Making Yogurt

"Nourishing Traditions" author Sally Fallon sparked Americans to renew their goals for eating healthy, as "Guava Jam" innovator Peter Moon rekindled the appreciation of Hawaiian music. Following clips are from Nourishing Traditions.

A healthy adult human harbours some 100 trillion bacteria in his gut alone.  ...They (diseases) are, rather, the chronic illnesses that are now, at least in the rich world, the main focus of medical attention. For, from obesity and diabetes, via heart disease, asthma and multiple sclerosis, to neurological conditions such as autism, the microbiome seems to play a crucial role. ....Besides heart disease and type-2 diabetes, Dr. Nicholson also thinks several auto-immune diseases, in which the body's immune system attacks healthy cells, involve the microbiome. - Economist Aug 18, 2012.

So, we make our own yoghurt, kefir, fermented drinks and vegetables like traditional cultures did and still do.

Hawaii Fresh whole milk is the best I could find (do not use ultra-pasturized) which makes the tastiest plain yoghurt for my pallet. Voskos is the Greek yoghurt brand I use to start the first batch of homemade yoghurt—save a tablespoon or two of your best homemade to add as starter to the next batch.

Steps:

Heat milk, quantity is determined by your own consumption, to 180° to destroy any pathogens. Stir to keep from burning to pan bottom, humming while you work.

Remove from heat and allow to cool down to ~110°. I put pan in the sink and run cold water next to it so it cools down in about 5 minutes.

Transfer milk to a glass container that gives good surface area and can be covered (anaerobic bacteria are at work). Add in around a couple of tablespoons or so of good, plain yoghurt to the warm milk. Stir in.

The bacteria needs warmth to proliferate and make fermentation happen. Sally Fallon's book instructs maker to put covered container in an oven with a pilot light going or somewhere else where heat can get up to 150°. I put my container on top of my toaster oven, covered, and set the temp on constant low. It doesn't get up to 150°, but it gels. Bacteria are good little guys; they can handle variation. During the summer, it takes an overnight to get liquid to a loose jello state. Once you chill it in the refrigerator, it gets to the firmer jello state close to the store-bought consistency. Because store-bought yoghurt has age and shipping conditions against it, as a home maker, you are far more likely to get many more healthy and viable bacteria.

Keep practicing and you will find methods that bring the taste that appeals to you. Next: kefir, which has many more friendly bacteria and requires milk kefir grains to get your milk fermenting to your taste. Another clip from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions.