If I can drink this …
Pasteurized, processed, sweetened store-bought yogurt
Why can’t I drink this?
Homemade, raw, rosemary yogurt
We always think of yogurt as something to be sweetened, but that’s not the case everywhere. What about meat marinated in yogurt or dishes like Indian raita, a cooling mix of yogurt and cucumber?
Yogurt is versatile, a fact for which I am grateful whenever I bring home my next gallon of raw goats milk from Easter Egg Acres.
I made a gallon of yogurt last week from a gallon of Easter Egg’s frozen milk and had a little too much to store. Instead of pulling out another container, I poured the rest in a glass and made my own savory drinking yogurt. Yum! I was surprised at how good it is!
Fermented foods have gotten a reputation for being good for us. They add good bacteria to our digestive systems and taste better than probiotic pills. I was getting tired of fermented pickles and needed something new. The yogurt, sour and fragrant from the rosemary, fit the bill perfectly and it even makes a quick meal on days when I’m in a hurry.
I start with the Goat Cheese Lady’s recipe for yogurt. It doesn’t require any special equipment like a yogurt maker. I’ll include a synopsis in the recipe below, but I highly recommend clicking on the link to get the details, pictures and the story behind her recipe.
Savory Drinking Yogurt
1. Heat a gallon of milk to 110 degrees. (This is not high enough to pasteurize it, just to wake up the little yogurt bacteria.)
2. Add starter. I use powdered starter that I buy at Mountain Mama Natural Foods, but you can also use plain yogurt.
3. Cover the container with two towels and wait for 4 – 6 hours.
That’s it. The little bacteria do their jobs in the warm milk and turn it into yogurt.
When the yogurt is ready, pour some into a glass. My glass was about 12 ounces, but you know we’re not very precise about recipes on the Homestead. Add half a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of ground up rosemary. Mix it really well with a whisk.
That’s it! It’s ready to drink!
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© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead
Shared with …
I’ve done yogurt at my house – the only difference (or just add on) to the method described by Bonnie would be that I wrap the jars with a blanket and I leave it overnight like that. In the morning I store the yogurt in the fridge and it’s good to go. I’m using Bulgarian Plain Yogurt because it has the real bacteria needed (do you know that a Bulgarian biologist studied the bacteria and it’s properties in 1905 – it is called Bacillus bulgaricus (now Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus)) . You can find it at Whole foods or Sprouts Market. I love it!
Sorry – I meant “I’ve made” . We also have a dish made out of plain yogurt and cucumbers. It’s called Tarator – it’s out favorite summer “soup” – just delude the yogurt with some water, add cucumber cubes (as small as you can make them) season with salt, crushed garlic, some olive oil and dill and voila – you have an appetizer ot something that goes perfectly with Moussaka. You should try it!
This sounds wonderful! I will try it. Thank you!
Thanks for the tip about the Bulgarian yogurt too. I wonder if it tastes any different than the one I make with the powdered starter.
I tend to like my yogurt sweet…but I know I should learn to like savory too.
Thanks for sharing on The Creative HomeAcre!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html
Hope to see you again on Sunday!