Water Kefir, my healthier "Soda"!

SCOBYs piled in a heart shape!

I was delighted to discover Water Kefir over a year ago! 

I like having a kefir option that does not involve milk. Water Kefir creates a culture you can experiment with adding in your own flavors in a endless amount of ways. 
From the usual root-beer, orange, and lemon standard flavors, you can go creative with coconut water, fresh fruits, herbs, flower petals, Douglas Fir tips, elderberries, (any berry) hibiscus, ginger and on and on-really the internet is full of ideas for wildly tasty recipes you can easily make.  
In a way all this knowledge, and spreading out of cultures to ferment, has freed us from the few drinks now sold in the store, to a chance to go inventive and wild, in our own kitchens for a fraction of the cost!
Notice the heart shape? No lie this jar was laying on it's side in the refer and when I pulled it out and saw that the culture had settle into a heart shape, I tip-toed out to the porch rail with it (for better light) and snapped a shot- Look at that! It is a love affair!  A February message! I know- cheesy but I love it, and I think this is saying it is a happy culture too!
This jar is in its second ferment with blue berries and a small slice of ginger because I love the zing.  That means after the first 48 hrs of fermenting in a half gallon jar, I re-bottled the fermented water in these EZ-Caps to develop the fizz.
Soda was never a big part of my life, we did not have it as a rule when I grew up except for camping trips, super special occasions, or those exceedingly rare times we ate out. 
I love the carbonation though, and I have missed it -(having gave up things that were not serving me well- all for better health).  With Kefir water I have the fizz and the healthful benefits of fermented water.

SO What is Water Kefir?

Just what is water kefir? It is a culture known as tibicos or tibis, Tibetan crystals, or Japanese water crystals, and a few other names-it is a SCOBY -which is to say it is a Symbiotic Community Of Bacteria and Yeast. They are not really grains, like wheat and such but they are called that in a descriptive sense, because of how they look.

Kefir grains

They look like gelatinous blobs, or a bit like tapioca cereal to me.
It is exceedingly easy to ferment water kefir, and the rewards of of the bubbly refreshing drink makes it so worth it! I find the kind of carbonation it provides does not cause digestive discomfort (that "bloatful" feeling) like a store bought soda drinks can.

The down side-it is a relationship with a living culture that needs to be cared for and fed, regularly. Even though I have a super busy life and not a lot of extra time, developing a rhythm with it, makes it like a dance step in the kitchen I am willing to do. Once you ferment that perfect flavor- you will too!

Water Kefir Benefits!

So what is so good about this water kefir anyway? Kefir help support your gut health which leads to general overall wellness, given how science is finding our health springs from our digestive track, drinking something that contributes rather than detracts from gut health makes sense.

How it works: The sugar is consumed by the kefir grains, they metabolize it and produce B vitamins, food enzymes, a variety of beneficial acids, and more helpful bacteria. 

This fermentation process reduces the sugar content of the drink, which is always a good thing. (If you are diabetic you should of course monitor your blood sugar to make sure whether it works for you or not.)

SO Lets Make Some!

Equipment needed:

• Glass Jar (one quart or half gallon)
• Wooden spoon
• Towel, coffee filter or cheese cloth to cover up your jar
• Rubber band to hold it on the jar
• Strainer
• Organic sugar
• Small pan to heat water (and dissolve sugar)
• Clean water (water without chemicals, chlorine, fluoride)
• Your SCOBY culture

Step one: If you don't have a friend able to give you some of their grains, buy some culture. I got mine from these awesome folks on line, Cultures for Health but our BriarPatch store here in Grass Valley also sells them.

If you are lucky enough to get some live culture you are set and ready to make kefir drink (if you have to buy the dried starter you will have to follow the directions and let them "first ferment themselves up to speed", before you can make a full powerful batch) . Just follow the directions in the package. You will be essentially letting them build up their colony enough to make substantial batches for you in the future. So once you have culture that is up and ready here is to do:

Add sugar to small pan 

First I measure out the amount of sugar needed, I have sucanat here, a sugar with a slight  molasses taste. The SCOBYs seem to love it, I alternated with regular organic cane sugar in the next ferment just to give them variety.  I put in 1/4 cup of sugar

Heat to dissolve sugar

per quart of water and  heat it to dissolve then let it cool thoroughly (sometimes I add ice) if I am in a hurry. Heat will kill your SCOBYs and very cold will stall them,  so keep the temps like or about room temperature.   

