Yogurt Making with the Lovely Lisa

(Lisa make a little zine and I think I starting to love little zines, I will need to come up with one I want to make.)

I spent much of my evening last night with the lovely Lisa. She had hosted a vow night (an evening with my faith community where we focus on one of our seven vows) on simplicity a few weeks back and I was unable to go. So this wonderful woman opened her home to me, as she has many times before, to allow me the opportunity to come over and learn the simple art of yogurt making. It really is a very simple process. Heat milk, cool milk, stir in cultures, incubate.

Step 1: Pour the amount of milk that you would like to become yogurt into a jar.

Step 2: Put jar in large pot and fill with water (leave room for water to boil).

Step 3: Boil water to heat milk to 180 degrees. You will need a food thermometer.
Step 4: I don't have a pic but whatever you don't need a picture of milk cooling, and step 4 is cool the milk to 110 degrees. This is important because if it is too hot you will kill the cultures and that defeats the point of yogurt.

Step 5: Add in your starter/yogurt cultures. These can be found in any organic yogurt. Oh, and be sure it is room temperature. You need to stir in 2 tbsp for each quart of milk.

Step 6: Incubate, aka: wait. Well specifically wait while keeping the milk at 110 degrees for 8-12 hours depending on how tart you want it to be.


So it seems that much of yogurt making is patience. There is a lot of waiting for things to get hot enough, cool enough and then to just be ready. How is that much anything simple and valuable is patience?? (I am still waiting for my absinthe to become absinthe, and that is the least stressful thing I am 'patiently' waiting on.) Nonetheless, all the waiting created amazing time to chat with Lisa and her three kids. We ate dinner while we waited for the milk to cool, and slept while it incubated. I can't wait to head over to her house after work to pick up my fabulous creation, but I guess I will have to. Waiting is a good thing. I keep telling myself that, and it is proving to be true.