Goat Kefir breakfast conundrum

Hi, I'm not sure how to search for the answer I'm looking for so here's my question... if I wanted to add things like cacao / nuts / berries to homemade raw goat kefir and have it all well fermented what options do I have? I.e does it harm the strained kefir if I add things and let it sit? Would fructose / carbs / anti nutrients / caffeine fully ferment that way? Or would I be better off fermenting the additions seperately and then adding to the kefir? I watched a video about fermenting a topping for yoghurt with whey and salt but have never used whey before. I'm also not sure whether adding a salty mixture to the kefir just before eating would harm the probiotics. Another video showed seeds being fermented with a probiotic capsule. Have often come across advice to soak things in kefir but not sure how long this can be done for. My only other experience so far is with homemade sauerkraut. TIA 🙏

Just replying to 'bump' the thread to see if anyone has advice for you.

If no one has any experience to give, my advice would be to do some experimenting on a small scale yourself, and then report back your results!

Is your goal to have all of the elements fully fermented to a specific end? Or are you wanting the add-ins primarily for flavor and texture?

Various things (sugars typically) ferment or culture with different bacteria and at different temperatures. So optimally, you ferment compatible things together; or you wait until a point when a ferment is almost complete and then add in something for the final or secondary fermentation period; or you ferment separate elements and then blend as needed.

Kombucha is a good example of this. Typically you will make your black tea kombucha until the sugar is consumed and transformed by the SCOBY, then you add some fruit or flavoring with some sugar like fructose for the final step that adds fizz. Beer is bottle conditioned this way as well.

Kefir is such a fast ferment though that you may have no problem adding in fruit or other elements when you culture the milk. It depends on if you want the add-ins to be fermented themselves. If so, it may take a bit longer and a different bacteria to get the results you want (lacto-fermented vegetables can take weeks to ferment) so an overnight ferment in kefir isn't going to transform them as thoroughly it would if you fermented them by themselves. But in my experience they won't spoil a quick up to 24 hour ferment like kefir.

I agree wholeheartedly that small scale experimentation with some basic knowledge as a basis will provide you with a more thorough education on what you can and can't do, and how you will end up preferring to consume your ferments (what is possible isn't always palatable). You get to know how the atmosphere and invisible wild bacteria in your home affects your ferments only by fooling around with it.

I'll add that if I misunderstood your post or didn't answer your question, feel free to ask anything else and I'll do my best to clarify (or point toward more expertise).

I’ve always added the nuts or fruit aft3r it had fermented, and just before eating it.  Don’t know how well it would ferment into kefir by adding it first.  Might be worth a try.  

Nuts can be fermented to help with our digestive systems. If a person wants to soak, sprout, or ferment the nuts this will help provide nutrients.

I have a problem with almonds being too hard to chew so I read that I can ferment them to soften them.

I hope this information has been helpful.

Anne Miller wrote:Nuts can be fermented to help with our digestive systems. If a person wants to soak, sprout, or ferment the nuts this will help provide nutrients.

I have a problem with almonds being too hard to chew so I read that I can ferment them to soften them.

I hope this information has been helpful.

Yes! I am so glad you reminded me of this- sprouted seeds and nuts are so easy to do (but totally different than kefir making) and are so much more nutritious. I have especially enjoyed sprouted (just barely!) pumpkin seeds.

I forgot to mention on the topic of salt: there are several fermented milk drinks that have herbs and salt added right before consuming like doogh and some lassis. They are more thirst quenching and refreshing and should be an electrolyte replenisher. So tradition says adding salt to milk ferments just prior to consuming is beneficial, not negative for the probiotic benefits.

I have never tried fermenting additional items with my milk kefir beacause I don't know if it would affect my grains. I add dried fruit after the initial ferment and store in the refer.  But I always add items to my water kefir and it doesn't harm them. I'll try adding to my next batch of milk kefir to see what happens. Might increase the meld of flavors together.