Yogurt Making

I've got to get some pics up on here to show you the progress of or garden and the work our family and friends did on Saturday morning to make a track through the bush to the river and across it. Armed with chainsaws and brush cutters (and our scythe of course) we got a path chopped through the bush on both sides in about 2 hours, felled some trees that were in the way for firewood, made a massive burn pile on the gravel beside the stream bed and built some small bridges that a person can walk across to keep your feet dry while crossing through the marshy part. I need to get pics from Steve :)

It's a sunny Monday morning and the birds are singing. Time to get out and water the garden before it heats up today. I made yogurt last night and it's nicely set. I've got to transfer it to containers now and let it chill and thicken some more in the fridge, then it's ready to eat! Yum!

Do you know how to make yogurt? It's really quite easy. And unlike making cheese of butter you don't get left with whey to figure out what to do with. 2 litres of milk makes 2 litres of yogurt.

How To Make Yogurt

Ingredients: 2 l (half gallon) milk, 3 Tbsp live culture yogurt. Some people also add a cup of milk powder but I don't, I'm just using raw jersey milk lightly skimmed.

Tools: Double boiler or a thick bottomed pot, lid, sterile spoon, thermometer, clock. Oven with a light that works.

Directions:
Sterilize all equipment before beginning and warm your yogurt and milk to room temp for at least an hour.

Either in a pot over a water bath (double boiler) or in a saucepan over very low heat, raise the temperature of the milk slowly and without scorching to 185 degrees f.
Stir frequently. It'll start to look foamy like a latte.
Hold it at that temp for 30 minutes if you can.

Cool in a sink of cold water to 110, stirring to make sure the temperature is even. Add the yogurt and stir to thoroughly mix it in.

Let sit with a lid on or a cover for 7-8 hours in a warm place. Some people use a heating pad but I simply put them into an oven that's slightly warm and has the light on. You basically want to encourage the bacterial cultures to multiply and the 110 temp. is perfect.

Once set, spoon the yogurt into containers, close the lids and refrigerate for 24 hours. This allows the bacteria to stop working and the yogurt to set. Stir together. It won't be thick stuff, it's lacking in the gum and thickening agents the stores use.

Then eat and enjoy! You can sweeten to taste or leave it plain for cooking. And don't forget to save some to use when making your next batch. This should keep a week or more in the fridge.