Yogurt Bug

shan63, Nov 17, 2:30am
When I was younger we had a yogurt bug kept in a glass jar.
I can't remember if it was daily or not but I think we added water to it and it made yogurt.
We would wash the bug after use and use it again. When It got bigger we could divide it and give some away.
My question: Does anyone know where I could get one of these?
Thanks
buzzy110, Nov 17, 6:19pm
What you are describing is kefir. There might be someone in a local health food grocery shop (not Health 2000 or supplement shop) who may be able to point you in the right direction.
shan63, Nov 17, 10:20pm
Thanks for that, I will do some research.
I just remember this was what started my love of natural yogurt.
uli, Nov 17, 10:55pm
Natural Yoghurt has nothing to do with kefir.
Read up on it.

You cannot make any milk product by adding water to a glass jar.
buzzy110, Nov 18, 2:56pm
I'm sure the differences are not relevant in this instance. Kefir grains make a fine yoghurt with a lot less bother than making ordinary yoghurt. The probiotics produced during fermentation are among some of the few that can withstand stomach acid to reach the intestine and can colonise the gut with good bacteria.
buzzy110, Nov 18, 4:29pm
Mmm. I see I probably didn't read the opening post properly.

Shan, kefir grains are usually placed into milk in a jar and left on the bench for a day or so to ferment. After the milk is fermented to taste the grains are removed and washed and put into another jar of milk to ferment. I used too slow the process down by placing the milk and grains into the fridge. Fermentation took much longer.

I used to put the fermenting jar that I left on the bench, into a black lined cloth bag to keep out light, which I have always understood to be the 'enemy' of milk.

I always made my kefir with raw milk, rather than pasteurised milk, and definitely not homogenised.
uli, Jun 15, 7:57pm
I think you mean kefir.

It will make something thick and slimy out of milk. It is not yoghurt but some other fermented milk product. You need to feed it milk not water.
You can buy milk kefir grains on TM. Not sure if I am allowed to show the auctions here as a link, so I leave it to you to do a search for "kefir" on TM.

There is also "water" kefir which will make bubbly drinks out of water and any herbs or spices you want to add. This is for water only and will not make a milk product.

Hope that helps.