Yogurt, raw honey, wild blueberries and homemade vanilla extract
When I had organic dairy goats I made yogurt at least once or twice a week. My kids love smoothies so this was one of the best ways to use the abundance of raw milk that we got. Because it was raw milk I did a quick pasteurization, allowed it to cool to 85-100 degrees and then stirred in yogurt from my last batch.
But today I am starting with milk that had already been pasteurized so I just put it in my favorite, thick ceramic bowl, whisked in some of the Seven Stars Farm organic yogurt I had (1-2 tablespoons) and put it on my 1970′s slow cooker base. I discovered that the low setting on this old base keeps the culture mixture at about 110 degrees. Perfect!
If I am making coffee or cooking I sometimes must make adjustments to this setup so it doesn’t get too warm. I set the slow cooker base on low, inserted my candy thermometer, covered with waxed paper or plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. A couple of hours later I checked the temp. All good.
Later in the day I had started my food dehydrator which definitely warmed up the kitchen quite a bit. When I checked my yogurt the temperature was a little too high so I just pulled the towel back to the side and let the yogurt continue to culture.
I like my yogurt with more flavor so I allow it to culture overnight. If you don’t really like a strong yogurt flavor, just culture it until it sets then jar up and refrigerate.
Using my canning funnel I filled two quart-sized glass canning jars and had 2 very full quarts of organic yogurt that was mild, so smooth, and very healthy.
My favorite way to eat yogurt is with either raw honey or agave, a little bit of my homemade vanilla extract and some organic blueberries from my freezer. Just a little bit of heaven.
Now I can make some frozen yogurt, too, with yummy berries, a little organic sugar or honey, and vanilla.
Oh, and what is this about a healthy gut? Scientists are beginning to think that the bacteria in the gut are tied to the immune system and even mental health. Since I struggle with chronic Lyme disease I want to make sure I get some good bacteria each day. I am hoping I can heal my body with this food and others.
Give it a try! You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own yogurt.
