I purchased Donna Gate's non dairy kefir starters, but I rarely have to use them. If you know how to ferment vegetables properly, you don't need it at all.
I remember a Russian friend of mine teaching me how her mom prepared cabbage. She would slice the cabbage thinly. Then she would add salt as she kneaded it; like one would knead dough. I found it very strange that she would do that. She said the purpose was to make the cabbage very soft. She stressed two things, the importance of the salt and the importance the softness of the cabbage. We ate it just like that, however, I didn't see when she jarred it. When you knead the cabbage like that, it's juices mix with the salt creating a perfect brine for fermentation. Because cabbage will produce the desired kefirs, there isn't a need for the kefir starters.
I do find the kefir starter useful sometimes, however, so I still have some. For example, if I wanted to make a vegetable blend without the use of cucumbers or cabbage, a kefir starter is necessary. I almost always add veggies that don't need the kefir to each batch. Therefore I am saving my kefir for any special recipe that hasn't the kefir producing vegetables.
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