Home Made Greek Yogurt

 

I have always been curious about making yogurt.  I used to make "yogurt cheese" which I would spread on toast or use as a substitute for sour cream.  Making yogurt cheese is super easy.  All you do is buy a container of plain 'ol yogurt, line a colander with cheese cloth, or a tea towel, or a coffee filter, put the colander over a bowl, dump the yogurt into the colander, put plastic wrap on top, and put it in the fridge overnight.  The longer you leave it, the thicker it will get.  Leave it for just a couple hours and you get greek yogurt.  Leave it 8+ hours and get cheese.

Recently, I found a recipe for "crock pot yogurt."  All you need to make yogurt is milk (ANY kind of milk), and a small amount of yogurt.  My neighbor gets commodities, so she gave me a TON of powdered milk.  So that is what I used to make this yogurt.  So this batch of yogurt cost me 48 cents!!!  And it made a large container of greek style yogurt, plus I left some in the colander draining to make yogurt cheese.

Now, when you strain yogurt, you get a lot of whey.  I used to just throw that away, but I found a recipe for lacto-fermented mayonaise that I am going to make with some of the whey and I will use the rest of the whey to make my own ricotta cheese.  How cool is that??? I also read that you could put it in your garden to fertilize your plants.  Anyway, I am getting a lot of product out of 48 cents.

As for taste. . . I like the yogurt mixed with some honey and maybe a splash of vanilla.  But the kids like things a little sweeter.  This yogurt is mixed with Blackberry All-Fruit Preserves.  Audrey kept asking for more :o)