Just saying HI!

Things have been going very well for us here in Fort Worth. I like staying busy and thought I'd give an update on things going on, as well as some ideas for future blogs. I would love to hear your opinions on what you would be interested in reading, or comments about what I've written so far. 

Saturday we went to a hard cheese class and made some Parmesan cheese. It really wasn't hard but the necessary equipment isn't cheap! The press is about $375, special refrigerator (maintaining 55 degrees-much warmer than your normal one), then cheese molds, starters, mats, brine bucket, all stainless steel tools, as you can see it adds up fast. However, once you have the equipment you can continue to use the equipment for years. So for now I will work on the soft cheeses that don't require very many special tools. I'll blog more about Saturday later.

Liama - protects the goats

Matthew 6:11
Give Us our Daily Bread

Sunday I made a bunch of jalapeño jellies. It seems to be my most popular with my friends and neighbors. I wanted to restock my pantry before I began working again. I made a double batch of the plain, and tried some new ideas. The new types sound good to me and seem to be popular at nicer grocery stores like Central Market. I made organic peach jalapeño and organic blueberry jalapeño jellies. Sound good to you? 

Typically jalapeño jelly is served poured on top of cream cheese and eaten with corn chips or crackers. I do think the new varieties will be nice on crackers alone. I did make one mistake, I used powered pectin, and not the liquid...and sad to say they just aren't firm enough! Not sure if you're a canner, but that means I need to un-can, reheat to a boil, add the liquid pectin, re-wash the mason jars, re-sterilize the jars, and water bath them again! Ugg, all that work. Oh well, live and learn. I know there is a way to convert the powered pectin into the liquid...something to figure out as the liquid is twice as expensive!

Our Soap Curing

Today we went to make some goat milk soap. It's the cold press process, and is a lot of manual labor! We spent three hours and made about 75 bars...so that's worth it. Something else to blog about in the future. 

I've been making dog food lately, as store bought food only has to be 12 percent digestible! That is the FDA regulations! No wonder there is so much waste, they can't digest much of what type are eating! So disappointing to learn about...but glad I know so I can feed my pets healthier.

Our Bestfriends Food

Who is your best friend?

Zeus - Love this dog!

About 18 months ago, I had the worst experience anyone could ever suffer, the loss of a child. I won't get into that sad story but I will say that my most loyal of "friends" were my dogs (OK, my fat kitty Romeo was pretty great too). They didn't allow me to stay in bed all day crying...they were hungry, or had to go out, or needed a walk. They sat by me in my darkest hours and did what all best friends do...they patiently love you while you heal.

Isis the ever loyal boxer

I have to admit, I truly LOVE animals. I connect with them at a unique level and have a special affection towards them. Recently, a friend told me that the FDA suggests that dog food be 12% digestible! Really? Many of us love our dogs and yet do you know what you’re feeding your dog? Do you read the package? Is the first ingredient MEAT, then vegetables and/or brown rice? In the past year, I have been working to reduce my monthly expenses. When you have three dogs, one cat and a parrot - you spend a lot of money on food and treats. I don't care for Wal-Mart, but thought I'd look there for ANY dog food that listed meat first. No, none, nadda! All cornmeal...which dogs do you know that like to eat a diet of mainly cornmeal? Luckily, I found some decent food that didn't break the bank which contains lamb, brown rice and then vegetables! However, I wanted to add more healthy things into their bodies.

I eat a lot of vegetable and grain soup and prior to seasoning it to my taste buds; I scoop some on my dog’s dry food. They LOVE it. Honestly, all my pets love split pea soup, white bean soup, vegetable soup, and chicken noodle soup - split pea being an all time favorite! BEWARE do NOT add onions, they are toxic to dogs. Another suggestion, start slowly. You know what happens to you when you add too much fiber to your diet in one day, don't you?

Salsa - Katrina's dog

Proverbs 18:24 

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Romeo - the Catdog (pronounced kadog)

A friend recommended the book, "The Whole Pet Diet", by Andi Brown. It is a wonderful book with lots of good ideas and suggestions!

One recipe she suggests to improve on your dogs coat, and to help reduce itching is called, "Recipe for a Beautiful Coat".

Recipe for a Beautiful Coat

8 oz Soybean or Olive oil

1 oz Cod liver oil

1 oz Wheat Germ oil

1 oz Flax Seed oil

1 Clove garlic

2 inch sprig of rosemary

Toss into your food processor, or blend and blend together. Place in a dark glass jar. Place in the refrigerator for freshness. It will last about 2 months. 

