Sparkling summer refreshment with many advantages: This is how you make water kefir yourself
Created: 06/23/2022, 10:24 am
By: Anne Tessin
Water kefir is a welcome refreshment in summer that is also healthy.
© Martina Kovacova/Imago
Lemonade is too sweet for you and you don't like to drink only water in the summer either?
The trend drink of the summer is called water kefir and you simply make it yourself.
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When the days get warmer and the sun burns, we long for refreshment.
Jump into cool water or treat yourself to a refreshing drink.
The range of typical summer drinks is large and ranges from rhubarb spritzer and lemonade to Aperol Spritz and Co. But if you want to refresh yourself without sugar and alcohol and don't feel like tea or water, we have the perfect idea for you: try it You
water kefir
.
A really tasty fermented drink with natural carbonic acid that you can easily make yourself - with crystals.
Water kefir is a light alternative to classic soda and the ideal refreshment if you want it sparkling but completely natural.
All you need to make it is a sealable container and a few ingredients, including Japanese crystals.
Water kefir made from crystals: These are really the Japanese crystals
A
water kefir
culture consists of so-called
kefir crystals or Japanese crystals
.
These are small, shimmering whitish lumps of different sizes that consist of bacteria and yeast.
Japan crystals are actually microorganisms, but actually look like small rock crystals.
© sierpniowka/Imago
The small lumps love sugar and process it, for example into
lactic acid
, which gives the water kefir its fresh, sour taste.
At the same time, they multiply, so that over time you can even grow Japanese crystals (promotional link) from a starter set to give away to family and friends.
To make really tasty water kefir from the crystals, there is a simple basic recipe that you can modify as you like.
The production of water kefir: It's very easy
You don't have to do much to make water kefir from Japanese crystals.
Simply fill the crystals with water in a bottle, add sugar as food for the microorganisms (note: sweeteners will not work) and add lemon and dried fruit of your choice, such as dates or apricots.
Then you have to wait - about 48 to 72 hours - and you can already enjoy your water kefir, preferably ice-cold from the fridge, with some fresh fruit.
Don't drink the kefir crystals.
You strain it and use it to produce the next bottle of water kefir - an endless supply.
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Recipe: Make water kefir yourself
750ml of water
30 g Japanese crystals (promotional link)
60 grams of sugar
30 g dried fruit, unsulphured
2 slices of lemon, unwaxed (alternatively: fresh lemon juice)
That's how it works:
Bring a small amount of water to a boil in a saucepan and completely dissolve the sugar.
Then add the rest of the cold water so that the
water is at room temperature
.
Now fill the water in a sealable container, for example a bottle or a special fermentation glass (advertising link) with a
capacity of 1 liter
and add the Japanese crystals.
Now add the dried fruit of your choice.
They add flavor to the water kefir and also provide the microorganisms with
additional nutrients
.
Finally add the lemon slices.
They give the water kefir some acid and prevent foreign germs and unwanted microorganisms from growing in it.
Now close the container so loosely that the carbonic acid produced during fermentation can escape and let the Japanese crystals work on the water kefir
at room temperature for up to three days
.
When it is particularly warm in summer, a lot of carbonic acid is produced.
Therefore, lift the lid of your fermentation vessel every 24 hours so that the excess can escape.
When the water kefir is ready, strain it into a clean bottle and keep it in the fridge.
Wash the Japanese crystals under clear water and remove the lemon slices and the dried fruit.
Now you can start again, but beware: the Japanese crystals have multiplied, so weigh them before you prepare new water kefir according to the recipe described above.
So you can always prepare new water kefir.
An endless supply of refreshment that sparkles like champagne, only much healthier.
Is water kefir really healthy?
There are no scientific studies that prove the healing powers of water kefir
that are claimed on many health portals and the like
.
However, everyone agrees that kefir has a
positive effect on the intestinal flora
and that the lactic acid contained in water kefir supports the beneficial intestinal bacteria.
So you can drink it with a clear conscience, but the delicious refreshment alone is reason enough to try water kefir.
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