Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Fun with Dairy


I'm recycling this post for Talk About Tuesday because today is yogurt day and I didn't want to take all new pictures. Read more about why we use raw dairy.

Lately, I've been experimenting with making some of our family's dairy products from raw milk; it's fresh from pasture-fed cows (although this time of year they're eating hay) that have not been given hormones or antibiotics.

Behold, the butter:


Yogurt is very easy to make, if you follow the directions (ahem). I borrowed my aunt's yogurt maker and used a sweet culture from our local health foods store, but you can just use a couple tbsp of plain yogurt for culturing. Basically, you heat the milk to 110 (or 180 if using pasteurized, then let cool to 116) and add in the culture. Afterwards you put it in your yogurt maker or a covered container and keep it around 95-100 degrees for 8-12 hours. Stick it in the fridge as soon as it has set; let cool. Add fruit or a little sweetener if it's too tart for your liking, and enjoy.