2-11 lbs   1\2 tsp

12-25 lbs  1 tsp

26-50 lbs  2 tsp

51-100 lbs 1 tbsp

I hope you go and look at the food you feed your best friend and make an necessary changes so they can be with you as long as possible!

P.S. We call Romeo a catdog because he really thinks he is a dog. He does have some cat tendencies, but mainly acts like a dog!

Apple Cider Vinegar - Making Your Own

Do you know how good for your health Apple Cider Vinegar is for our bodies? Have you heard much about it? There is a lot of talk about it, some of it speculation and some facts. 

What is apple cider vinegar?
Vinegar is a product of fermentation. This is a process in which sugars in a food are broken down by bacteria and yeast. In the first stage of fermentation, the sugars are turned into alcohol. Then, if the alcohol ferments further, you get vinegar. Apple cider vinegar comes from pulverized apples that have gone through this process.

Per webMD, "Over the centuries, vinegar has been used for many purposes: making pickles, killing weeds, cleaning coffee makers, polishing armor, and dressing salads... It is thought to help with several conditions, including diabetes and obesity.

Other websites say apple cider vinegar can be used as a: face toner, reduce the effects of sunburn, douche, weight loss aid, treat dandruff, a remedy for arthritis, remove warts, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, also known to have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties (10 Health Benefits from http://www.healthdiaries..com). 

Just placed in the jar

The best known organic seller of apple cider vinegar is Bragg (www.bragg.com).

I believe it's good for us and wanted to see how hard it would be to make my own. The Internet has several sites that tell you how to do it, some more complicated than others. 

One site said when making an apple pie save the peels and cores and use those to make you own organic apple cider vinegar. I wasn't making apple pie, as I was looking for some health benefits ...but homemade applesauce sounded good. As I've said before I wanted to make my own food, reducing costs and knowing what was in my food so made some homemade applesauce and it was delicious! 

Chunky applesauce. Yum!

Song of  Solomon  2:5

"Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love"

I used various different types of organic apples. I typically prefer tart apples but wanted to mix it up. Grabbed 10 apples; a few gala, jazz, pink lady, and golden delicious. Peeled them, cored them and chopped them. Placed them in a pot, allowed them to warm up and cook for about 25 minutes, until the juices naturally came out. I then added some sugar and cinnamon. So much better than store bought, and nice and chunky!

On to the apple cider vinegar...take your peels and cores place them in a clean glass bowl. Measure how many quarts of filtered water it would take to cover them completely. Then add a 1/2 cup of sugar for each quart. Stir well. Place a plate over the apples so that all the apples are completely submerged. Cover with a clean cotton tea towel and place in a dark room for a week. The temputure in the room should not exceed 75 degrees. A week later you should see a bit of foam, which indicates the apples are beginning to ferment. Also you will smell the vinegar smell beginning. Scoop out all of the peels and cores and strain the apple sugar water. Pour into sterilized mason jars. Cover the top with a few layers of cheese cloth and place the outside rim of the two part canning lid on top.

Take the jars and bring them into a dark cool room for 6 weeks. Open the jars periodically and stir so the "Mother" sinks to the bottom and more forms on top.  I found these instructions on http://www.grit.com/fresh-eggs-daily/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar.aspx. 

So why buy apple cider vinegar when you can make it yourself? The next time you make the applesauce or apple pie, make some more apple cider vinegar and  pour a bit of your other vinegar into the jars as that will speed up the process. The "mother" is alive and is similar to the "mother" in yogurt and/or sourdough starter. So using a touch of "her" will help make more of whatever product your making!

Enjoy!

Plant some potatoes with your kids

If you are new to gardening I suggest you start small. I live in North Central Texas, and our summers are impossibly HOT! I am from Southern California, and it seems to me that having a garden there was so much easier!

I started with several herbs that can be grown in little pots in the window sill. Be careful as the summer progresses you will need to take care that the plants don't get too much sun, or scorch. 

Herbs: Catnip, Dill, Basil, Thyme, Chives

Psalm 56:3

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Red Potato with eyes

Another easy plant to grow in Texas is potatoes. Start with an organic potato. Non organic potatoes are treated with some chemical that restricts them from growing in your pantry. Allow the potato to grow eyes. Cut it into 4 pieces and leave on the counter overnight. 

