Yogurt -- a Start at Healthy Eating

In my attempts to improve my diet and provide an enjoyable addition to my flavor palette, I decided to learn how to make yogurt at home.

Herein is contained the recipe and method for creating a healthy ingredient I now use when preparing my meals.

Things that you need:
1/2 gallon vitamin D milk
1-1 gallon crockpot, or nonmetallic pot
1-Digital, or other accurate thermometer
1-cooler large enough to contain the crockpot, lined with aluminum foil.
*1-small container of plain natural yogurt, natural or organic unpasteurized yogurt.

*Necessary to inoculate the first batch of yogurt. Subsequent batches will use culture from the previous batch made at home.

How to make the yogurt:

First, it is important to remember that sanitization is essential in this process. I would recommend bringing a large pot of water to a boil for rinsing utensils, and all surfaces that will come in contact with the culture.

After sanitizing the pot, pour the milk into the crockpot, or other vessel and begin to raise the heat until it reaches a 180° F. by bringing it up to this temperature, all of the residual bacteria will be killed allowing the yogurt cultures to thrive. Once the milk reaches this temperature, and before it begins to boil, remove from heat.

Allow the temperature of the milk to fall until it reaches 120° F. At this point place 4 ounces of the inoculate (packaged yogurt, or yogurt reserved from a previous batch) into a sanitized bowl and mix in an equal amount of the sterile milk. Add this mixture back into the pot of milk. Place the milk filled pot into the cooler, close the top, and allow to rest for 8 to 12 hours. The longer that the culture rests, the more tartness will be present in the final product.

After the culture has been allowed to grow, refrigerate the newly produced yogurt for two hours or more. At this time, the product should be stirred, and divided into clean containers for refrigerated storage.

For additional batches of yogurt reserve 4 ounces of each culture to inoculate the next. Each subsequent batch gets richer, and more flavorful.

Making Greek yogurt

Many Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern dishes require Greek-style yogurt. This type of yogurt is easily prepared using the yogurt described above as a base.

Place a clean piece of cheesecloth, muslin, or dishtowel inside a sanitized colander and suspend over a vessel that can hold two thirds of the volume of yogurt which will be placed inside of the cloth. Put the yogurt in the cloth and allow the whey to drain into the vessel. The results will be a thick paste of the yogurt in the cloth, and a considerable volume of whey in the lower vessel. Both products are extremely nutritional and have many uses in a healthy diet.