Making Yogurt

Inspired by No Impact Man, I decided to try making my own yogurt.
Here's what I did.

Litre of milk into a pot.






Make it hot, but do it slowly. I used a meat thermometer to check, but you could probably just wait until small bubbles are pushing at the surface, and a bit of a skin is forming. I had a bit of a scalding issue on the bottom of the pan, but everything still went according to plan.

Let it cool down to between 100-115 degrees F. This part is boring. I used a people thermometer for this part, but was worried I had broken it since I kept impatiently sticking it in when the milk was still too hot and made it flash an error symbol. In the end, the milk cooled.






Then you mix in some bacterial cultures. I used some freeze-dried from the health food store, but you can also simply use some yogurt. So for my next batch, I'll use a few spoonfuls from this batch.
Put it in sterilized glass jars.






Incubate. I just put mine on the kitchen counter and wrapped it in a fleece sweater. (Made from recycled pop bottles, natch.) Let it sit overnight.








In the morning, I rose bright and early to discover that my yogurt worked! It tastes fresh and delicious, and is fabulous with some local honey stirred in.

One of the most interesting parts of this project was searching for the jars. I hit up a grocery store, to be told that they only stock them seasonally. I guess autumn is when people start preserving? Luckily, I asked just the right lady, who suggested I try the hardware store, since that's where she gets her jars. Then she inquired as to what I'd be making at this time of year. I told her I was doing my own yogurt. She was very supportive and enthusiastic about the idea, said she'd always wanted to do that, and wished me luck. Later at the hardware store, as I was purchasing my box of jars (apparently, you have to get a dozen at a time. If anyone wants a jar or two, let me know) the lady in line behind me said, "Oh, it's that time of year again!" (well, no, actually) and then she asked what I was making. When I told her yogurt, she, too, was thrilled at the thought. Then the cashier piped up about how she makes her own yogurt all the time, and how delicious it is. I feel as though I've uncovered a whole new segment of society. The Yogurtmakers. Welcome.