Saturday, September 24, 2011

Yogurt, Buttermilk and Leibster Award

The weather remains just perfect.

I just milk when we get down to one jar (1/2 gallon) of milk which is usually every three days. I milked Friday and brought one warm bottle down to the house. I was almost out of yogurt and was getting very low on buttermilk.Willow  actually gave me almost a quart over my normal amount so I brought that down for buttermilk. I just added 1 cup of my own buttermilk from the remaining amount in the fridge, stirred it, placed the lid on loosely and set it back out of the way. Usually 24 hours is all it takes for a good, thick buttermilk.

I usually stir it up to be sure it is clabbered enough and this time it held the spatula upright. It was ready...

Making the yogurt isn't much more difficult, just a few more steps. Here it is on a heating pad covered to ripen and make for 7 hours.

and the resulting beautiful and tasty product,



 I heat 1/2 gallon of milk in a stainless steel pot to l85°, then plunge it into the sink full of icy water and cool down to 110°. This is the perfect temperature for the yogurt culture to work. I take it out of the cold water and stir in the starter which is around 2-3 T., cover it and place on the heating pad set on medium. Cover with a towel and wait. When finished, the curd will  separate from the sides of the pot and the whey  surrounding it will be greenish which is as it should be. I then stir it and put it into containers. I am using some plain cultured yogurt as a starter. I froze some in ice cube trays and put in a ziploc baggie. I use 3 cubes thawed as a starter. When I get a perfect batch, I will save some of it to start the next batch. I have never equaled the first batch I made! Curious. It is all good but that one was perfect.




 Carolyn at Krazo Acres awarded me the Leibster Award. Thank you so much; I don't really do awards but wanted to tell you all how much fun her blog is! She is another Ozark gal living in the country with lots of critters and she has a definite way with words! She tells all about the award on her last blog.
 



 

4 comments:

  1. Glenda, you are incredible and so deserve your award and I want to thank you for being such a good friend! Now, in between your daily tasks, try this: go to Krazo Acres & right click on the award; select "view image info" and when a box pops up, select the highlighted line and right click; select copy. Then in a post if that's where you want it, select "picture", then "from URL"; when the box opens, right click & select paste. Voila! Your award!!...:)JP

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  2. Dear Glenda ~ How wonderful that you have fresh milk to make buttermilk and yogurt. I can't even imagine what it must be like to taste the 'real' deal.

    You definitely deserve the Leibster Award.

    I am inspired every time I come to your blog.

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  3. My Fellow Ozarkian,
    You deserve all kinds of awards for all you do! K

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  4. I am absolutely terrified to make yogurt! I'm convinced I'll do something wrong (hard to do with yogurt, I know) and poison us all ;)

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