Straining out SCOBYs

If your culture is up to speed and has been fermenting for 48 hrs strain out your culture into another clean jar. There is debate over whether metal is harmful to the culture, and you can see me using my moms old metal strainer, here. I have a silicone plastic one I use now- just in case.

I put the culture into the clean jar and fill it with filtered water, being careful to leave enough room to add the sugar water too.

Add SCOBYs back into new clean jar

Water IS THE BIG DEAL here. Think living culture, needing a chlorine free world, free of fluoride, and other toxic things normally found in our drinking water. 

Add clean water

It may make you stop a moment and think- if all those chemicals kill SCOBYs what are they doing to us and our digestive health? What I call "clean" water is so important to the SCOBYs. We are accustom to thinking that water from our faucets as safe for drinking, and in some ways that may be true, but for these living cultures they need water that has no chlorine, fluoride, or water softener chemicals. Also now days many water companies are adding chloramines (a mix of ammonia and chlorine)  which cannot be boiled out or evaporated out. Your SCOBYs need clean fresh water each time. The problem with filtering my water here at my home is it has lead to a low mineral content which has made sluggish cultures that don't multiply. I have resorted to clean filtered water that I beef up once in a while by putting in a small piece of sterilize egg shell (a surprising experiment that resulted in the dissolving of the shell in the two days). As weird as that sounds, it put minerals into the culture. You can also purchase mineral drops on line, if you think they are necessary, as a more modern approach.   Below is the new jar filled with the dissolved sugar and SCOBY culture, capped with a coffee filter to keep out any unwanted guests. It is dark because of the type of sugar I used. On day two you can see the culture in action metabolizing the sugar, it is considerably lighter in color.

Day one

Day two

This jar does not show it, but adding a piece of organic ginger root about the size of your thumb and a few raisins and a slice of lemon seems to send the SCOBY into ecstasy and they multiply even better! So experiment but be careful, not to add too much or things that cannot be easily picked out when you go to strain out the SCOBYs.
The text all say not to leave the SCOBYs longer than 48 hrs or they will starve or acidify their own home so much they can die. The one cheat I found that works somewhat on days I am just too tired to bottle for the "second ferment" to get the delightful fizz, I add 2 or three spoons of sugar and 1/2 cup more water which buys me some time. Putting them in the refer may work also but it tends to slow down the cultures growth, which is better than having them die though.
Also small tip here: I live where it gets really cold, even in our home so I bought a Betta fish bowl heater and set my kefir on it during cold spells really seems to work! You can get them at Petco also. I set mine down on a piece of marble kitchen stone bought at a re-store and set my jar on top of it. I do not use it inside.

The Second Ferment! The Fizz!

Bottle the cultured batch

It is particularly important to use caution here. When creating the much desired fizz, use only bottles designed for pressure like the self capping bottles you see in the picture below, or recycle ones you have bought kombucha in -those bottles are thicker and heavier. You can buy the  Grolsch flip tops bottles on line, or if you are  lucky to live in Grass Valley, CA our local Bottle Shop Sierra Moonshine  carries them at a great price. So here you see me filling the bottles. I leave the neck of the bottle empty so ferment can build and it gives me a bit of room to add my berries, or ginger, or juice flavorings also. 

A cheap beginner way to make ferment is using old clean beer bottles with a balloon stretched over the top and put a couple of pin pricks in the end of it to let "just some" pressure out.
Then after two days, cap and put in the refer.

Safety note!
These bottles will built natural pressure in the process of fermentation and can even explode if too much pressure is allowed to build- so thoughtful management is an important safety piece. 

