Making Kefir Cheese aka Quark

Many people from Europe make and love quark which is a type of cheese they use in sweet or savory dishes. Johanna Budwig [from Germany] developer of the Budwig diet is where I first heard of quark. She recommends mixing flax seed oil with quark and eating it to cure different illnesses. Realizing Americans do not eat quark Budwig substituted cottage cheese for the quark in her diet.

After being on the Budwig diet for a while I wondered about making quark and what it would take to do so. Once I started making kefir I thought this would be a good substitute for the cottage cheese in the Budwig diet so I started doing some research and found others were making quark from kefir...imagine my excitement!

The great thing about kefir cheese/quark is that lactose intolerant people can eat it without any problems.

Once you start making more kefir than you can consume this is the perfect way to use it.

This is how I make kefir cheese aka quark.

Take about a quart [32 oz] of fermented kefir.
Pour it into a cotton cheese making bag or square of cotton muslin [placed in a strainer]
Close up the bag or tie up the ends of the muslin
Hang in the the refrigerator over a bowl to catch the whey
Let the whey drain off the kefir for 2 to 4 days depending on how soft you want the cheese
Once it's to the consistency you desire place the finished cheese in a covered bowl and refrigerate

You can use kefir cheese in place of cream cheese or sour cream. I mainly use it with the Budwig diet recipes of which there are many.

Another benefit of making kefir cheese is the very nutritious whey that you have left. You can add berry syrup and stevia to it for a drink or you can make smoothies, soups and breads with it. If you find you do not like whey then feed it to your plants or animals...they will love it!

Enjoy!

My favorite...Coconut Kefir

I love coconut kefir and if you or your family likes coconut or if you're vegan then I recommend you make it.

You can use fresh coconuts and use the coconut water or make your own coconut milk. I usually buy organic canned coconut milk because I'm lazy.

Coconut Kefir

• 2 cans coconut milk [Thai organic] or fresh coconut water or milk
  
• 2-3 Tbsp. kefir grains
• 1 quart glass mason jar with lid
• cloth or unbleached coffee filter
  

Pour coconut milk into mason jar and gently stir in kefir grains. Cover the top with a cloth or unbleached coffee filter, securing it with a rubber band or cap ring, and let it culture for 24 hours (or longer if needed).

The kefir grains will rise up to the top (you'll see lumps) when they are done culturing. It should smell tangy when you open it and taste somewhat like coconut flavored yogurt when done. Drain with a colander or sieve.

The Nuts And Bolts Of Making Kefir

This is the way they did it in the good old days. Now aren't you glad we have modern conveniences like glass jars and strainers and such not to mention not having to bother our husbands or sons to carry around that goatskin bag full of kefir...as if.

The equipment you will need for making Kefir.

1 quart wide mouth canning jar [like Mason or Ball]
1 unbleached coffee filter
1 rubber band, string or the ring from a canning cap
1 large strainer and a bowl
1 spoon

Next

Put at least 2 Tbsp of kefir grains and not more than 3/4 cup in the bottom of the clean glass jar
Pour in raw cow or goats milk [if you can afford it] or homogenized natural milk [like Promised Land] filling the jar 3/4 full [because it will swell] and gently stir.
Put the unbleached coffee filter over the top then get a rubber band, string or cap ring to hold the filter in place.

Next

Put the jar of milk and kefir grains in a warm area of your kitchen out of direct sunlight.
After about 24 hours you should be able to see whey marbled through the milk but if you do not give it another day up to 48 hours in total, longer if desired. Sometimes depending on the warmth of your kitchen your kefir will ferment much quicker which is perfectly fine.
Remember, the longer the kefir is allowed to ferment the more tart it will be. It will depend on your own taste how long you allow your kefir to ferment.
When your kefir is finished fermenting it's time to strain.

Next

Put your strainer in a deep bowl or a glass 4 cup measuring cup and pour about half of the kefir in the strainer.
Get your spoon and gently move the kefir grains back and forth until the kefir has drained through.
Pour the rest of the grains and kefir in the strainer and strain the rest of the kefir out.
Get another clean glass jar and put the grains into the bottom and add more milk, cover with the filter and start another batch.

As your kefir grains multiply start more jars for making kefir or put them in a jar pouring milk over them and store in the fridge changing the milk every week or so.

Store your kefir in another glass jar and put in the fridge. The longer it sits the thicker it will get. It will last quite a while but mine gets used up as soon as I make it.

You now have kefir and you can use it anyway you want it to. Drink it plain or add some pomegranate or blueberry syrup with some stevia. Use it in place of buttermilk in recipes or make kefir cheese [quark] and most definitely make smoothies with it. Sometimes your kefir may be a bit gritty in which case just put it in the blender for several minutes and it will be smooth as silk.

Some people will tell you you cannot use metal with kefir/grains but as long as you use stainless steel it is perfectly fine. Others will tell you you can only use raw milk...not so. Still others will tell you you have to warm your milk before you put it in with your kefir grains...not so.

I have never used 1 or 2% milk but I know people who have. I've been told the 1% doesn't work out so well but if you want to use that then just try it and see.

Kefir making is not an exact science and so much depends on your own taste, so I recommend you just experiment with it until you get it the way you want it.

My goal was to get it as close to Lifeway kefir as possible and I'm happy to report I have. The added bonus is I know it's much healthier and did I mention it's a lot cheaper?

Let's make Kefir!

The Legend and History of Kefir

Legend has it that Mohammed gave kefir grains to the Orthodox people of the Caucasus Mountains of Turkey and Russia teaching them how to make kefir. They called them the "Grains of the Prophet" which they secretly guarded for it was believed if they gave away this knowledge they would lose the benefits of the grains. Kefir grains were so important to the Caucasian people they were considered part of their wealth so were passed from generation to generation.

Kefir translated means "feel good" or "long life" or "good life." Any one of those sounds really good to me.

After more than a thousand years of secrecy the knowledge of kefir started to spread. In the early 1900's Russian medical professionals took note of it's many benefits. So to get their hands on the secret recipe they had to employ underhanded methods to procure the grains.

As the story goes...

At the turn of the 19th century the Blandov Brothers, Russian dairy farmers, became obsessed with the marketability of Kefir and concocted a plan to steal the recipe from the Turks. Nikolai Blandov sent a beautiful young employee, Irina Sakharova, to the court of a local prince, Bek-Mirza Barchorov. She was instructed to charm the prince and persuade him to give her some kefir grains. Unfortunately, everything did not go according to plan. The prince, fearing retribution for violating a religious law, had no intention of giving away any 'Grains of the Prophet’. However, he was very taken with the young Irina and didn't want to lose her either. Realizing that they were not going to complete their mission, Irina and her party departed for Kislovodsk. However, they were stopped on the way home by mountain tribesmen who kidnapped Irina and took her back to the prince. Since it was a local custom to steal a bride, Irina was told that she was to marry Bek-Mirza Barchorov. Only a daring rescue mission mounted by agents of her employers saved Irina from the forced marriage. The unlucky prince was catted before the Tsar who ruled that the prince was to give Irina ten pounds of kefir grains, to recompense her for the insults she had endured. The kefir grains were taken to the Moscow Dairy and in September, 1908, the first bottles of kefir drink were offered for sale in Moscow. Small quantities of kefir were produced in several small towns in the area where there was a ready market for it; people mostly consume it for its alleged medicinal value. In modern times every Russian school child has a glass of Kefir every day upon arriving at school.

And as they say, my dear friends, the rest is history.