No Need to Implement Plan B

I purchased a new pack of pepper seeds just in case the ones I planted in the seed starter never ended up sprouting but never got around to planting them. As it turns out, plan B is not needed as the original seeds finally started sprouting. (Today's song reference is actually an album reference - Plan B by the Steve Dunn Band.) The only problem now is that the weather has not been consistently warm enough to move the tomato and cucumber seedlings outside and the pepper seedlings are far too new to take the lid off of the 'greenhouse' during the middle of the day when the sun is strongest. Hopefully, I will be able to plant the tomatoes and cucumbers soon and allow the peppers to fully develop.

Today was a pretty good day. Went to church in the morning, had lunch at Mortensen's with the family, gave myself a haircut (and it came out looking pretty good), and went for a walk (again, with the family but with the addition of Ginger).

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the water kefir grains that I ordered the other day. I received confirmation that they have shipped, but there is no tracking information available. Hopefully my order will arrive soon and I will be able to start making and drinking water kefir! I know there is more than just water required to make water kefir, but it will still be considerably more affordable than milk kefir (though I will continue to make that - just less of it) and kombucha (until I start making that, too!). I am really excited about the potential of this next step on my journey to wellness!
I found a site comparing kombucha to water kefir. Check it out at: Common Sense Homesteading.

Take a Chance

Why didn't I think of this sooner? I have started keeping and washing out the glass bottles that I have been getting my kombucha in. Until now, I have been making and storing my kefir in one quart mason jars. This is great for making it and even though I consume a quart of kefir in a couple of days, I haven't been too pleased with using the jars to store it. I don't have any lids other than the two-piece canning lids and these are just not ideal for kefir. Canning normally creates a vacuum that makes the metal lids perfect for that purpose. Kefir, however, builds pressure in the jar. This hasn't been a real problem - it just tends to be a bit messy. For the last two batches of kefir, I have used the empty kombucha bottles. Two of them hold one quart nicely! Also, I find it easier to drink the kefir directly from these bottles rather than pouring it into a glass from the mason jar.

I decided to Take a Chance on water kefir (song reference courtesy of The Steve Dunn Band with Take a Chance). The other day, I got a $25.00 gift card for amazon.com as a reward for completing a survey. Today, I used part of it to order some water kefir grains to complement my milk kefir. I am looking forward to giving this a shot. It sounds really easy to 'brew' water kefir and also really versatile. Besides that, it will be a LOT more affordable to make water kefir than it is to make milk kefir! I do intend to continue making milk kefir - I will just be able to make less.