My Yogurt

Since Ginger freshened we're getting about 12 pounds of milk every day.  Moonpie still gives us about a half gallon (she's about 300 days into her lactation) and Ginger is giving us about a gallon a day.  We don't drink nearly enough milk to go through all of that so I am finding other things to do with it. 

 I was giving it to the dogs on occasion but Hershey has gotten so fat he looks like a giant tootsie roll so now they're all on a diet.  Instead we make yogurt, lots of yogurt.  The kids eat it for breakfast, for an afternoon snack and they mix it with jam and freeze it into popsicles.  It's a very popular item here so it makes sense that I should make an entry here.  So here it is!  

How To Make Your Own Yogurt:

Ingredients:

milk (whole milk from the grocery store is fine but not ultrapasteurized. I, of course, use raw, fresh goats milk)

a few tablespoons of plain yogurt (this is for the culture so make sure it's REAL yogurt)

Directions:

Pour milk into a large pot 

Heat to 180 degrees over medium heat

Set timer for 25 minutes

Stirring occasionally, keep milk at 180 by removing from heat source and replacing as necessary (usually every few minutes I take the pot off the burner and wait, then put it back on)

Place a large bowl of ice in the sink

When the timer goes off place the pot into the bowl of ice

Stir the milk often until it reaches 110 degrees

Add yogurt (3 tbsp is a good amount for a gallon of milk)

Stir

It's important to keep the mixture at 110 degrees for 8-12 hours.  I do this a few different ways but the easiest way was to put a warm blanket into a cooler, set the pot (with a lid on it of course) into the cooler and wrap tightly with the blanket being careful not to spill anything.  Close the cooler and don't touch anything for 8-12 hrs.  

When this is finished you will have a plain yogurt.  We sweeten it with honey and vanilla, jams, frozen fruit, canned fruit, etc...