Yemoos Blog

We have had several people contact us concerned about the bird flu virus (H5N1) and raw milk. There seem to be many articles and media outlets warning people about the dangers of drinking raw milk right now due to the possible viral contamination of raw milk. In modern-day society, raw milk tends to be the villain, so this kind of media frenzy is not exactly new to the 14 million (or more) Americans who drink raw milk every day. Is raw milk kefir safe? Let’s take an honest look at what's going on and the real risks involved.

When you think of water kefir, you likely think of water and granulated sugar. However, maple syrup can be the perfect alternative if you are looking for a sweet change. Maple syrup, with its natural sweetness and distinct flavor, can elevate your water kefir experience to new heights.

Most people have heard of prebiotics and probiotics and the subsequent benefits of both. But there’s another category called “paraprobiotics” that is newly studied. Incredibly it may be just as important as prebiotics and probiotics.

Want to grow your grain fast and healthy? The perfect ratio of milk to grains will help, so will small batches and wide jars. Here are 9 ways to help your milk kefir grains grow faster.

Milk kefir grains are slow to grow. It may be hard to visually see growth after one batch. But after about a week (if its doing well), you may see it double in size. The study looked to see if different quantities of milk kefir grains produced different growth rates.

Matsoni is a mesophilic yogurt which means that it ferments at room temperature. So, there is no heating required like regular yogurt, which makes it a lot easier and convenient. Matsoni traces its origins from ancient Georgia and Armenia. In Georgia, it’s called Matsoni; however, in Armenia, its called Matzoon.

Milk kefir ripening is simply letting your strained finished kefir (without the grains) sit out at room temperature for several hours or days before consuming. Since refrigeration is relatively new, kefir was traditionally ripened to some degree before consumed.

When most people think of yogurt, they think of thermophilic yogurt. This is the generally the yogurt you will find in the store or supermarket. Mesophilic yogurt is a yogurt that is fermented at room temperature (65-80 degrees) vs 115 degrees for thermophilic yogurt. That is why it is considered a ‘room temperature yogurt’.

Some people are wondering if kefir itself can be contaminated by the coronavirus or another pathogen. Other people are wanting to know if drinking kefir helps protect against coronavirus. While other's are prepping for an unknown future and wondering how best to utilize kefir during a quarantine or economic hard times.

There is a great difference of opinion on what is the ideal ratio of grains to milk. On the one hand, growth and total probiotic count seem to increase with more grains per milk. However, you may be sacrificing flavor, texture, diversity and health of the grains with too many grains per milk.

Filmjölk is very popular in the Nordic region, especially in Sweden. Its traditionally consumed at breakfast in place of milk. It's typically mixed with cereal or muesli / granola.

One of the biggest questions asked for those starting out is - Can you use milk straight out of the fridge or does it need to be warm / room temperature? The short answer is that YES you can definitely use milk directly out of the fridge when making milk kefir.