Some people wrap each bottle in a hand towel with a rubber band, so that IF the bottle were to break from fermentation pressure, it would contain the glass. I opt for remembering to release the pressure at least once a day, by lifting the cap and then re-closing it. I keep them on the floor where it is cooler, and am extremely careful and mindful of the effects of pressure. 

Add one teaspoon of sugar

I add one teaspoon of sugar (more is not better here) to help create the desired "Fizz". Then comes creative fun: add berries, add ginger root, add rose hips, or rose petals, add fruit juice, add what ever your heart desire to create that special drink! The internet is full of recipes and cool ideas.

Add berries or some other exciting item to flavor

I have experimented with making different batches adding just plan fruit juices, or lemon grass, or mints leaves, or all kinds of berries, even Douglas fir tips, or cherries, raisins, prune juice, on and on-and of course have found my favorites!

Berries strained out just to show you-

After two days in the second ferment, I strained out some of the berries and sliced ginger because I was not sure I wanted to eat them, since then I figured out I  love eating the berries, a fermented treat so I leave them in.

Finished berry batch!

Let me know what wonderful Kefir drink you have made- I might want to try it too!

Sincerely, Boni

So let’s make whey!

                   Some of the recipes for fermented food call for using whey.

Whey? Not the powdered whey that people put in their smoothies, not the whey left over from cheese making- but the whey from yogurt that has living cultures in it.

Whey from Yogurt

Whey is not really necessary for lacto-fermentation as vegetables and fruit have naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria on them, quite enough to ferment in the salt brine; but some people believe that it adds more nutrition and a faster ferment time. I like the way my ferments come out when I add a little whey, it is something that is a personal taste decision, not a necessity, but you might want to try it yourself and see what you think. If you are allergic to milk products or otherwise leery of them you can use Water Kefir grain liquid to a similar effect.  Nourished kitchen has a good blog about water kefir here.  

Here is how you can get even more whey and have it handy to use.

First select your favorite Organic yogurt, grass feed (for CLA and other benefits ) if you can get it, (not a non fat variety as the things that are good for you in milk, are in the fat) get just a simple plain yogurt with nothing added in but live cultures. Sweeteners and fruits would add in elements that might upset the ecosystem you will be trying to cultivate for your “Lacto buddies". I suggest organic due to the lives non organic cows are subject to, their living circumstances and feed are not conducive to high quality products from them. More often they have a higher level of chemicals to contribute to the milk you would drink: growth hormones, pesticides for pest control and antibiotics- to mention a few. Supporting farmers that produce healthier food is a good way to vote with your dollars. If you are inclined to eat animal products, I feel that animals deserve a better quality of life and that you deserve quality for your life. Giving that to yourself sends a message that you are worth it, that small change alone can take you far down the road of health.

Home made Yogurt

         I make my own yogurt these days-check out, my "how to make your own"  yogurt easily and cheaper than you can buy it- blog. Making it can free you up from being just "a consumer that has to get everything from the store", to a "creator of exciting and better tasting, healthier foods" for you and your family.  If you have eaten yogurt before and dipped some from an original container, and then went back at a later date to eat more, and found a pool of watery liquid on the top –that is whey- brought out by you having dipped some out, creating a dip for it to pool in.

Next find a straining tool. This can be a nut bag, an actual food strainer with super fine mesh, a coffee filter; it needs to be fine enough to strain out the heavier larger milk molecules. You can buy a yogurt strainer on line (like on Amazon), or invent your own.

Tight weave cone strainer

 I show two different kinds of strainers here below.

Place strainer over a jar or cup being sure it is stable and scoop some yogurt into the strainer you have created.

Flat piece strainer placed in a bowl

Notice how the whey begins to drip into your jar or cup, almost right away. This is when I place it back into the refrigerator for over night, or sometimes if is a cool, and I will only need a little I leave it on the counter for a while until I get what I need. The whey will drip into your jar, seal it with a good lid until ready to use.

