Water Kefir
Do you like fizzy drinks? I bet you do! Especially in summer. Water kefir is very refreshing in this hot season (we are heading for two more very warm months here in Provence) plus you get the benefits of fermented drinks like kombucha.
Water kefir is a naturally fizzy fermented drink full of probiotics. It is bubbly and refreshing like soft drink, but without the artificial ingredients and with far less sugar. If you are addicted to soft drinks try to swap for water kefir or coconut water kefir.
How to make water kefir
Ingredients for water kefir
4 cups of water (filtered or distilled)
1/4 cup of organic sugar
3 tbsp of water kefir grains (available at your health food store, they usually provide them for free)
half lemon
3 dried apricots
Put water, sugar, lemon and apricots to a sterilized bottle. Add kefir grains. Cover with a cloth secured with a rubber band. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours and not more than 2 days.
Ingredients for coconut water kefir
1 litre of coconut water
3 teaspoons of water kefir grains
Put coconut water and kefir grains to a sterilised bottle. Cover with a cloth secured with a rubber band. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours and not more than 2 days. Coconut water is naturally sweet so you don't have to add sugar.
Chill for best results. I also add few flowers of borage (borago officinalis). Borage has a beneficial effect on the heart, adrenal glands, kidneys and the entire digestive system.