my favorite yogurt making method

A couple months ago, I told you about my adventures in making yogurt in the crock pot.


I have experimented and found a better method. Well, this method may not be better than the crock pot yogurt, it just works better for me. It doesn't take very long and I get consistent results- even when using skim milk!!

 So here goes. When I make it all I use  is:


-   milk (any- I've used homo, 2% and skim and they all work)
-   a little powdered milk - 1/4 to 1/2 C
-  1/2 C plain yogurt
-   a candy thermometer
-   a soup pot
-   a small cooler
-   a couple 2 L canning jars


My process is as follows:


1) Pour 2 L of milk into a pot, heating on low/medium. Using your candy thermometer to watch the temp, heat your milk to 180 F. I keep my wisk handy to stir regularily. I have bad pots and always end with some burnt on the bottom of my pot- just don't scrape the burnt stuff off when stirring. It takes 15-20 minutes to heat the milk. Do not rush it!


2) While heating the milk I milk, I use a seperate bowl to mix the yogurt and skim milk powder. If adding honey, vanilla or other flavorings I mix the into this bowl.


3) Also while heating the milk, I fill my sink half way with COLD water. Some people use ice, but I find cold water works fine.


I also fill my cooler half way with HOT water.


4) Once the milk has heated to 180 F, I remove it from the stove and put it into the sink of cold water. Using the wisk, I stir it until the temp has lowered to 100F.


5)At this time, I remove 1 C of the heated milk and mix it into my bowl with the yogurt and powdered milk.


6) Once yogurt, powdered milk and hot milk are mixed, I dump the whole thing back into the pot of warm milk. Drain sink.


7) Grab your 2, 2L canning jars (or other glass container of about this size), a funnel, and pour mixture from pot into the jars, half into each jar.


8)  Put jars into cooler- adjust hot water so that the water reaches the level of the milk mixture in the jars.


You can either keep jars uncovered, or cover them. I have done both and don't see any difference in the end product.


9) Close cooler and leave overnight, or for 8-10 hours. The longer you leave it the more 'sour' the yogurt tastes.


Magically when you open your cooler again, your jars will be filled with yogurt! At this stage I pour my yogurt into a 2L ice cream container and keep it in the fridge. This yogurt lasts us about 1 -2 weeks. Costs us about $2.50, compared to about $6-$8 for the same thing in the store.


I use mine unsweetened and unflavored because we add fruit, applesauce or maple syrup to it when we eat it, but you may experiment and see what you come up with. I have read that if you add fruit to it during the 'sitting' process that the yogurt won't set properly.


Another thing I do is I often line my strainer with cheese cloth, place it over a bowl, and pour some of my yogurt into it, allowing some of the moisture to drain. This creates a thicker yogurt and depending on how long you let it sit, it can get very thick. In the Eat Clean Diet, this is called yogurt cheese.


Happy yogurt making!
Check out these other ideas
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/homemade-yogurt.html
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/homemade-yogurt.shtml
http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/

the end... of part 1

Well today is day 45 of my challenge. I am done the first half of the no-spending challenge and done my first clothing challenge.  For a quick refresher of what these challenges are, see "Am I up to the challenge?"

 

For the most part this has been pretty easy actually. I had only one day where I really longed for a larger wardrobe. I was feeling blah and nothing made me feel "WOW!"... after texting a friend she said "If only we could see ourselves the way God sees us." It made me think about how I still put so much focus on appearance. Sigh.

 

I am glad I kept it at 45 pieces of clothing for 45 days... with our crazy weather I don't know how I could have done 30 pieces of clothing! I have added a few things to my closet in the last 45 days that has made it easier too- I did some dyeing and a bit of sewing and repurposing. It was quite fun actually! I have started looking at things differently- a more economical way maybe? Old sheets can become fabric. An old scarf could be made into a skirt or belt. Three pieces of discarded clothing can become a dress!  

 

BUT that said, I am going to try... I am going to attempt 30 pieces of clothing for 30 days. I am going to go back through my clothing and take out even more... maybe add a few things back in, but the end result will be 30 for 30. That means that by August 15 I will be done this next section of my challenge.