Pour into a seal-able jar

It is a simple-easy-thing, and the thick custard like yogurt (milk product) that is left is amazing to use like a cream cheese, especially if you can drip it so dry it is thick and spreadable like butter. I made some fish taco spread with a batch of mine by adding zested lime peel, and lime juice to it, a little salt and pepper and it WAS amazing! So add your favorite herbs or experiment with how you can use it so there is less waste in your cooking, it like having possibility sitting in your refrigerator! Oh and don't forget to label it and date it!

Whey can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator and the "cream cheese" for about a month.

What is your favorite way to use the "whey" and "cream cheese"?

Fantastic Fermentation!

Fantastic Fermentation, if I can do it SO can you!
Root crops are ready to pick out in the garden, and winter squash was harvested a bit ago, I would like to keep this food a little longer than the crisper drawer will let me, so with the help of my "Lacto Buddies" (lactobacillus bacteria), salt and spring water. (I also add a splash of whey strained from yogurt). I am going to make scrumptious, crisp, spicy, fermented veggies that we can eat for a while!

So let’s jump right in and make a jar of root crops and butternut squash. First I selected and washed roots I wanted to use, left to right burdock root, parsnips, colored carrots, yellow beets and butternut squash.  (I chose to use the burdock in a different dish so left it out after all) Also I  choose some celery because I did not have the mild peppers that I wanted at this moment.

It is important to think of every ingredient you use as an additive to an ecosystem you are about to create, so you want that ecosystem in your jar to be made with the best quality foods and other ingredients (no wilted veggies). Honor yourself with the best you can give yourself, so that means if you can afford it go organic. 

The ecosystem you are putting together is to create a favorable home for the "Lacto buddies" our heroes in this particular type of fermentation. We want them to multiple quickly and take over the neighborhood in the food jar, crowding  out all other bacteria and possible invaders. 
I know it sounds weird to be wanting to help bacteria thrive in this "Kill all the Germ" era, (At least 99.9% of them!) but yes, in the bigger picture there are organisms that have help  us survive as a human race, allowing us to preserve foods in days where the were no refrigerators- and still today there are cultures who rely on fermentation to survive. Science is saying we have about 10 bacteria to one human cell in our composition, so in away we are a complicated composition of organisms that, when we add them into our lives, honor them with the proper ecosystem (Like we will do making this jar of fermented root crops) within our own bodies our health soars, as they and our bowels are 70% or more of our immune system residing in the open spaces of our mouth nose, ears all the way to the exit at your bottom end.
Here is just one of the hundreds of articles out there speaking about what "Bacteria Buddies" can do for you!  This article can change your life- for real!

Sauerkraut Test Divulges Shocking Probiotic Count! 

So my point in this blog is to make stuff, don't let me get started in talking about the science behind it -(my mother would say "Dontcha know, I could have pert ta near'd had a batch made by now!) So with this one last thought below- lets go make!

"Remember not one person in the US has died from fermented foods".

Here is the list of food advice, salt, water and temperatures

• Vegetables use about 1 lb per quart (just eat the left over’s if you bought too much)
• Fresh veggies please, in season is better
• Local so the food has not travel very far
• Use smaller amounts of dried produce, like mushrooms, tomatoes, fruit for flavoring and color up to ¼ cup
• Cabbage should be heavy moist and dense
• Firm root veggies somewhat thinly sliced
• Don’t use veggies with a wax coating on them
• Fresh mushrooms tomatoes and summer squash don’t work very well
• Veggies with gelatinous seed pockets or that have thin soft skins don’t work very well
• Red peppers -already too ripe

 Salt

Good choices:

• Unrefined sea salt like Celtic Salt contains over 70 minerals
• Unrefined sea salt with no additives listed on the packaging.

Poor Choices:

• “Picking salt” found in canning sections of stores
• Table salt has iodine in it or other additives that can discolor the brine and effects the culture
• Kosher salt of any style; it is a table salt with additives

(So when you measure the salt use a slightly rounded spoonful if it is coarse and a more scant spoonful if it is fine.)

