MAKE YOUR OWN YOGURT

yogurt_ready2
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Many people are under the impression that you need a special machine to make your own yogurt, when all you really need is a sunny day (and you don't even need that if you have a stove and a big pot...).

Children can join in the fun and you can help the planet by avoiding the plastic packaging that yogurt usually comes in.

Here is the method:

1. Boil about one liter of milk in a heavy bottom pot to a full boil, stirring gently til it comes to a full boil. Now take it off the heat and let it cool down almost completely, so that it is about the same as what you would give a baby. If the milk is too hot, the yogurt starter will die. For firmer yogurt, you can add two tablespoons of powdered milk at this stage (as you are boiling it up).

2. Now put about two tablespoons of yogurt in dish.
Add a small amount of the cooled milk and mix it thoroughly with a wooden spoon, now add the remaining milk and gently stir so all the starter is mixed into the milk evenly.>

3. Now cover the dish and let it sit in the sunshine for about three-four hours. In the winter, I add water to a bit pot, heat it up, and then put the dish in this and cover. After about two hours, heat the water up again to keep it warm for incubation (like a double boiler).

4. After the incubation is finished, put the dish of yogurt in the fridge for about two hours, until it is firmly set.

5. You will have a big pot of yogurt to accompany yogurt, freshly made applesauce or to use in salads and cooking!