A couple of weeks ago milk was on a great sale. We already had a gallon in the fridge, but Mick suggested I buy it anyway and make cheese. So we bought it and I set out to make yogurt. I added a couple of starter cubes (cheese starter dissolved in milk, then frozen) to a quart of milk.
Then I heated it up (way too hot actually, oops!), let it set out in the sun, brought it back inside and left it in the back of the stove, heated it up again, let it set...
It spent several days with these non-FDA-approved temperature fluctuations until, lo and behold, it tasted like yogurt! It looked like yogurt too, much to my surprise. :) You can see the whey on the top. Some of the whey I strained off and drank, and some of it I stirred into the yogurt.
For my second batch of yogurt, I just added a couple spoonfuls of the first batch to some milk and left it in the back of the stove, and it was ready in a day! It is delicious with honey (thanks for the idea, Nuccia!)
I can't believe how easy it is to make, especially now that I have the culture started. Mick has challenged me to make more cheese, since we enjoy it so much and it is less expensive to make it than to buy it. I'm excited! It is something I really enjoy, both making it and eating it. Our other current dairy project is a pound of cheddar cheese, waxed and aging.
I think we will be able to sample one of the quarters next month. I am looking forward to many delicious dairy products in the future!
Then I heated it up (way too hot actually, oops!), let it set out in the sun, brought it back inside and left it in the back of the stove, heated it up again, let it set...
It spent several days with these non-FDA-approved temperature fluctuations until, lo and behold, it tasted like yogurt! It looked like yogurt too, much to my surprise. :) You can see the whey on the top. Some of the whey I strained off and drank, and some of it I stirred into the yogurt.
For my second batch of yogurt, I just added a couple spoonfuls of the first batch to some milk and left it in the back of the stove, and it was ready in a day! It is delicious with honey (thanks for the idea, Nuccia!)
I can't believe how easy it is to make, especially now that I have the culture started. Mick has challenged me to make more cheese, since we enjoy it so much and it is less expensive to make it than to buy it. I'm excited! It is something I really enjoy, both making it and eating it. Our other current dairy project is a pound of cheddar cheese, waxed and aging.
I think we will be able to sample one of the quarters next month. I am looking forward to many delicious dairy products in the future!
Are you taking orders yet?
ReplyDeleteDon't you want to wait and see how everything turns out first? :) Actually, anybody who wants it is welcome (Mick says, to visit, which is also true!) to some yogurt culture. And if you time your visit just right, we might have some fresh cheese ready too (maybe even make a pizza with fresh mozzarella and ricotta). We've got fresh greens out the ears already, so you can even have vegetables!
ReplyDeleteMick's comment: Actually we already have a press, rennet, culture, and so on, so better than taking orders you should come and make cheese! Or gosh, I know I'm not the one making it, but if we (she) made some for others we'd (she'd) have a chance to try a lot of different kinds. The rennet is only good for so long, anyway...
ReplyDeleteOh. Sarah says she would be happy to do it!
When do you start churning butter?
ReplyDelete:) An excellent question! Well, for the time being, it is more economical to buy butter than to make it. But maybe when we have goats (whose milk is supposed to be extra cream-y)... However, when you come to visit, you are more than welcome to put your churning muscles to work! BYOC [churn].
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the crockpot method, that sounds great! So far I have been able to do it without any additional gas or electric, but it is good to have a backup. (I'm hoping my mom might take some of the culture back with her and make a batch herself -- Mick adds, and the crockpot method would be great for her.) I'm hoping to try frozen yogurt and yogurt cheese next...Stay tuned. :)
ReplyDelete