Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt

09-14-2008, 05:52 PM

We woke up and saw it coming almost three years ago now. Thank God for visionaries like J.R. Moore, Steve Shenk, Jim Phillips, James Wesley Rawles, And Miles Stair.

That summer of 2005 we started executing the law of provident living as practiced by the Church of the LDS.
We also slashed our costs to the bone, seeking to save
where ever possible. I am old enough that my grandparents not only lived through the great depression, they lived before internal combustion engines and electricity. Happily, some of their ethic rubbed off.

When it all comes tumbling down, preparation ends. What you have is what you've got. We currently do not own enough land to comfortably support our own dairy cow. What we do have is not ready for goats. So we rely on the market for our dairy. Milk is still classified as a loss leader, even if it is six dollars a gallon in some districts. If you think I'm kidding go to your market yogurt aisle and price out a gallon of plain yogurt, then just to rub salt in the wound price out a gallon of your favorite flavored yogurt. enuf said.

We start with a gallon of milk, a large kettle, and a small container of plain or vanilla yogurt as starter. Heat the milk to 160 degrees and allow to cool to below 130
Add the starter, stir and pour into four quart sized mason jars. Then incubate for 6-12 hours between 110-126 degrees F .

Ideally you never go below 120 degrees and never ever
exceed 130. That will kill the culture. We chuck our jars
into a styrofoam cooler lined with a plastic garbage bag
and filled with hot water.

The longer the yogurt culture incubates the more tart the flavor - yum! This keeps us in yogurt for a month, which (admittedly) is really stretching the use by date.

If you are really hard core, only make a quart at a time and save a small jar to use as starter. Doing this, you will never need to buy yogurt again. Using your own starter yogurt should be made once
a week. It is a sad day when the yogurt fails because your starter was too old...

The end result is nothing like what you buy in the store.
There are no thickeners or additives. The difference is
striking.

Carol · 09-14-2008, 09:21 PM

Love the info you share.

Katherine · 09-14-2008, 10:00 PM

Hi all.....

Yes, I know what you mean! I got a small yogurt maker about 3 months ago. Now I make my own every Sunday for the week - with organic milk and organic natural yogurt for starter. It's awesome. I just add some (a few drops) of stevia (gotta have my sweet stuff) and fresh fruit and/or a few drops of vanilla! Stir and it's ready to go!

It's a MUST try for everyone.

Love & Light
K

09-14-2008, 10:13 PM

hi guys!! my mom always makes home made yogurt.. even with skim 1 percent milk sometimes! it tastes great.

-heat the milk.. not to boiling point.. it's very hot though and some steam is coming off (don't know exact temp)
-let the milk cool until about lukewarmish..
-add cold yogurt.. a tablespoon
-put mixture into a container
-and wrap the container with blanket for a few hours
-put in the fridge and let set-- waaala!!

my instructions aren't specific.. sorry

you guys don't need yogurt makers or anything!

hope i could help
~IronWoman

Morgan · 09-15-2008, 03:39 AM

Brilliant.

I have a yogurt maker at home but am interested in learning alternative ways, so your styrofoam cooler/garbage bag/hot water idea is great. Also, for folks without yogurt makers and who don't want to do the cooler thing, I have it on good authority (ie. other folks who do this) that one's oven, with the door propped open so as to keep the light on, will provide enough heat to properly incubate yogurt. Just be sure to check the temperature.

For myself, I use goat's milk and a nondairy starter. I don't tolerate cow anything very well. I ferment the yogurt for 28 hours - 24 is enough to eliminate the majority of lactose. (Yes, so those who are lactose intolerant can even enjoy properly fermented yogurt. Additionally hard cheese is also very low in lactose - if it has been properly cultured.)

It is also to be said that one can make yogurt from almonds, or ferment vegetables to get the same probiotic effect. Google them as I am no expert in these processes

Shellie · 09-19-2008, 10:05 PM

How do you keep if from going bad? I always used Dannon as a starter, but the yogurt would be good for about a week before little bacteria colonies started growing... And I could never use my "made" yogurt as a starter or else what was made from it would go bad in two days.

I always heat the milk to just below boiling, and add the culture when the temp drops down to a temp barely tolerable for about 5 sec with my pinky finger. Is that what I am doing wrong, sticking my finger in it to test?