Create a good place for them to grow. You could use an old whiskey barrel, a raised bed, or a really large pot. As they grow you will want to mound dirt on the top of the area they are growing, but do NOT cover the green stem growing upward. Water regularly, but don't keep wet. In about 6 weeks you will have a bunch of potatoes!

Preparing an avocado seed

 Another cool thing is to bury the top of your pineapple. Yes it will grow! Enjoy your fresh, preferably organic pineapple now and then see what happens when you plan the top. I also love to plant my avocado seeds. I start them in water, as I have done for years but heard you don't need to do this step. 

We need to teach children that good foods come from our gardens, yes in all that good organic dirt! Kids love dirt, now show them it’s good for more than mud pies! Somehow kids think food has to come from the grocery store. I think we need to take the time to teach them better than that. Even if you’re busy plant a few fruit trees, or some herbs, or perhaps potatoes!

Avocado Plant @ 2 months

I volunteer at the BRIT - Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. The children we teach are fascinated to see their food growing. They are really proud when they can plant something and then later eat it!

Check out your area http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/what-vegetables-would-grow

Homemade NO KNEAD Bread

Basic White Bread (Sourdough too)

3 cups bread flour*, packed and leveled
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (iodized)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups cool water
Coarse cornmeal for dusting

Step 2 - the wet dough

The Cast Iron Pot -3 Quarts

Proverbs 23:15

“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad”.

Note: I like King Author Bread flour

1.  Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly

2.  Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir with rubber spatula. Add additional water and stir as needed, until you have a thoroughly mixed, wet, sticky mass of dough. This dough is much wetter than normal bread dough and will NOT form a ball. (*For Sourdough you add 1/2 - 1 cup of starter)

3.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 12-18 hours. 

4.  After 12-18 hours have passed, your dough should be dotted with bubbles and doubled in size. Dust a wooden cutting board with bread flour, using rubber scrapers turn out dough onto the board. Although the dough will be sticky do not add additional flour. Dust the top of the dough lightly with bread floor and cover with a clean cotton tea towel. Let dough rise another 1-2 hours.

5.  About 30 minutes before the second rise is complete, place your 3 quart cast iron pot (without lid) on rack positioned in the lower third of your oven. Heat oven to 475 degrees.

6.  Once your oven has reached 475 degree, remove the pot and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of course corn meal on the bottom of the pot. BE CAREFUL THE POT WILL BE VERY HOT!

7.  Uncover dough and using a rubber spatula, shape dough into a ball and carefully lift dough into the hot pan. Dust top of dough with corn meal. Place lid on pot.

8.  After 35 minutes remove lid, and place back in the oven for another 12 minutes until loaf is browned, but not burned.

9. Remove pot from over. With a sturdy wooden spoon remove bread from the pot, and place on a cooling rack. Do not slice for at least an hour. Mine always falls out when I turn the pot over, no need for any tools.

* If making sourdough bread add 1/2 cup of sourdough starter.

Yummy. Can you Smell it?

NOTE: This is easy bread dough that requires NO KNEADING! It is delicious, and my family loves it! However, the cast iron pot is very important to the bread. I've never tried using a bread pan, but I believe the main problem is that a typical bread pan doesn't get hot enough. 

Sourdough Starter

Who doesn't LOVE the smell of homemade bread? When I was 16 years old I worked for a very small Italian restaurant in Westminster, California. Every day after softball practice I would waitress for a few hours at Capirelli's. Walking into that place around 4 PM was like a step into Heaven! Warm fresh bread smells wafting out the door, the smells of homemade pasta and cheeses, the red gravy...wow, my mouth just waters thinking of it. 

OK, focus! 

I always loved homemade bread, but the thought of all that kneading turned me off to the process. One Christmas my son bought me a bread making machine that was better...just not the same as my childhood memories. But I used it for a few years. Then my friend, Debbie, found a magazine called Grit - Rural America Know How (www.grit.com). And it had recipes for No Knead Bread!

One of my favorite types of bread is Sourdough. I love the San Francisco REAL sourdough the best. So once I was making white and wheat bread on a regular bases and they turned out nicely, I knew I wanted to focus on Sourdough (and Rye, but that's another story). 

Starter that needs to be stirred

Healthy Starter (I know the pot looks gross!)

