Water kefir: how to preserve the grains and reactivate the tibicos if necessary

How to put the water Kefir granules on standby to reuse them later without letting them die, drying the tibicons

How to put your Water Kefir granules on standby to reuse them after some time without letting them die. Find out how to dry tibicons and reactivate them later

Kefir is now one of the most loved and healthy fermented foods and more and more people decide to do it at home with granules, called tibicons, usually given away by other donors, a bit like it happens with sourdough or bought online. Whether it is made of milk or water, kefir represents a "live" food that must be taken care of, made to grow and reproduce. And there is a time when you want to take a break, perhaps because on vacation or simply because more busy than usual. In this case, how can we not let the tibicons die? Let's see the procedure particularly valid for water kefir

How to pause our Water Kefir

Water kefir: how to preserve the grains and reactivate the tibicos if necessary

Although water kefir grains can be used to make consecutive batches of water kefir, at some point most people will need to take a break. Cold temperatures significantly slow down the growing process, so the refrigerator is a good place to store tibicons when a longer or shorter period of stop from production is needed.

Short break: keep the grains for up to 3 weeks

Add the water kefir granules to 1 liter of fresh sugared water (¼ cup of sugar dissolved in 1 liter of water);
Put an airtight lid on the container and place in the refrigerator (when storing the beans, the sugar water should be changed every week if possible). Water kefir grains should be healthy and safe for up to 3 weeks.
When you are ready to make your water kefir again, separate the tibicons from the preserving liquid, place them in fresh sugar water and grow as usual.
It may take a couple of batches for the grains to wake up and get back to work. The preservative liquid can be consumed as long as it has a pleasant aroma and taste.

Long pause: keep the grains up to 6, 12 months

If a longer pause is needed, it is advisable to dry and dry the water kefir grains and then rehydrate the tibicons if necessary. In particular:

Rinse the grains well, possibly with filtered water, drain and lay them well distributed on a piece of absorbent paper or unbleached baking paper in a safe place;

Cover them with paper (to be changed if necessary after a couple of days) or even tulle to avoid dust and gnats;

Let them dry at room temperature for 3-5 days, depending on the humidity and temperature present, until they reach the consistency of coarse salt. Alternatively, you can use a dryer as long as the grains do not heat up above 30 degrees

Once the kefir grains are completely dry, store them in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator or in a dry place for about 6 months to up to a year.

How to reactivate the grains after drying

Water kefir: how to preserve the grains and reactivate the tibicos if necessary

@blackboard1965/Shutterstock

When you are ready to prepare the water kefir again, rehydrate the grains by putting them in water and sugar (without dried fruit or lemon): you will immediately notice the bubbles and the tibicons will swell and increase in volume.

How much water and how much sugar is needed to reactivate the kefir? It is advisable to use at least double the sugar of the weight of the grains, while the water must at least the stevvo volume of the tibicons and cover them completely

Which water and which sugar are optimal for rehydrating kefir grains? Water rich in minerals and preferably white sugar should always be used, at least for the rehydration process.

It is also advisable to throw away the first 3 batches of fermentation, from the fourth on you can return to ferment as usual.

Here other FAQs on Water Kefir

Follow us on Telegram Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Youtube

On Kefir you might also be interested in: