Kitchen Skills

A quick visual guide to get an idea of what the process looks like! See the full instructions for safely fermenting foods in these links:

Small Batch Sauerkraut Instructions from Oregon State Extension

Large Batch Sauerkraut Instructions from University of Minnesota Extension

Note: The only ingredients needed are Cabbage and Salt. No water is needed unless the brine does not fully cover the cabbage!

Were you offered sourdough starter from a local bread-baking friend?

Here is a link to the Sourdough Starter Directions by Christa for some additional guidance on getting started with sourdough!

Here are some of our favorite sourdough recipes to start working with sourdough!

Sourdough baking is one way to use natural ingredients to stretch more meals! Sourdough bakers each have their own take on the best way to bake!

In this video we take sourdough starter out of the fridge, weigh it and find we have 85g starter, then feed it at a 1:1:1 ratio of starter to water to flour.

We are thankful for little kitchen helpers & hands-on help with this project! Sourdough is a great way to teach life skills, math, science, patience, hospitality. Sourdough creation encourages some great sensory experiences (touch, smell, proprioception) too!

Video here:

We take our 85g starter, add 85g water, and 85g flour for roughly a total of 255g.

Now there is 155g LEFT to use!

Keep 100g for later in the jar on the RIGHT.

If you follow these steps, you can say you FED your sourdough starter!

Sourdough Starter Directions by Christa

This video follows the same progress, but shows how the cycle can be continued by only keeping 100g sourdough starter in the refrigerator! Remember how you saved 100g starter? The video below shows the repeated process of maintaining your starter, the simple way!

The video included here is a quick visual on getting started with milk kefir! The process is quick, easy, and requires only a few items to maintain! Milk kefir is a great way to add a new, tangy flavor into your diet!

For more information about Kefir beyond just the flavor, check out this link to this recent Mayo Clinic article about Kefir. Read more about the nutrient profile from Cleveland Clinic in their article Is Drinking Kefir Healthy For You?

_{Please note: Restoring Gardens is for information purposes only and not to be used as personal or professional medical advice. With any medical concerns please consult a qualified medical provider. See our full disclaimer.}

TO MAKE MILK KEFIR:

Supplies: Milk Kefir Grains, Pasteurized milk, Glass Jars, Spoon or Spatula, Strainer, & Refrigerator

Add approximately 2Tbsp of milk kefir grains into a clean quart-size mason jar or other glass container with a cover. Add milk of your choice up to the top of the jar (we used 2% pasteurized). Cover the jar loosely with a plastic lid or beeswax wrap. Allow to sit and ferment for 12-36 hours. When learning this process, test the flavor at 12 hours to determine if a longer fermentation time is desired.

When the desired flavor is attained within 12-36 hours of fermentation, use a strainer to separate the liquid milk kefir from the milk kefir grains. The milk kefir can be flavored to your preference and consumed immediately or stored in the refrigerator. The milk kefir grains will be used for the next batch of milk kefir!

Tips:

The amount of time it takes to ferment can vary depending on how many grains are in the jar and the temperature in the house. 12-24 hours is pretty typical for 2Tbsp of grains in a Quart of 2% milk.

The milk kefir will develop a tangy flavor similar to yogurt and can be sweetened with honey or served with homemade granola if it becomes too sour for your liking!

If you are interested in making milk kefir part of your regular routine, you can loosely plan to make a new batch every 24 hours. As an example in this video, we start the process in the morning and follow up with the batch in 24 hours (next morning).

Make sure to keep the grains and the completed milk kefir in the refrigerator at all times aside from the intentional fermentation time! There should never be signs of mold, discoloration, or unpleasant smells throughout the process. If in doubt, throw it out! When introducing fermented foods to the diet, start small and go slow!

Milk Kefir Intro Video:

If you learn the skill of creating milk kefir, you can learn several recipes to stretch the use of the milk you buy! Kefir salad dressing goes great with your fresh-grown lettuce and kale! Also check out Cultured Dairy Dill Dip to go with your home-grown veggies!