Luke 6:31
"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

Keep your starter Happy and Healthy

To begin, you need a good Sourdough starter. You can get it from a friend, or purchase it, or you can order it for free from Carl. Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough can be gotten for free, with just a self-addressed stamped envelope (www.carlsfriends.net)

Oregon Trail Sourdough 
P. O. Box 321 
Jefferson, MD 21755 USA

I was lucky, my friends at Adobe-farm.com had some nice starter and I was off and baking. Now let me tell you the recipe for these NO KNEAD bread is a slow process. It takes 12 -18 hours to start and that is without baking time. But trust me, it is worth it!

There is a lot to be said about SLOW FOOD. You can research it yourself, if you’re interested. It seems to me every time I begin to relax about our food source a new recall comes into effect. Let’s recall hamburger, as it makes your brain practically melt, recalls on chicken...was God telling me to be a vegetarian? I guess not, because then they recall spinach because it had human waste. Gross!
Can you smell it already? Order your starter, if you don't have one already...

Tonight, before I go to sleep, I will put together the ingredients to make my bread, and allow it to work its magic until tomorrow. It takes 12-18 hours...I will update the blog with everything you need to do to make your own NO KNEAD bread. 

Can you smell it already? Order your starter, if you don't have one already...

Vodka Cleaner - No More Chemicals?!

Marketers have gotten all of to believe we NEED several household cleaners to maintain a clean house. I have to admit, for a while I really believed them. I had a window cleaner, counter top cleaner, floor cleaner, five different bathroom cleaners, just to name a few! And talk about expensive!! 


When I was working full time, I had the luxury of having a maid come every two weeks to help keep the house up. OK, I admit it, I MISS HER! I digress...her first day I came home from work and the house was sparkling clean...but I was accosted by the smell! Granted it was a "clean" smell but WAY too strong for me. I looked at my African Gray Parrot, Sweet Pea, and KNEW it was unhealthy for her too!

Sweet Pea, the naughty African Gray Parrot

Heb 11:1

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."






We looked on-line for some good household cleaners that we could make at home, that would really clean the house. I had been 'playing' with vinegar cleaners, and baking soda...but the smell was not very nice, they cleaned just fine but I couldn't get past the vinegar smell. 

Smells Heavely!

Anyway...Vodka Cleaner. Its easy to make, smells great and has other important values, as noted below. Place all the ingredients in a bottle with a top, shake daily. Within a few days the items will infuse into the vodka and it is ready to use. You can pour into a spray bottle, while maintaining the other ingredients to make more. 

Vodka - insecticide, antibacterial, kills mold and mildew
Lemon Peel - solvent, insect repellent
Cinnamon Sticks - fragrant, kills mosquito larvae
Vanilla Beans - fragrant, insect repellent

Vodka Cleaner - Finished Product

You can use any cheep Vodka you have on hand, or want to purchase. I liked the vanilla flavored one, the price ($6.35 a liter) was the same and it smelled nice too. 

The vodka does evaporate quickly so it is fine to use with sensitive animals, like birds and chickens. I do however, remove my bird while cleaning, just in case!

Note: A manufacturer can omit any ingredient that it considers a secret formula from its label, and many of these ‘secret’ ingredients are toxic and carcinogenic. Vodka cleaner does not have any of this nonsense! And it smells lovely!

I am thinking to make the other cleaner that seems to be 'hot' on the Internet, which is orange based. I'll let you know how that goes. I also have some great recipes using essential oils, which I will blog about soon. 

Tonight I am making a NO KNEAD bread, that is wonderful, and easy. So please come back soon....

I liked this website for the Vodka recipe http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com

Soft Cheese Making 101

Saturday was a great day at Adobe Farm in Weatherford, Texas (www.adobe-farm.com and www.adobefarm.wordpress.com). To begin our day Ken reviewed some of his favorite books on Cheese making. He has been making cheese for more than five years, and makes numerous types of cheeses. Although he started cheese making as "just another hobby", he now makes all types of cheeses, and has a dedicated fridge for his aging collection! Today we would be making Chèvre, also known as Goat Cheese, Mozzarella, Ricotta and Butter! 

     

Ken's books on cheese making

Making Chèvre Cheese. It was so easy we were done in minutes! You warm up a gallon of unpasteurized goats milk in a stainless steel pot to 86 degrees, add the Chèvre starter, stir gently and leave at room temperature (68-72 degrees) for 12 hours, drain-with good cheese cloth and strainer over a stainless steel pot in the refrigerator. You can shape into a log, if you prefer. That's all there is to it! Amazingly simple. 

