for it's probiotic benefits as long as you don't have to add sugar after fermentation to make it palatable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgoldenjr Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Thanks, Robin! Can I get a decent probiotic benefit on a strict Whole30? If I can, I won't do water kefir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 It depends on your intake of other probiotic foods like kombucha and fermented veggies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgoldenjr Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Robin, I make my own cultured red cabbage with carrot and caraway seeds, but to this point I don't eat it daily. That may cover it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christartist Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I'm jumping in here...and I'm going to show my ignorance - I have no idea what kefir or Kombucha is - I sort of ignored it since the naturopath had put me on her special probiotics. Prior to whole30, I did yogurt(and I know how to make that), but I am nondairy now. I LOVE saurkraut - and I'm looking carefully to find one that is whole30 compliant - but after reading this thread, knowing the need for probiotics in my system, I am wondering if I am doing myself a disservice to not be checking these other options out. As an aside - it was suggested that I go on the GAPS diet - full of fermented foods - and I convinced them(dr and nutritionist) to let me do whole30 - because I knew I wasn't planning on learning how to ferment my own stuff. Before I dive into some sort of processing equipment and such - is there anything I can purchase at the grocery store that would give me the idea if I even want to pursue this, or is, as in so many situations with Whole30, the commercially available all tainted? And, is this what water kefir is: http://nourishedkitchen.com/water-kefir/ TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 If you have access to Whole Foods or other natural food store you can probably purchase completely compliant Kombucha, Water Kefir, and raw fermented veggies. As far as getting processing equipment here is the good news. Mason jars. Really that is it. I personally have not gotten started on my own fermenting projects (kombucha is first on the list) but from everything I have read it is pretty easy just takes some patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christartist Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Physibeth....IF ONLY! Actually, there are wfs in the area...just 45 minutes away either direction. I'd like to try it before I go to the effort to try and make it! I need to head to the whole foods store anyway...I'll check it out when I pick my hubby up from the airport...Hi honey, welcome home, we have to go grocery shopping before we go home! ;-) I was used to having wholefoods almost in our back yard...what a waste. I did not utilize that gift like I should have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgoldenjr Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 For making my cultured (fermented) vegetables, I went with specially designed jars from http://www.pickl-it.com/. The jar has an venting mechanism on top for allowing fermentation gasses to escape without allowing air in. Pretty slick. Once I have made a batch of cultured vegetables, I store them in Mason jars. I keep it simple...red cabbage, carrots, and caraway seed. Next batch will probably just be red cabbage. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 These jars look fantastic. I can't find anything like them in the UK. When I'm fermenting veg and it's burping away, I just put a plastic bag filled with water on top of the jar instead of a lid. It sits down and seals it but allows it to burp and stops the pressure building up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Benchimol Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 I just put a plastic bag filled with water on top of the jar instead of a lid. It sits down and seals it but allows it to burp and stops the pressure building up. awesome idea Kirsteen!!! @ Physibeth... Kombucha has a particular taste. I love it but for some reason I can never get my homemade one to fizz. I make it the continuous brew way so I always have it on hand. It's super easy to try but you need to get yourself a scoby (culture). you can buy one online. this site has TONS of info and a free video series http://www.getkombucha.com/ Water kefir has a particular taste as well. Mine is never sweet. My daughter says it tastes like beer, I don't think so ... my boys love it. again here super easy to make but you need the culture (kefir grains). Fermented veg, SUPER easy to make. all kinds of info on the web. you will just need the veg, salt, water and a jar. i went all out my first time and did carrot sticks, cauliflower, string beans, sauerkraut. I suggest you start with carrots or string beans. they are just easy and you'll see if you get mold more easily. they need to be fully submerged and no air needs to get in there or you get white mold (not really dangerous, just skim off). leave a few days, burp jar (means you open cap and reseal), that's it! different recipes out there with spices, dill, garlic, ginger, etc... i also find sally fallen's recipes too salty so you can use a bit less salt or if you have access to whey (from raw milk) you can add that too. i find kraut is the most work cause you have to shred it and pound it and make sure it's always under the brine (arder when you have lots of small bits). http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/lacto-fermented-dilly-carrot-sticks.html http://www.culturesforhealth.com/naturally-pickled-green-beans-recipe etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christartist Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 For making my cultured (fermented) vegetables, I went with specially designed jars from http://www.pickl-it.com/. The jar has an venting mechanism on top for allowing fermentation gasses to escape without allowing air in. Pretty slick. Once I have made a batch of cultured vegetables, I store them in Mason jars. I keep it simple...red cabbage, carrots, and caraway seed. Next batch will probably just be red cabbage. :-) Please forgive my ignorance, but is pickling and fermenting the same thing? Or do you just use it for the fermenting aspect? Kirsteen - I'm afraid that if I try this, I will forget to burp! So, I think your water idea would help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgoldenjr Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I believe pickling and fermenting are different. Here's a comparison chart: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Fermenting_vs_Pickling. If I didn't have the cool jars from pickl-it.com, I would probably forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christartist Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I believe pickling and fermenting are different. Here's a comparison chart: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Fermenting_vs_Pickling.If I didn't have the cool jars from pickl-it.com, I would probably forget. I understand now about the fermented veggies, but could you use these for kombucha? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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