In the instructions for Yogurt & Kefir with Alternative Milks they mention to activate the freeze dried starter with dairy milk & then use 2-3 spoonfuls to recultured batch to be made with alternative milk. For the activation of the freezed dried starter, how much milk is used, at what temperature, is it activated in the fridge or the counter, how long does it take to activate the starter and how do you determine if it has been activated? Also the instructions mention to use 2-3 spoonfuls of the activated starter for the alternative milk. Are they referring to tablespoons or teaspoons?
Activation in this case means “making” of the first batch. Dairy milk is the native environment and normally contains fewer preservatives and additives, so the level of success will be higher. However, you also can use directly Soy and Cashew milk directly with no preservatives and additives and also succeed.
Any size of the spoon can reculture 1 to 5L. For more than 5L the size of the spoon should be “a tablespoon”