Making Mozzarella Cheese. Another fairly simple cheese is homemade Mozzarella. This cheese has several steps so I won't get into all the details, but if you want the recipes please leave me a comment below and I will get them to you. Basically we added citric acid powder to the cold milk, heated it to 88 degrees, removed from heat, added liquid vegetable rennet. We let it rest for about 30 minutes until a white curd formed and separated from the whey. [Do not discard the whey!] See the firmness in the photo below.

The milk is warmed to 88 degrees and adding rennet

We reheated the curds and whey to 140 degrees (from a childhood verse). Then we separated the cheese into two even balls. The next step is to begin stretching the warm cheese, pressing the whey out of cheese and pulling it into 2 inch thick ropes and replacing back into the whey. When the cheese won't pull easily, it is too cold - so place back into the warm whey for a minute or two, and then remove it and begin squeezing it and pulling it again. This process took about 10-15 minutes. Your cheese is done when we have a shiny, smooth, soft ball of cheese. 

Once the cheese was ready, we removed the balls of mozzarella from the warm whey and rolled them into special cheese making salt, see providers on bottom of blog. If the cheese gets too cold it will not hold the salt. You may need to replace into the warm whey for the salt to fully mix into the cheese. 

The mozzarella can be enjoyed warm, or placed into a plastic container in the refrigerator to be chilled. It should be consumed within a week. 

Making Ricotta Cheese. One thing I love about making mozzarella cheese is that the left over whey can be used immediately and made into Ricotta cheese. Please note: You can not wait for this process, it must be done right after your mozzarella cheese is removed. Place the warm whey into your stainless steal pot and bring to a boil, add 1/3 cup vinegar (white or apple-cider), remove from heat and pour into a strainer lined with GOOD cheese cloth (one that does not have a large weave). If your cheese cloth does have a large weave, double it over the strainer, and place over a stainless steel pot to drain completely. Place in the refrigerator overnight and allow to fully drain. Toss the liquid and place cheese into a clean plastic container with a top. You now have Ricotta cheese as well!

Shiny, smooth, soft ball of Cheese

Separating out the whey

2 Cor 5:7

"We live by Faith, not by site"

Straining the Ricotta Cheese

Making Butter. Angela literally placed chilled goat cream into her food processor for 7-11 minutes. Once it formed a butter ball, she drained off the liquid and we had homemade butter! Who knew this stuff was so easy?

It was a wonderful day at the goat farm. We learned a lot, ate a lot, and laughed a lot. I am certain to be making more cheeses at home very soon. Next Saturday, Ken will be teaching us how to make a few hard cheeses! Please check back with us as our journey continues.....

NOTE: New England Cheese Making Supply Company offers starters, pots, molds and everything you will need to begin making your own cheese at home! www.cheesemaking.com another good cheese supplier can be found here http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/

Basket Weaving 101

Wednesday was a perfect day for learning how to weave baskets in north central Texas. The weather was cold and rainy. The clouds were so unique...almost like the sea.

8 am 2/20/13 Fort Worth,TX

Psalms 46:10
"Be Still, 
and know that I am God"

We met at Adobe farms  (www.adobe-farm.com and www.adobefarm.wordpress.com )
in Weatherford to work with Angela. This was our first basket weaving class, and I was excited to learn a new skill! We started at 9:15 and worked until about 4:30 creating our first handmade baskets. As usual, Angela is a wonderful hostess and offered some homemade cheeses from the farm that she and her husband, Ken, had made. We enjoyed Camembert cheese and some lovely brie! 

Handmade baskets are beautiful and can be time consuming for the beginner, but that did not discourage us. I am sure with time I will improve on my time and ability. 

Weaving the bottom

Building up the sides

Not bad for my first attempt! That is what a  good teacher can do!

The finished product!

We will be making baskets and offering them on the website before you know it. Please keep a look out!

Saturday we are learning how to make homemade soft cheeses, and then the following Saturday will be hard cheese class. I love learning all these skills and look forward to sharing the adventure!

Yogurt Update

Three hours later the yogurt is complete. Nice and thick!

Solidified yogurt

The longer you keep your yogurt in your ice chest the thicker the yogurt, so you may want to "play" with the time you leave in there. I have left it there up to eight hours.

