Preparing Water Kefir: Here's How

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Preparing water kefir – that’s what you need

There are a few things to keep in mind, especially when it comes to the utensils you use.

For the drink, you need a liter of water. You can use both tap water and still mineral water.
For this amount of liquid, you need 80 g of sugar. Whether you choose refined or cane sugar depends on your preferences.
25g of dried fruit serves as a source of nitrogen for the water kefir crystals. Raisins, dried apricots, figs, or plums work equally well. What you choose depends on what flavor you prefer.
3 tablespoons of water kefir crystals should not be missing when making the drink. Tip: Use a plastic spoon. The crystals must not come into contact with metal.
Finally, add one or two slices of an unwaxed lemon. The lemon gives the drink a slightly sour taste. At the same time, it protects against the formation of mold.
To prepare water kefir you need a sufficiently large fermentation vessel. A jar with a screw cap works quite well.
Finally, you will need a plastic sieve for the production. You cannot use a metal sieve because, as already mentioned, the water kefir crystals must not come into contact with metal.

Once you have all the ingredients and utensils ready, nothing stands in the way of preparing water kefir.

Pour the water into the vessel and completely dissolve the sugar in it. If the water is room temperature, this is faster than with cold water.
Now add the water kefir crystals, the dried fruit, and the lemon slices one after the other.
Seal the jar, but not airtight. Carbonic acid is produced during fermentation, which must be able to escape.
Put the jar in a warm place. Temperatures around 25 degrees are ideal.
After a day or two, pour off the trendy drink using a plastic sieve. You can enjoy the finished drink after just one day. It’s still very sweet then.
If you wait two days, the sweetness decreases significantly and the sour taste comes to the fore.
Incidentally, you can use the sieved water kefir crystals again to prepare a drink. To do this, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water.