 

On the other side of my challenge was my no-spending for 90 days (until Sept. 1). I would say that I have really grown in this area personally. We have been spending money.... we have done things around the house, like finish our deck and fire pit.

 But I have not bought anything for myself for 45 days. I have not bought my children anything for 45 days. They did get one happy meal. We did pull out some new sticker books and games that I had previously purchased.

 In thing 45 day period, we were given several bags of clothing as hand-me-downs, we set up our trampoline - also a hand-me-down, and we received some other new things from various places without spending a cent. The one thing I almost did buy was a pair of shoes for Levi- I even had some in my hands in the store but decided not to, we would have to find a way to get by. That was Wednesday, and on Friday my mom shows up with 2 pairs of crocs for Levi that she had gotten at a garage sale. She didn't even know I was feeling like he needed them....
I have been missing garage sales. I am also kind of missing the hunt of the deal. But why hunt the deal when you don't need the stuff anyways?

 

I have been looking for ways to be more helpful financially. I have been using coupons more. I have been seeing things we can make at home instead of buying them. This has been fun- making creamer (yummy!), granola bars- thanks Cara!, bagels - thanks Erin!, and yogurt! 
I have been becoming more aware of the fact that none of our money really belongs to me anyways- its all HIS anyways.

my first batch was a bit runny- but the boys loved it anyways

 I have begun the fruit gathering and preserving with strawberries- first at the grocery store, and then this week the boys and I went strawberry picking. It was raining so I have no pictures of them in action- but they were AMAZING... my bigger boys each picked an ice cream pail, and my 2 year old ate and ate and ate!

we picked 6 of these ice cream pails!

I am looking forward to the rest of the fruit season, and though my garden is currently under water, I am excited about what may be. The next 45 days (until Sept 1) are very important in our life... the next 45 days will stock our freezer full of fruit and vegetables, they will tell us what kind of crop and harvest we will have this year, we will enjoy family time in BC together, we will say good bye to friends who are moving, we will celebrate the birthday of a soon to be 6 year old, we will begin gr.1 officially with said 6 year old... 

A few things I am learning...

• sometimes the life you never imagined, is better than you could possibly have imagined.
•  And when you surrender yourself to servanthood the feeling of being sentenced to this life as a mother disappears, replaced by excitement for each step ahead.
•  Oh... and HE provides you what you need for every step of the way.
• If you open your eyes to see, there is beauty everywhere!
•  When you are thankful for even the little things, joy flows- unstoppable
• Nothing is as hard as you think it will be, so just try it- it's ok if you fail

inspiration from homegrownhospitality

from homegrownhospitality

found this on pinterest the other day when I was looking at hospitality stuff... and I fell in love with homegrownhospitality- so many amazing quotes done in this awesome doodle style. Very inspiring. Her blog is pretty cool too!

This is the third weekend that we've planned an outside work weekend, and it is again raining. We are hosting a family campout (reunion of sorts) next weekend and there are a dozen or so projects we want to get done, but alas it is raining on us again! Sigh... but as a farmer and a gardener, we are both very happy for what this rain will bring :)

Also, the homemade creamer is amazing!!! I used vanilla the first time, and even had others drink it, and they agreed it is yummy! I found some hazelnut extract (artifical) and am excited to make some hazelnut creamer once I run out of the vanilla stuff!!!

This weekend I am attempting to make home made yogurt in my crock pot. WHAT!?! you may be thinking, but so far its been super easy. I have put 2 L of homo milk in my crock pot for 2.5 hours on low. Then unplug and leave for 3 more hours, with lid on. Then mix in 1/2 C regular plain yogurt- some suggest adding honey and vanilla at this point too. Wrap entire crock pot in towels and leave overnight (some people suggest putting the entire thing in your oven overnight). Then in the morning you should have yogurt! We will see. Other sites I looked at before I stepped into this venture were www.passionatehomemaking.com , and www.nourishingdays.com.