Step 1

Add 1/8 of sugar(s) of choice to a quart jar (I often use half cane sugar and half brown sugar). Add one of the mineral supplements, if needed, here.

Step 2

Add about 1/3 cup of hot water (about 110-120 degrees, which is typically your hottest tap water) and stir well with a wooden spoon to dissolve. Fill the jar with cold water, stirring, until it's about 3/4 of the way full (about 2-1/2 cups total). NOTE: The resulting water temperature should be about room temperature (70-75 degrees) to not damage/kill the grains.

Step 3

Use a nylon strainer to separate the water kefir grains from the water in the jar they're in - if it's from storage, DO NOT keep the water; if it's from another ferment, keep the water in a large glass measure.

Step 4

Gently add the strained kefir grains to the prepared room temperature sugar water, using a funnel if you'd like. Give it all a little stir. Attach the Easy Fermenter Lid and set the date for 2 days ahead. Or use a coffee filter or piece of muslin attached with a rubber band.

Step 5

Let sit at room temperature for up to 48 hours - you should see bubbles when you move the jar and maybe some of the grains floating. TIP: If it's cold in your kitchen, find the warmest place for your water kefir or provide a warming light next to it.

Step 6

Make another quart jar of sugar water the same way as the first ferment.

Step 7

Strain the first kefir ferment through the nylon sieve into a 1-quart (4-cup) glass measure.

Step 8

Transfer the strained kefir grains to the newly prepared jar. Place the lid on and set date dial for two days and keep at room temperature (now you will just be repeating this until you have enough water kefir or you want to move it into refrigerated storage).

Step 9

The fermented kefir water in the glass measure should be about 2-1/2 to 3 cups. Add 1 cup of your choice of 100% juice and mix with wooden spoon.

Step 10

Pour the water kefir-juice mixture into swing top bottles. A quart jar fills two pint-sized bottles, you can also use quart size bottles if you'd like one bottle from each quart jar.

Step 11

Set the bottles on the counter to ferment again (the second ferment) for another two days - OR until you see some bubbles on the top. In warm weather, it may only take one day, in colder weather maybe three.

Step 12

Once you see the bubbles, place the sealed jars into the fridge where they can stay for up to a month at 40° to 45°F. (Technically, you can leave it at room temperature (68° to 78°F) for 3 to 4 days, but I've always thought it tastes better refrigerated.)

Step 13

Keep repeating this process - both the first and second ferments - until you run out of bottles or you need to take a break.

Step 14

In the second ferment above, after straining the grains and adding them to the new sugar water, place a regular storage lid on the jar instead of the fermenting lid (note: I do add 1/4 cup sugar when making water for storage just to give the grains more food).

Step 15

Place this in the fridge for a few weeks up to 6 months. While the sugar water will feed the grains slowly, it's still recommended to replace the sugar water every few weeks if you can (I have left them for a month while traveling and they were fine).

Step 16

Remove the jar of kefir grains in water from the fridge and strain the grains from the water, THROWING OUT the water that's been used up while in hibernation.

Step 17

Add the grains to a new sugar water jar and start the process again.