Water sources

Good choices:

·        Bottled spring water

·        Bottled filter water

·        Tap water using a triple filter with reverse osmosis filter

Poor Choices:

• Tap water unfiltered-chlorine will effect the fermentation environment
• Tap water with faucet mounted single stage filter ( not good enough)
• Soft water- minerals effect the culture
• Well water- hardness may effects the culture

The perfect temperature:

• A conditioned  room about 70 F (21 C)
• Room temperature below 74 F (23 C)
• A cool cellar about 64 F (18 C)
• Away from direct sunlight
• Away from heat producing sources

Poor choice:

Warm room above 74 F (23 C)

Wash all your equipment in hot soapy water with a soap that does not contain additives dyes or coating agents. Dishwater soaps also leave behind films with chemicals not good for the cultures you want to develop.

Just be clean, it is not necessary to sterilize everything.

Shopping List:

The veggies you want to ferment

Kimchi spice

Ginger root

Salt

Spring water

Whey from yogurt (optional)

I also have some spice I want to use- Kimchi pepper for just a small bit of zing! I use about 1 rounded teaspoon. I took  my Celtic Sea Salt- and made a brine using 2 Tablespoons to 4 cups of the spring water to pour into the veggie packed jar later when we get to that step.

Now that all those particulars are out of the way lets chop. I had always wanted one of those fancy kitchen "slicers and dicers" but could never afford it, So I one day I threw my wish list out to the “Universe” and a few days later, there it was in my favorite thrift store brand new for- 10 bucks!! With it I "fancy sliced: all the veggies- You don’t have to have a machine- it just makes it easier to fancy slice them the way I like. Cut them into about 1/4 inch slices any way you can. 

Mixed Colored carrots

    Yellow Beets

Parsnips

Butter Nut Squash

     Let’s chat about jars real quick-

In my moms time she used crocks that she probably inherited from her mom, being the South Dakota Farmer types they were, but since then I have read a caution about using old crocks because of possible lead, or cracks and fissures that can harbor pathogens. So if you have an old one investigate and be careful. When my mom "crocked" -I remember it seeming to take forever to ferment in those crocks. She would put a plate on the food- a clean heavy rock to weight it- keeping the food down under the brine, and a white dish cloth over the whole thing shrouding it. It sprouted scary molds some times, and she would just scoop it off, and set the plate and rock back anew, making me doubt the safety of us ever eating what ever she was fermenting. She admitted not ever knowing exactly why the foods fermented, she knew nothing about the lactobacillus bacteria, the lack of oxygen or the salt being the perfect environment to the food to ferment; she was just doing what she had learned for years.  She just did what she did, and we ate it and lived to tell the stories. 

Crock with rock

Now days we have choices! You can use a good glass canning jar- they come in many types and with many lid options. My new exciting item that gives you fermented food in 4-10 days is this Perfect Pickler set up from the Cultures for health folks Perfect Pickler

Click on that link to check it out, it is amazing and only $19.99! I use this for my ferments because they are so light and handy and  ( for me to get a crock would mean getting yet - another job just to be able to afford one -as they are expensive!) Check out Cultures for Health here, I highly recommend them for learning and supplies. Our own Peaceful Valley here in town has fermenting equipment also Peaceful Valley .

Added Spice

 Back to our work here:
I tossed all the food with the spice, packed the jar I had chosen to make sure I had enough, inserted three pieces of celery in a decorative fashion and also added two thumb size pieces of ginger root, because I love it and it is so good for you! 
(Ginger root seems to help the ecosystem along in the inoculation process)  

Packed the jar

Frozen Ginger root

        I like to add two tablespoons of whey from my strained yogurt into the brine mix to speed the "Lacto buddies" take over in the ecosystem within the jar. Apparently  according to Sandor  Katz known as the the "God father of fermentation" it is not really necessary to spike the jars with lactobacillus bacteria from whey, (which is teaming with them); as the veggies have enough on them already naturally -to kick off the fermentation process. (Great if  you have allergies to milk) Adding whey will speed up the process a bit, and for me I like it. Check out this easy way to make whey here! 

