How to Take a Break From Water Kefir

Do you know how to take a break from water kefir? If you are brewing water kefir at home, and suddenly have to leave town or you may be planning a trip, you will have to make arrangements for the water kefir. I have three great ways for you to keep your water kefir grains alive when you are away.

Take it with you…

Take it with you. Depending on where you are traveling to, you may be able to safely travel with your water kefir. If you are going by plane it is probably a good idea to skip to the next best choice. If the ride will be super bumpy this is not the choice, unless you feel comfortable with glass jars and liquid possibly breaking. If it is a short drive and you can pack the glass jars so that they will not break, and you have room to pack a wooden spoon, some extra sugar, and your sieve then this may be the option for you!

Refrigerate it to slow down the fermentation…

Refrigerating your grains in sugar water, can keep up to about three weeks. I add about 1/4 cup of sugar to my water mix it up, through in the WKG and refrigerate. It is just that easy. When you are ready to use them again it may take 1-2 batches to get them to activate again. This is a real easy way to put this process on hold for a couple of weeks. I used this method when we went on vacation this summer. It worked just fine, and it was not time consuming!

Dehydrate the water kefir grains for a long trip away…

Dehydrating the grains. This can last for up to six months. This is a pretty simple process but this will take time and it will also take extra time re-hydrating them! To dehydrate the grains, first rinse with spring water, and place on a clean hand towel (use a flat weave towel and not a terry cloth towel, you can iron the towel beforehand to help kill germs,) for 30 minutes, then place a new towel on a cooling rack and move the grains to the new towel for more drying. Cover them with another towel, and dry them for 1-2 days. They will turn hard, and frail. Store them in a freezer storage container for up to six months.

To rehydrate water kefir grains

• Add 3-4 cups of spring water to your glass jar.
• Stir in 1/4 cup of sugar for every 1/4 cup of grains you have. Mix in the sugar.
• Add the grains.
• Cover with Fermentools using their airlock system, or cover with a coffee filter/cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
• Store on the counter or in a pantry away from sunlight for about 3-5 days.
• The water kefir grains should now be translucent and a jello like consistency.
• Throw out the sugar water.
• You are ready to make a batch of water kefir soda!
• If  you need help getting started with water kefir, check out How to Make water kefir.

Also, here is a great recipe for Almond Cream Water Kefir Soda. Keep it away from children though this recipe is for adults only!

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The things you might need to start fermenting!

You won’t need all of these, but a good set of airlocks are wonderful for fermenting!