- 2 grams sea salt
- 50 grams cane sugar, organic
- 5 grams molasses, organic and unsulphured*
- 1000 grams filtered water
- about 1/4 cup water kefir grains (~ 50 grams)
- Gather your ingredients
- Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the sugar, molasses (optional), and cane sugar in the water.
- Remove from heat and allow the sugar water mixture to cool. It should be room temperature before moving on to the next step.
- Once it is cool, add the water kefir grains. Some may float, others may sink to the bottom, either way it’s fine.
- Cover the jar with a cloth lid and rubber-band. You must use a cloth lid to allow oxygen flow. (It’s best to use a tight-weave cloth to prevent bugs)
- Keep at a moderate room temperature, out of direct sunlight for 48 hours. Temperature should be between 65-78 degrees F.
- After 48 hours you should see some bubble floating up from the kefir grains when you move the jar a little.
- Make a fresh batch of sugar water as in the previous directions.
- Strain the water kefir grains from the fermented sugar water and place them in the jar of fresh sugar water. Set the fermented sugar water aside for bottling. Add a tablespoon of already fermented water kefir to the fresh batch.
- The fermented sugar water is now ready for flavoring and bottling (secondary fermentation)
- For secondary fermentation, you need pressure safe glass bottles and fruit juice for flavoring. I typically fill the bottles half way with fermented sugar water and half way with juice. Once the bottles are sealed, carbonation builds in the bottles. Secondary fermentation can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours depending on the temperature and amount of juice added.