Sandor Katz

I was lucky -yet again - to find my awesome yogurt strainer in a thrift store, but you can get a strainer of some kind from Amazon, or a kitchen store, even a tight weave nut bag would work, I've used  a coffee filter too. The object is to put plain (nothing added yogurt-as far as sweeteners and flavors go, but it should have LIVE cultures in it-read the label) into a strainer to let the natural whey in it to drip free-say into a jar - see how it is a cloudy looking fluid with a bit of white milk molecules at the bottom? Keep the left overs, to use again as it will keep in the refer for a while.

Whey strained out from yogurt

If you are going to really get into fermentation Sandor's book is a must! (Once more)

If you are going to really get into fermentation Sandor's book is a must!

The Art of Fermentation

 Now we fit it all together, add the brine to fill the jar and use a knife or tool to move the food to release any trapped air, and push the food strongly into the jar packing it tightly. 

           The Cultures for health folks have a ceramic weight you can  buy extra to insert into the jar to hold down the food under   the brine. The Weight is a must! You will love it!                                                              

The weight

 Fill the jar with the food within 2 inches (5 cm) of the jar lip,  insert the weight one side at a time matching the designed edges together like a puzzle. Make sure the brine is topped off at about 3/4 inch from the jar lip (1.25 c) 
The Perfect pickler has a small metal cup to put on top of the weight (it is an overflow cup)  that collects the fermenting fluids that build up and would normally just drip out onto the counter top, after you seal a lid on.
(If you don't have the pickler kit, you will have to lid your jar, set in in a tray to collect possible drips and open the lid every day to release the Co 2 that will build up from the fermentation process then quickly re-seal). The pickler kit has an air lock that does the "breathing for you" it releases Co 2 build up, but does not let air back in. If you use an airlock system (like Mr. Pickler or you have made your own)  do not open the jar again because you risk allowing pathogenic organisms in. Just be patient, and appreciate gazing on it for a few days!   Should your veggies ferment so vigorously they push fluid up into the airlock, remove rinse and clean airlock then replace the water in it with clean water and re- insert it in your lid. 


So here we are, just like that! Remember to write down the date, on the jar so you know when to check it. Depending on the how warm or cold your home is, it can be 4-10 days. I usually check it about day five. When I think it is done to my taste, I remove the airlock and replace it with a regular sealing lid and place the jar in the refer. That will slow down the fermentation process. After a month or so, it will get a little too mushy for me and I will compost it and start again!

What is possibly fermenting in your kitchen? (That you are fermenting on purpose) Do you have a favorite recipe or a tip or two to share?


Boni Woodland                                                 

"Woman dies in kitchen from eating homemade yogurt!"

If I make it at home, is it safe to eat? Will people read about me in the morning papers- "Woman dies in kitchen from eating homemade yogurt"! 

Really! these thoughts went through my mind and  quite a few more. Somehow my siblings and  I had survived- grown up eating my mother's homemade yogurt, as well as jars and jars of home preserved foods- raw milk and butter; and we are still here! Having my own children in a society concerned  with germs surely had to have influenced me over time.  I had developed an uncertainty about the validity of some foods not bought from a store, especially fermented ones- that's how far removed I had become from my roots. Just where had I accepted that ridiculous fear? How had I stepped so far off the path I had walked in my youth? Unfortunately after my kids were long gone from the home, I remembered the taste, joy and satisfaction of creating my own sustenance.  They missed out on part of the heritage handed down to me I let slip away. Memories of my mother singing in the kitchen while her busy hands created our health and strengthened our souls with foods traditions I did not fully appreciate as a child. Some time ago determined to recapture my foundations in life I pulled together the supplies needed, and started my secret life as a 'Ferment-ologist'- in my mothers footsteps!
It is so easy to make you own yogurt, saves money, and the taste is so fantastic-you probably won't ever want to eat store purchased again!

