Basic Stuff - Yogurt

Yogurt

Ingredients:
Milk – Farm fresh is best, store bought pasteurized is OK, definitely Not ULTRA pasteurized, can be made with skim, but why would you do that?
Culture – can use yogurt from store with ACTIVE cultures in it, can use cultures from cheese outlets, can use your own yogurt cultures as long as they are still active.

I make mine with pasteurized store bought milk and (the first time only) I bought Fage yogurt for my starter culture.
When I can, I will be using fresh local farm milk.

1) Heat milk to 185-190 degrees stirring to prevent scalding (kills the nasties)
2) Let cool (on counter or in a cool water bath) to 95-105 degrees (temp cultures grow at)
3) Temper the yogurt culture (your starter) with a little of your warm milk
4) Add your culture starter to your warm milk and briefly and gently mix (don’t overdo it)
5) Cover your mixture, wrap it in a towel and set it where it can retain it’s heat and will NOT be bumped or moved for 8-9 hours
6) After 8-9 hours you have typical store bought, thin-yogurt-style plain yogurt. You can now refrigerate, flavor if you like, and enjoy.

FOR GREEK STYLE YOGURT:
7) Strain yogurt using a catch vessel holding a colander with a cheesecloth. Cover with pot lid or whatever and set in fridge to strain for another 8 hours or so.
8) Viola! You now have yummy, very thick and creamy Greek Style Yogurt

What to do with the whey:
It’s the BEST meat marinade / tenderizer we’ve ever used
Ferment your chicken feed with it
Bake with it
Water plants with it
It can be frozen

This particular whey is SWEET, meaning no acids were used in the process.

What to do with the milk jug:
Extend growing season by filling jug with water and setting outside by your plants. It absorbs sunlight during the day and gives it’s heat off during the evening. I use this method to warm my greenhouse.
When you cut it the correct way, they make great scoops.