Coconut kefir is one of my favourite drinks. I always notice a feeling of well-being after drinking a glass and then a couple of days of drinking it I notice a difference in my hair and skin.

In this video I’ll show you how to start with a very small amount of water kefir grains and grow them into a larger amount do you’ll never need to buy them again.

I’ll also then show you how to make kefir from coconut water.

One thing I need to mention is that the fermentation should be done at room temperature, then when you have a finished drink you should store it in the refrigerator.

Water kefir grains cannot be grown from scratch they have to come from a donor. The good news is that you only need a very small amount to start growing them from that first batch.

Here are the instructions for growing kefir, we use maple syrup because it has a high amount of sugar for the grains to feed on.

Growing kefir grains

2 – 3 tablespoons water kefir grains
1 quart pure water
1/4 cup maple syrup

- Place all ingredients in a glass jar and seal.

- Allow to stand at room temperature for up to 48 hours.

- Strain the liquid and reserve the grains.

- The resulting water can be drunk as is or added to smoothies for an extra boost of probiotics.

- You should notice a small increase in the volume of the kefir grains that came out.

- Repeat this process until you have enough grains to keep this process going and also make coconut kefir.

Young coconut water doesn’t have enough sugar to actually make the kefir grains grow very fast, but it does have enough sugar to make the coconut water ferment into kefir.

When you team up the previous process of growing the grains with the next instructions on how to make the actual kefir, you should be able to provide your daily kefir requirements on a ongoing basis.

For coconut kefir

1/4 cup kefir grains
1 quart young coconut water

- Combine the water kefir grains and the coconut water in a jar.

- Allow to stand for up to 48 hours at room temperature. You can check every 12 hours to make sure the fermentation isn’t going to far. You’ll know if it’s strong enough by taste testing (the longer you leave the more pungent and sour it gets). After you’ve made a few batches you’ll get a feel of how you prefer it. The rule of thumb is that the more grains you have in the water, the less time it will need to develop. Warmer room temperature will also result in quicker fermentation.

- Strain the coconut water kefir from the kefir grains, reserve the grains for another batch or to grow more. Set the coconut water kefir aside for a second stage fermentation.

Second Stage Fermentation

Coconut kefir
1/2 to 1 cup juice of your choice

- Combine the coconut kefir and juice in a jar.

- Leave to stand at room temperature for 48 hours. This will cause a second stage fermentation where the kefir will break down the sugars in the juice and go fizzy.

- If your kefir is already quite fizzy or you just like the taste of the kefir with the juice without actually fermenting for that second stage, then you can simply add the juice and put in straight in the refrigerator which will slow the fermentation down.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

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In this video I’m going to talk you through my 2 current favourite dehydrators, the pros and cons of each, and whether you really need one or not on the raw food diet.

The temperatures I mention in the video are all degrees F.

Key points

• The food itself in the dehydrator should not go over the temperature it’s thought that the most sensitive enzymes start to get affected by heat, that is around 118 degrees F

• That means that we can set the Excalibur dehydrator to between the 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F mark as that dial refers to the food temperature.

• When using the TSM dehydrator you’ll want to use a probe thermometer and have the air temperature set to around 110 degrees F. I’ve found drying to be very efficient at that temperature. You can always use the thermometer to actually measure the food temperature if you’re unsure too.

Pros and Cons of the Excalibur

Pros:

Cons:

Pros and Cons of the TSM

Pros:

Cons:

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

It’s now easier than ever to make your own non-dairy raw nut cheese to satisfy that cheese craving. Whenever I make one of these cheeses it’s usually gone within hours.

But rather than just eat it all on its own there’s some really nice additions to the cheese that can be served with it that make the most of the flavour and texture.

Some of these additions bring sweetness to the acidity of the cheese – a perfect balance. Others are there for texture.

In this video I’ll show you what to plate with the cheese and, of course, hwo to make it look great, should you want to serve to friends and family.

My homestudy course shows exactly how to make raw nut cheeses click here for details of the course.

Enjoy the video and be sure to leave me a comment, and ‘retweet’ on Twitter or ‘Share’ on Facebook if you think your friends would like to see this too.

Are you one of the people that have signed up for my free eZine?

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For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.