Starter instructions
Water kefir starter instructions
Milk kefir starter instructions
Kombucha starter instructions
Here are instructions to grow the Grow Youthful starter I sent you in the post, to get it big enough for a full-sized brew.
Water kefir starter instructions
Keep your starter at room temperature, and use it as soon as possible. Do not store it in a refrigerator.
Dissolve one and a half level teaspoons (4 grams) of sugar and an eighth of a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses in a quarter cup (60 ml) of water. If you heated it, let it cool completely or you may kill the kefir grains. Add 3 drops of lemon juice. Add the postal water kefir starter - ensure it is completely covered by the sweet water. Use a ceramic or glass cup - NOT metal. Cover it with clean material or use a lid, keep it clean, and put it somewhere at room temperature and out of the sun and bright light.
After 2-4 days this first brew should be ready. Water kefir starter grains get stressed in the post, so several more small brews may be needed before the grains strengthen and start to multiply.
Do not use alkaline water - the brew needs to be kept acidic.
It is important to read the full details on water kefir.
Milk kefir starter instructions
Keep your starter at room temperature, and use it as soon as possible. Do not store it in a refrigerator.
When you receive the milk kefir starter, it normally has a sharp, strong, cheesy smell. The grains may be squashed flat, partially dried out, and quite small. If the smell is unpleasant, wash the kefir grains in a small quantity of milk (not water!), gently rubbing them, then put the grains in a fresh batch of milk to start your brew.
Put the milk kefir grains in about a quarter cup (60 ml) of fresh full-cream milk. Do not use too much milk at first, or there is a risk that the milk will go putrid rather than turn into kefir, especially if you are using pasteurised rather than raw milk. Use a ceramic or glass jar - NOT metal. Cover it or use a lid, keep it clean, and put it somewhere at room temperature and out of the sun and bright light.
Stir whenever you remember as this helps it to grow. After a day or so, it will turn into milk kefir, should have grown a fraction, and is ready for the next, slightly bigger brew.
It is important to read the full details on milk kefir.
Kombucha starter instructions
Keep your starter at room temperature, and use it as soon as possible. Do not store it in a refrigerator.
The starter includes a scoby, but not much liquid. It will work perfectly if you follow the instructions.
Dissolve 1 level teaspoon (4-5 grams) of white or (preferably) raw sugar and a quarter teaspoon (0.25 grams or one eighth of a teabag) of black tea leaves in a quarter cup (60 ml) of boiling water. Let it cool completely, then strain it into a ceramic or glass cup - NOT metal.
It is important that you measure these quantities accurately. The solution must be just right or the kombucha will die.
After it has cooled, add the postal kombucha starter. If you put the starter into hot water you will kill it. The starter scoby/mushroom usually sinks. Cover it with a cloth, keep it clean, and put it somewhere at room temperature and out of the sun and bright light. Do not touch it or disturb it. After 7-10 days, depending on the temperature, it will form a new scoby on the surface and your first (small) brew. Use this as the starter for your next, bigger brew.
Do not use alkaline water - your brew needs to be kept acidic. If your tap water is alkaline add 1-2 drops of vinegar. If your brew is neutral pH or alkaline, it may go mouldy.
It is important to read the full details on kombucha.