 Supplies needed:

Get a double boiler pan for the amount of yogurt you intend to make; I make a gallon at a time hence -a big pan! I use a smaller pan inside of a large one-works perfect as a make-shift double boiler. Just fill a good amount of water in-between them, not too much, or it boils over,  not too little or it burns. You can also use a dutch oven.
Clean glass jars with lids-(for when it is ready); I use quart canning jars or half gallon jars, use what ever size you like.
A whisk, or an Immersion tool to mix with.
Cloth, coffee filters, or napkins and rubber bans to make a "breathable" covering for the jars as the yogurt is making. The culture is alive and does better with a breathable covering, rather than a tight lid.
A thermometer if you are a stickler for absolute temps, I have done it so much now -I never even use one...ummm should I even admit that...
A supply of good quality grass feed organic milk, in the amount you wish to be yogurt, and at least 8oz  of good quality already made plain yogurt with active cultures- that is for your "starter". I like Greek yogurt for the starter, it is creamy, tasty and presently "all the rage". I stress that you choose quality, if you desire good vibrant health you have to give your body those same materials to produce vibrancy. Beyond that- the taste, feel and pleasure of well made food is what you deserve, it is also a message to yourself, and those you serve that they and you-are worthy of  it! 

Lets mention the "Got Milk" thing here:
There is all sorts of conversations we could have about whether you should use non-fat, 2%, or whole -or even be eating milk products at all. There is enough controversy about milk just on the Internet alone, it could keep you busy reading for hours. Just click on the controversy link I put there and see what Wikipedia says -go down to the possible harm section-that will make you think.  Each person needs to research and be responsible for their own decision on having milk in their diet or not...Personally I prefer the whole milk, for a once and a while food source not an every day habit. I prefer raw milk from a lovingly raised and kept cow. That does not change the basic nature of Milk which contains natural growth hormone designed to make a baby cow grow huge; apparently it can work the same in humans. Also,  it is an acidic influence on the body which makes it not exactly an ideal calcium source, as your body has to dump its own calcium stores into the blood to buffer the bodies PH- because of milks acidic affect. Cheese even more so-As I said many conversations could be had....

So if you are still up for a ferment- Lets make yogurt!

            Make sure your working area is clean, your pots, pans, and spoons are all  clean, the jars are washed and ready. You don't have to be neurotic, but it is important to have a good clean beginning for the yogurt culture to not have to battle out any other "bugs" and just bloom into a rich full-bodied yogurt uncontested. 

Next, you need a heat source, I use an Excalibur food dehydrator- that I saved and saved for- but I hear about people using creative heat sources like a heating pad set up safely on low, or using an  oven, double boiler wrapped in towels (oven off -of course- at that point) and there is always regular yogurt makers you can purchase. The temp should be steady around 110 degrees or so.

To Start:
In your double boiler or dutch oven, heat the milk to right below boiling, 200°F. My mom use to say when it gets a skim on it its done. 

2. Cool the Milk - Let the milk cool until it is just hot to the touch, 110°F - 112°F. If the milk is too hot when you add the starter -the starter "dies". This goes faster if you set the pan over an ice water bath and gently stir the milk. (See below)

3. Add starter to Inoculate the Milk - Just add in the yogurt you bought from the store, then whisk the whole batch mixing it very well.

4. Incubate the Yogurt - Now comes the long wait where the milk actually transforms into yogurt. The trick is keeping the milk around 110°F until it has set, usually 4-6 hours. I actually let mine go for 9-10 hrs making a thicker yogurt, that I like. Commercial incubating equipment is easier to use for maintaining a consistent temperature, but not necessary.

I cover my jars with a breathable muslin cloth, you can use paper napkins or coffee filters even- rubber bands to hold then on then put them on to warm.

I do put the door back on my dehydrator, this is just to show you how awesome this appliance can be as it doubles as a little heating oven. It even has a yogurt setting, making keeping it at an even temperature easy. So I wait, and wait, and wait, usually over night, and by morning! -Yogurt has happened! I put the regular lids on and put it in the refrigerator where it will keep about two weeks. You can save a cup of your own yogurt as "starter" for your next batch, which is a plus!
Making your own yogurt saves money, creates satisfaction, and assurance that you know what is in your food and how it was made. No additives, coloring or unnecessary fillers, just milk and starter, and a bit of love.

Here is a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation you might want to preview- just for extra education.

"Just in case your still worried about the whole dying in the kitchen thing"