Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)

Pour 1/3 cup of rice in the first mason jar along with 1 cup of water. Swirl and rinse the rice grains in the water.

Pour the cloudy water into the 2nd mason jar while leaving the remaining rice grain in the jar.

Pour another cup of water into the 1st mason jar with the remaining grains and rinse one more time. Pour the cloudy water into the 2nd mason jar. You should have roughly 2 cups of cloudy water in the jar.

Label the jar with the current date and cover the mouth with a breathable cloth (such as muslin) and secure with rubber bands to keep out pests. Store at room temperature away from direct light. Do not shake or move the jar while it ferments.

Allow 3 to 5 days, Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) will multiply and give off as lightly sour odor. There will be a mat of semi-solid material floating on the top of the cloudy liquid in the jar.

Collect 1 2/3 cup of the cloudy liquid (fermented rinse water) by pouring off and discarding the mat layer.

Pour the cloudy fermented rinse-water into a 1-gallon glass jar.

Pour a half gallon of milk into the 1-gallon jar. The fermented rinse-water is mixed 1 part to 10 parts of milk.

Cover the mouth of the jar with cloth or paper and secure with rubber bands or ties to keep out pests. Store at room temperature away from direct light. Be careful not to shake or move the jar while it ferments.

After 3 to 5 days, the contents of the jar will separate into a floating solid fraction and a yellow liquid fraction (Figure 2). It may take longer in cooler climates. The yellow liquid is the LAB culture, which must be kept alive.