So what exactly is Milk Kefir?
Milk Kefir is fermented milk with billions of naturally occurring probiotics. Developing through the fermenting process, which only lasts a couple of days. Kefir is a living food containing enzymes and yeasts.
One of the founding members of Rooted in Hull, Adrian Fisher, grew up in the farming community between Hull and the Holderness coast. This explains where our love for growing our own food comes from, and ultimately why we established a farm in the heart of the city, giving us the opportunity to bring the notion of “farm to plate” to the local community.
We still see Adrian regularly, despite his retirement almost a year ago he continues to attend the site he should be immensely proud to have been part of creating. In a recent conversation he revealed that he had started making his own kefir.
“What’s that?” we so obviously asked!
Here is Adrian’s brief description in a new editorial slot we’re calling
Adrian’s Brief Description
Without getting too technical, the process is to buy kefir grains, which look like wizened grains of wheat or barley, add milk and leave in a warm room for a couple of days. The mixture can then be strained, leaving the milk. The living grains are kept to make more kefir. The remaining milk is now kefir, which tastes similar to fermented yoghurt and can sometimes be slightly fizzy. It is a perpetual and sustainable food source packed with pure goodness…
Why, you may say, can’t it be bought at a supermarket? Yes, Kefir can be bought, but personally, I don’t trust supermarkets and processors. The main reason that processed food is manufactured is to make money for supermarkets and processors. Consequently, supermarkets require a long shelf life, nice-looking packaging and it to taste good. The long list of ingredients also makes it look as though it’s healthy and nutritious. Seeing that many of us don’t look at those labels too deeply, we will miss the additives to prolong shelf life, colour etc.
For this process, I use raw milk, which is not easy to acquire. I’m fortunate that Rooted in Hull’s Neil lives in Doncaster, very near to a dairy farm. This milk is direct from the cow, no pasteurisation or homogenisation. As natural as possible and sadly the nearest raw milk supplier to Hull. Interestingly, there are only a handful of dairy farms in the whole East Riding and none producing raw milk.
This is all part of my food journey of keeping whatever I eat and drink as natural as possible. Steering away from anything processed. If I have to open a plastic or cellophane bag to get the food I don’t want it. This is all to help my gut as well as my general health after suffering from acid reflux for over 20 years. I now have no medication other than ginger and if I really fall off the wagon an indigestion tablet.