09-14-2008, 05:52 PM	#1
Baggywrinkle Guest Posts: n/a	Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt We woke up and saw it coming almost three years ago now. Thank God for visionaries like J.R. Moore, Steve Shenk, Jim Phillips, James Wesley Rawles, And Miles Stair. That summer of 2005 we started executing the law of provident living as practiced by the Church of the LDS. We also slashed our costs to the bone, seeking to save where ever possible. I am old enough that my grandparents not only lived through the great depression, they lived before internal combustion engines and electricity. Happily, some of their ethic rubbed off. When it all comes tumbling down, preparation ends. What you have is what you've got. We currently do not own enough land to comfortably support our own dairy cow. What we do have is not ready for goats. So we rely on the market for our dairy. Milk is still classified as a loss leader, even if it is six dollars a gallon in some districts. If you think I'm kidding go to your market yogurt aisle and price out a gallon of plain yogurt, then just to rub salt in the wound price out a gallon of your favorite flavored yogurt. enuf said. We start with a gallon of milk, a large kettle, and a small container of plain or vanilla yogurt as starter. Heat the milk to 160 degrees and allow to cool to below 130 Add the starter, stir and pour into four quart sized mason jars. Then incubate for 6-12 hours between 110-126 degrees F . Ideally you never go below 120 degrees and never ever exceed 130. That will kill the culture. We chuck our jars into a styrofoam cooler lined with a plastic garbage bag and filled with hot water. The longer the yogurt culture incubates the more tart the flavor - yum! This keeps us in yogurt for a month, which (admittedly) is really stretching the use by date. If you are really hard core, only make a quart at a time and save a small jar to use as starter. Doing this, you will never need to buy yogurt again. Using your own starter yogurt should be made once a week. It is a sad day when the yogurt fails because your starter was too old... The end result is nothing like what you buy in the store. There are no thickeners or additives. The difference is striking. Last edited by Baggywrinkle; 09-14-2008 at 06:57 PM.

09-14-2008, 09:21 PM	#2
Carol Project Avalon Hero Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Big Island, Hawaii Posts: 2,008	Re: Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt Love the info you share.

09-14-2008, 10:00 PM	#3
Katherine Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 29	Re: Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt Hi all..... Yes, I know what you mean! I got a small yogurt maker about 3 months ago. Now I make my own every Sunday for the week - with organic milk and organic natural yogurt for starter. It's awesome. I just add some (a few drops) of stevia (gotta have my sweet stuff) and fresh fruit and/or a few drops of vanilla! Stir and it's ready to go! It's a MUST try for everyone. Love & Light K

09-14-2008, 10:13 PM	#4
IronWoman Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt hi guys!! my mom always makes home made yogurt.. even with skim 1 percent milk sometimes! it tastes great. -heat the milk.. not to boiling point.. it's very hot though and some steam is coming off (don't know exact temp) -let the milk cool until about lukewarmish.. -add cold yogurt.. a tablespoon -put mixture into a container -and wrap the container with blanket for a few hours -put in the fridge and let set-- waaala!! my instructions aren't specific.. sorry you guys don't need yogurt makers or anything! hope i could help ~IronWoman

09-15-2008, 03:39 AM	#5
Morgan Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 107	Re: Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt Brilliant. I have a yogurt maker at home but am interested in learning alternative ways, so your styrofoam cooler/garbage bag/hot water idea is great. Also, for folks without yogurt makers and who don't want to do the cooler thing, I have it on good authority (ie. other folks who do this) that one's oven, with the door propped open so as to keep the light on, will provide enough heat to properly incubate yogurt. Just be sure to check the temperature. For myself, I use goat's milk and a nondairy starter. I don't tolerate cow anything very well. I ferment the yogurt for 28 hours - 24 is enough to eliminate the majority of lactose. (Yes, so those who are lactose intolerant can even enjoy properly fermented yogurt. Additionally hard cheese is also very low in lactose - if it has been properly cultured.) It is also to be said that one can make yogurt from almonds, or ferment vegetables to get the same probiotic effect. Google them as I am no expert in these processes

09-19-2008, 10:05 PM	#6
Shellie Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 267	Re: Saving money at the market; Your own yogurt How do you keep if from going bad? I always used Dannon as a starter, but the yogurt would be good for about a week before little bacteria colonies started growing... And I could never use my "made" yogurt as a starter or else what was made from it would go bad in two days. I always heat the milk to just below boiling, and add the culture when the temp drops down to a temp barely tolerable for about 5 sec with my pinky finger. Is that what I am doing wrong, sticking my finger in it to test?