Now that the yogurt is done, place in the refrigerator for up to four weeks. Enjoy plain, or with fruit and honey!

1 Corinthians 13:4

"Love is patient,
Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast,
It is not proud"

Homemade Yogurt - Pretty Simple!

Making homemade yogurt is pretty simple. I was paying about $5.35 a week for Greek yogurt and with my cost cutting measures I wanted to see if I could reduce that cost. As a child I recalled my mom had made homemade yogurt. However, she did use some unique machine. I looked on-line and found a simple process that didn't really have any special tools required. So I tried it, and it worked just fine. I've been making it for a while and have taught others. Ours has turned out quite nicely! This process takes about 40-45 minutes and then a few hours in the ice chest. I typically make yogurt when I am doing the dishes, or something around the house...because it really only takes about 10-15 minutes hands-on time, if that.

Instead of paying about $23 a month for yogurt I now pay about $3, the price of a gallon of milk! Saving $250 a year, not bad. However, I do like using organic milk, if I can. 

Homemade Yogurt

The basic items you will need are:
A large stainless steel pot
4-5 large sterilized glass jars and lids*
A thermometer 
An ice chest
A gallon of milk
A cup of yogurt (starter)

* I use four 32oz mason jars and one 8oz jar, but any glass jar with a lid would be fine. If you want to recycle salsa or pickle jars that is fine, but make sure all the smell is out and perhaps leave in the sun for the day to ensure you don't end up with pickle favored yogurt!  

Sterilizing the jars and lids. Fill a large pot with hot water, large enough to hold your glass jars. Turn the heat on high, and place your jars carefully in the water. Ensure the water is an inch over the tops of your jars. Bring to a gentle boil, and keep them boiling for about 10 minutes. You can also sterilize your jars in the dishwasher (but use them immediately - while hot), or you can also use the oven and/or microwave.

I typically use the water method, noted above or the dishwasher. 

Making the yogurt. Place a gallon of milk (whole, low-fat, non-fat, or goats milk) in a large stainless steel pot and turn heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, if you turn the milk on too high it will create a film - just remove the film and continue to heat but at a little lower temperature. 

Bring the milk to 185-195 degrees. Remove from heat. 

Create an ice bath for your hot pot of milk. I use my sink, see photos. Place the stainless steel pot gently into the cool water, ensuring no water gets into the pot. Bring the milk down to 120 degrees. 

Whisk into the pot of 120 degree milk a cup of yogurt. I suggest you use a good brand of yogurt as this is your live active cultures. I like plain Greek yogurt so I started my first batch with a nice, tart, low-fat yogurt. If you like vanilla you could use that favor. I try to stay away from favored yogurts as they are full of chemicals and stabilizers. If I want fruit in my yogurt I cut it up fresh and add local honey, that is if I want it any sweeter. 

Warming the milk on medium heat

The ice bath. Bring milk down to 120 degrees

Remove the bubbles from the top

Isis - watching the process, awaiting Yogurt

NOTE: You will need to place the lids into a small pan and sterilize them prior to use. Secondly, you will also need to warm a gallon of water up to 120 degrees for your ice chest. That is why I find it easier to use the water sterilization method. After the jars are removed and filled, I keep the hot water for the ice chest. 

After you have whisked in the yogurt, ensuring its really stirred in well, pour into your jars. I like to pour the milk into a 4 cup Pyrex, as I find it easier to get into the jars without a total mess!

Remove any foam from the top of the jars. Place the sterilized tops on the jars and place in an ice chest. Carefully pour a gallon of 120 degree water into the ice chest without knocking over your filled jars. 

Close ice chest and place somewhere free from drafts and allow yogurt to sit for a minimum of 3 hours. At the end of three hours check to see if your yogurt is set. You can tell by gently tilting the jar and it should NOT move at all. If for some reason your yogurt has not set, you can place back into ice chest for several more hours. However,if this happens to me, I like to gently remove the water and replace with a gallon of 120 degree water to ensure the yogurt is in a nice warm place. Recheck in a few more hours. Once set, place in the refrigerator for up to one month. 

As I make 4 large jars and one small jar, I save the small jar of yogurt to serve as my starter for the next batch. If for some reason you don't make yogurt within the next month, just go back to store and buy a small cup of yogurt and use as your starter. 

Please let me know if you have any questions and/or comments.