Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

[BirdBrain]

With all this talk of yogurt, I just had to give this a go. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow. I never do things by degrees. I just jump in with both feet. Since I have 3 kids who love yogurt, I thought "why go to all the trouble of making this for only one quart... If I am going to buy a gallon of whole milk anyway, why not just make it all up at once." So.....I am either going to have a smashing success or a total flop.

Either way, there is much anticipation from the younger set.

My daughter loves orange yogurt, so we bought OJ concentrate to mix in and my youngest son likes vanilla so I figured some sugar and a few drops of vanilla ought to do. For myself and my oldest, we decided to go with frozen sweetened strawberries.

Going to bed with high hopes of success in the morning.

Bird

 

[ozark hen]

Miss Prissy,

She did good now didn't she? If we now refer to you, Lurky, as Martha, you will know why.

Birdbrain, way to go!! I read where you can add instant pudding mix to the 110 degree mixture for flavoring also so that should give you hints as other things you can use as flavorings just not the whole box, just a few tablespoons. Taste your mixtures to see which you like. How fun has this turned out to be??

 

[SeaChick]

Hi guys,
I hadn't read this thread till today.....

We lived on a boat for 2 years in places we could not buy yogurt, and we made it ourselves using a similar method: a preheated insulated thermos wrapped in a towel to incubate. We also used ONLY powdered milk, since fresh was unavailable.

Question for you Miss Prissy: do you use whole milk and whole powdered milk, or something lower fat? I'm wondering if the whole milk is the reason for the great taste (versus grocery store thats normally lowfat).

We, too, are trying to eat as locally as we can these days. (Hence chickens). I'd forgotten about making yogurt but I think I will start again, trying your recipe. Thanks!

Stacey

 

[ozark hen]

Hi Stacey, forgive me for butting in but I used 2% milk and Carnation non fat instant milk in the box. I haven't bought whole milk in a long time, I am sure it would be even better but 2% is great.

 

[MissPrissy]

I buy milk from a local dairy for the yogurt my kids eat. The milk is from no medicated, no hormones, organically raised cows. It is awesome! When I have made it from the grocery store milk I have used whole, 2%, and 1% milk and it still turns out very good but you can taste the difference in the freshness of the milk. We are in the process of working out a deal to buy 2 or 3 milk goats. I am excited by the prospect of making it with fresh goat milk - and cheese!

 

[ozark hen]

wow, now making cheese would be awesome!! We had goat's milk on my grandparents farm and never knew the difference. When my girls were young I poured some goat's milk in a reg. milk carton and didn't tell them and they never even noticed.

 

[MissPrissy]

I do things like that to my kids all the time. How influentual just the packaging can be. LOL

I have some good soft cheese recipes but I am excited to try other cheeses with goats milk.

 

[silkiechicken]

To me, goat milk has a very distinctive flavor. Oh I love the taste, but definantly isn't cow milk flavor. How did you pass that by the kids? Or is there something up with the milk I drink?

 

[ozark hen]

No idea but it was ice cold and they just downed and never said a word.
I don't know now but....do different breeds of goats produce different tasting milks? Or is it all in the feed??

 

[ozark hen]

Hey, bird ...how did your yogurt turn out? My DH just finished off ours so I will have to whip up another batch. he says it tastes more like pudding than yogurt and really likes it.