Making Yogurt

Making-your-own-anything from scratch feels good. Something about independence, empowerment, being connected.... all that hippie-speak that makes us sound so fantastically smug.

My gardener and crafty friend turned me onto the idea of making yogurt. Super simple, and oh-so-tasty, she says. A slightly-more economical option, too: a kilo of organic milk costs $3.50, compared to a 750g tub of organic yogurt costing $5. I think, ponder, reflect, ho-hum, and procrastinate for a few months. And then finally, I decide I'll try it out. So with a tub of plain, store-bought yogurt containing active cultures, and a litre of whole milk, the process begins.

I used the step-by-step instructions found on www.makeyourownyogurt.com, but I make it even lazier by heating the milk directly in the pot (vs using a double-boiler set-up), and forgo the heating pad and place my milk/culture mix in a warm oven.

Nine hours later and halfway into the Superbowl, I uncover the pot and find that the milk has curdled! Insert high-pitched squeal-of-delight here. The yogurt is stirred, poured into jars, and chilled in the fridge. The next day, the yogurt is nicely set; a bit runnier than I like, which I'll correct at the next go-around. I've successfully grown my own delicious milky army of bacterial cultures. I crack open a jar of pear and ginger preserves, stir it in with some toasted oats, and enjoy.