Storing Kefir

[Liz CA]

What type of container do you store it in? I used a full size pitcher even though we never filled it. It was always consumed before we filled the pitcher. This morning I elbowed the pitcher into the porcelain sink...and broke it.

 

I like small vintage looking ceramic pitchers but am not sure if ceramic would be good for Kefir because it's acidic. Are there smaller glass pitchers or something with a lid. Naturally I could use a mason jar but I need all my mason jars for storing my cultured veggies. :)

Edited May 7, 2017 by Liz CA

[wintermom]

My friend stores her raw milk in a glass jar with a lid. She just pours it out from the jar and it works fine. I think it's between 1 and 2 litres in size, so not too heavy or awkward to lift and store in the fridge.

 

I buy my kefir from a grocery store, so I just store it in the container it comes in.

[Rosie_0801]

I want someone to make this, which I saw on Facebook:

It's that time of the year again: 

Green Pinyon Pine Cones Syrup

Pine cones syrup is a fascinating procedure! The origin is medicinal and is part of the local herbalism tradition (used for cough and lungs ailments) in France and Italy. Quite a few of the recipes don’t even list which pines to use but will tell you to go out and pick up some greens cones but traditionally and commercially Silver fir (Abies alba) and Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) were used for their incredible flavors and possibly medicinal properties. I have also seen mention of black pine (Pinus nigra) and Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea). So far, I could not find any tradition of making unripe pine cones syrup in North America but you will find tons of recipes for pine needle teas, spruce and fir tips syrup, pine needles syrup which can lead you to which pines or spruce/fir trees to experiment with. 

The procedure is super simple:

1. Pick up the green pine cones when they are loaded with sap. Usually late spring in California. Give them a quick gentle wash if necessary. Very often I don’t have to wash them. They came from my friend's place which is far away from pollution.

2. Within a day or two, place the cones in a jar and add brown or white sugar. Traditional recipes ask for a ratio of 50% sugar and 50% green pine cones per volume. White sugar will give you a light amber syrup. I like to add the juice of one lemon as well. 

3. Close the lid and leave in the sun for a month. The sugar will extract the water content/sap (osmosis) and create the syrup. It’s that simple! 

Having done the Master Food Preserver program a few years ago, I was a bit worry about the possibility of botulism by leaving something in a closed container and in the sun for a month but I did a test on pine cone juice and the acidity level was quite high which would inhibit botulism. 

CAUTION: For the first 3-4 days, do not close the lid too tight. Making the syrup is how I found out that the pine cones are loaded with wild yeast. You may get some fermentation occurring in the beginning and I even had a jar exploding after a couple of days.

Give it a go, Liz. You need to go buy more jars anyhow. :lol:

[marbel]

I would just buy more mason jars.  :-)   

[kewb]

I store mine in a glass milk bottle that I had saved.  This post has reminded me that I have to change the milk in the kefir jar in the fridge.

[Liz CA]

I want someone to make this, which I saw on Facebook:

 

It's that time of the year again: 

Green Pinyon Pine Cones Syrup

Pine cones syrup is a fascinating procedure! The origin is medicinal and is part of the local herbalism tradition (used for cough and lungs ailments) in France and Italy. Quite a few of the recipes don’t even list which pines to use but will tell you to go out and pick up some greens cones but traditionally and commercially Silver fir (Abies alba) and Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) were used for their incredible flavors and possibly medicinal properties. I have also seen mention of black pine (Pinus nigra) and Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea). So far, I could not find any tradition of making unripe pine cones syrup in North America but you will find tons of recipes for pine needle teas, spruce and fir tips syrup, pine needles syrup which can lead you to which pines or spruce/fir trees to experiment with. 

The procedure is super simple:

1. Pick up the green pine cones when they are loaded with sap. Usually late spring in California. Give them a quick gentle wash if necessary. Very often I don’t have to wash them. They came from my friend's place which is far away from pollution.

2. Within a day or two, place the cones in a jar and add brown or white sugar. Traditional recipes ask for a ratio of 50% sugar and 50% green pine cones per volume. White sugar will give you a light amber syrup. I like to add the juice of one lemon as well. 

3. Close the lid and leave in the sun for a month. The sugar will extract the water content/sap (osmosis) and create the syrup. It’s that simple! 

Having done the Master Food Preserver program a few years ago, I was a bit worry about the possibility of botulism by leaving something in a closed container and in the sun for a month but I did a test on pine cone juice and the acidity level was quite high which would inhibit botulism. 

CAUTION: For the first 3-4 days, do not close the lid too tight. Making the syrup is how I found out that the pine cones are loaded with wild yeast. You may get some fermentation occurring in the beginning and I even had a jar exploding after a couple of days.

Give it a go, Liz. You need to go buy more jars anyhow. :lol:

 

Goodness! Five years ago I lived in a place where I had all the pine cones at my feet, literally - in the foothills of the Sierras.

I have never seen a recipe for pine cone syrup until here and now.

...And you are right, I probably do need to buy more jars. :laugh:

 

 

[iamonlyone]

I use this Anchor Hocking lidded pitcher: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foxrun-9011-bistro-pitcher/34958428?action=product_interest&action_type=title&beacon_version=1.0.2&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&client_guid=a65f63b6-0aaa-4473-812a-fb1c643f6750&config_id=2&customer_id_enc&findingMethod=p13n&guid=a65f63b6-0aaa-4473-812a-fb1c643f6750&item_id=34958428&parent_anchor_item_id=52461780&parent_item_id=52461780&placement_id=irs-2-m2&reporter=recommendations&source=new_site&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=Z52MU6qsxFWUTMoZnge8R4

 

Yikes! That's a long link! If it doesn't work, you can go to walmart.com and search for "Anchor Hocking bistro glass pitcher with stopper."

[Liz CA]

I use this Anchor Hocking lidded pitcher: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foxrun-9011-bistro-pitcher/34958428?action=product_interest&action_type=title&beacon_version=1.0.2&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&client_guid=a65f63b6-0aaa-4473-812a-fb1c643f6750&config_id=2&customer_id_enc&findingMethod=p13n&guid=a65f63b6-0aaa-4473-812a-fb1c643f6750&item_id=34958428&parent_anchor_item_id=52461780&parent_item_id=52461780&placement_id=irs-2-m2&reporter=recommendations&source=new_site&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=Z52MU6qsxFWUTMoZnge8R4

 

Yikes! That's a long link! If it doesn't work, you can go to walmart.com and search for "Anchor Hocking bistro glass pitcher with stopper."

 

Link worked fine - thank you. Just ordered a smaller one - looks just like this one but is 16 3/4 oz. Very good price on these containers.