Homemade Yogurt

HOMEMADE YOGURT


Yogurt making is so easy! Yes,quality yogurt may be made at home. You can save money when you make it yourself.

Use any kind of yogurt containing live active cultures as a starter. Try your favorite brand! Trial and error find the best to suit your individual tastes.

Make sure all utensils are clean for a healthy growth of yogurt cultures.

Homemade Yogurt Recipe:

1 quart milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1/2 cup plain unflavored yogurt
2 tablespoons cream (optional)

In a med. saucepan, combine all ingredients except yogurt. Two tablespoons of cream (or more) may be added to the basic recipe for a richer, creamier dessert yogurt or frozen yogurts. For everyday yogurt or yogurt used in baking, the extra richness is not needed.

Heat milk, uncovered, over low heat, gradually bringing it nearly to a boil. Tiny bubbles will form around the edges of the pan; the milk should reach a temperature between 185-190°F.

Remove any milk that forms a skin on the surface.

Remove pan from heat to cool for about 20 minutes, or until the milk reaches a temp of between 100-110°F. Stir in 1/2 cup of active live culture yogurt or yogurt starter.

Transfer the yogurt mixture to a good quality thermos or a yogurt maker and maintain the temperature of about 100°F for 4-10 hours. A longer fermentation periods will make tart yogurt. Leave the yogurt undisturbed or it will not thicken, and keep it free from drafts as well.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Flavor as desired, adding crushed, dried or fresh fruit or fruit cocktail, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, Grape-Nuts, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.

Use homemade yogurt for baking in any recipe calling for buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt; it adds nutrients to quick breads, muffins, pancakes and yeast breads.

Another useful purpose for homemade yogurt is yogurt cheese! Just drain fresh yogurt in several layers of cheesecloth and hang in a cool place; this can be used in many recipes as a substitute for cream cheese.

Save half a cup of the unflavored yogurt as a starter for making the next batch.

This yogurt is an economical way to produce quality yogurt for diet plans which include daily consumption. The yogurt starter can be maintained indefinitely if you make yogurt often. Use each batch of reserved starter within 5 days or start again with fresh starter.

Persistance Brings Positive Change

The writer Emerson said: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do—not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our power to do has increased.” I've found this all too true when it comes to home storage. Gardening is still the same and so is the preservation of food that goes on after the harvest. I do feel that as I persist in the effort to bring my family healthier foods, my power to do so has increased. It's become second nature to think along those lines.

As my thinking changed, so did my budgeting, my outlook and the willingness to spend the time doing so. I must say though, that I've gotten much smarter about it along the way as I've learned from mistakes. I have found many like minded people who are willing to learn about food storage and for that I'm so grateful!

Being a Cannery Manager in the church can be a thankless job at times. Other times I am filled with gratitude for the growth I see in others as they gain a testimony of the necessity of being prepared. My calling is to help help the Saints and anyone else to have food storage, to become self reliant financially and get out of debt. It seems like an overwhelming feat some days.

As I learn more about my calling in the church, the more I understand it's importance.

Oh, believe me, there are also plenty of days where I feel like Noah and I'm preaching and my words are falling upon deaf ears. Sometimes apathy can be discouraging to me too. For every four or five who are apathetic; I find one who knows what I say is true in their heart, and that what I say is a needful thing. Now that makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for being the one out there who reads and felt the spirit of my words today. I hope you too can feel the comfort in being prepared.

For those of you who are struggling to find the means to get a 3 month supply, or a one year supply for all you need today, this is another idea list for you to get started!

Food Storage by Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone

1. Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families in the Church spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics. I recall the Scotsman who went to the doctor and had an X-ray taken of his chest. Then he had the X-ray gift-wrapped and gave it to his wife for their anniversary. He couldn't’t afford a gift, but he wanted her to know his heart was in the right place. Brethren, give your wife a year’s supply of wheat for Christmas, and she’ll know your heart is in the right place.

2. When you desire new clothes, don’t buy them. Repair and mend and make your present wardrobe last a few months longer. Use that money for the food basics. Make all of your nonfood necessities that you feasibly can, such as furniture and clothing.

3. Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children.

4. Decide as a family that there will be no vacation or holiday next year unless you have your year’s supply. Many Church members could buy a full year’s supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun.

5. If you haven’t a year’s supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply.

6. Watch advertised specials in the grocery stores and pick up extra supplies of those items that are of exceptional value.

7. Change the mix in your family’s diet. Get your protein from sources less expensive than meat. The grocery bill is one bill that can be cut. Every time you enter the store and feel tempted by effective and honest merchandising to buy cookies, candy, ice cream, non-food items, or magazines—don’t! Think carefully; buy only the essentials. Then figure what you have saved and spend it on powdered milk, sugar, honey, salt, or grain.
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I know, that if you incorporate whole grains, legumes, and home canned foods and add fresh foods into your diet, you will find that your family will notice the salt, preservatives and aftertastes of chemicals in your boxed foods. They will want them less too. Our family did. We no longer have prepackaged, processed foods in our diets and it's brought positive changes into our live! Our health has improved and my sons, now adults, gravitate towards healthy foods as a result.

I know that when my sons have children, they will find it much easier to "persist" in eating healthier and to be more frugal with their money. My efforts seemed tremendous at the beginning of this 25 year journey. It's a blessing as I look back and realize how much knowledge I've gained-- to help both my family and my friends to prepare for these tough economic times and beyond.

Here are some upcoming articles I'm working on.
Making Homemade Laundry Soap= Big Savings!
Growing and Bottling Home Grown Tomato's
Paying off those high interest credit cards--Free Yourself from Bondage!
A Three Month Supply--having a plan

Todays Challenge: Inventory every food item in your house. Tomorrow we start that three month supply!