Clabber Ball

 

This is keffir grains in a stainless steel tea bag infuser - a.k.a. my clabber ball.  As in "Eew, why is this clabbered milk on the counter?"  It's not clabbered milk, it's keffir, one of the other gross things on my counter.  I have to admit, the first few times mom gave me some of her keffir, which she served to me at room temperature, I was a little grossed out.  I think anyone who doesn't know keffir, or all it's supposed health benefits, would be concerned that the person who hands them a glass of warm home grown keffir may have become senile and decided that it's okay to drink spoiled milk. 

I believe mom invented the clabber ball.  Most people on the inter-web allow the grains, which kind of look like cottage cheese, to be loose in the milk and then filter them out to re-use them in the next batch.  With the clabber ball technique, you just fish out the ball and drop it into another jar of milk, leave it on the counter for twenty-four hours, and wha-la! - you have keffir. 

 

Shortly after becoming a clabber ball convert, I became addicted to it.  I like it plain, or with some jam or honey, but my favorite way, and Brandon's favorite way, is to make a keffir and fruit smoothie.  It's especially good with frozen fruit which makes it more like a frozen yogurt shake.   

 

 I also use keffir in any recipe that calls for butter milk - biscuits, corn bread, bread.  I use so much of it now I can't remember how I cooked or what I ate before I had my clabber ball.  I haven't started to use keffir a skin conditioner as someone (possibly a little senile) has suggested.  At least not yet...