Don't blame yourself, we get it - sometimes grains just need a bit more care than you are able to give them. If you have ever left your grains in the fridge for too long, you may need to give them some TLC to revive them. A week or two is usually fine (for both water and milk grains), any longer and you may end up with some less than cooperative grains...
1 Month - After 1 month of storing them, you may end up with sluggish grains! Sure, they may not be completely gone, but grains are a live culture that need food for their existence. If they don’t get food they start to starve and after a while will die. This may be prevented if the temperature is low enough and grains have at least some food at the beginning. It also depends on the grains, were they very active before storage? If so, this may help.
1 Year - If we're honest, a year is a really long time to leave your grains in storage. Instead of leaving your grains for this long, you might want to share them with friends and family to use and maintain. Then, when you are ready you can go back (hopefully they would have multiplied) and you can take some back for yourself.
You have not used your grains for a while, but you want to revive them. Here's what to do...
Water kefir grains
Step 1: Dissolve 30g sugar (use ½ of unrefined sugar) in 300ml non-chlorinated water.
Step 2: Add kefir grains, cover and ferment (20-24°C) for 3-4 days.
Step 3: Repeat the steps above (5-7 times) until there are signs of activity - but ferment for only 2 days.
What to look for when reviving water grains:
Bubbles
Sour taste
Floating grains
Cloudy liquid
Milk kefir grains
Step 1: Add milk kefir grains to 100ml milk
Step 2: Ferment 24 hrs (20-24°C). After 12 hrs stir gently
Step 3: After 24 hrs strain with a fine mesh sieve and wash the grains with lukewarm water
Step 4: Repeat 5-7 times. Start using 200ml of milk when grains show activity
Once the milk ferments into kefir, the grains are ready to use
What to look for when reviving milk grains:
Thicker milk
Separation seen in jar and a sour taste