A Tale of Yogurt

You must hear about my latest venture.  A few weeks ago I had ordered a dehydrated yogurt starter culture to make my own yogurt.  It was enough for two batches, in case the first try didn't work.  It was a bit expensive, just to do a kitchen experiment.  If it worked it would be worth the money because the plain organic yogurt I buy is expensive.

Unfortunately, neither the first nor the second culture worked.  I pretty much gave up on that idea.  Obviously, there was some factor in my kitchen that was hindering yogurt making, and I wasn't ready to figure it out.  I'd just as soon continue buying my yogurt at the store, if it's going to be that much bother.  I've never been Susie Homemaker. You know what I'm sayin'?

Then recently I came across a recipe on a blog for making yogurt in your crockpot.  It sounded pretty straightforward, so I figured it was worth one more shot.  Well, guess what?  I made yogurt!  And a lot of yogurt, at that.  It's 2 quarts, and I'm going to have yogurt for the next year.  {Laughing}

After the big crockpot unveiling this morning, I put it in the fridge and thought about it the rest of the morning.  I wondered if it would taste right.  It sure smelled right, but I just wasn't sure about all this.  I mean, we're talking about milk that was left out all night and the bacteria growing.  You might not know this, but I'm sort of a germaphobe and worry about cooking food until it's done because I'm afraid of getting food poisoning. 

At lunch I put a little in a bowl and prepared it as usual with a little natural sweetener and some vanilla.  The yogurt definitely tastes right.  It has a very creamy texture and is quite a bit more runny than store-bought.  I ate a little, but I kept thinking about whether or not it was okay to consume.  I decided that's all I'd try and then wait until later to see if I die or something.  So far, I'm still alive.

If you're interested in making your own yogurt, you can find the instructions at Nourishing Days.  It really is very easy and involves nothing more than heating milk in the crockpot, stirring in a little of your own yogurt, and then leaving it to sit overnight wrapped in a towel.  I say you should go for it.