Organic Yogurt for the Immune System
To make yogurt:
Pour 42 oz (5 & 1/4 c.) Organic Half & Half, or Organic Raw Milk, to a medium sauce pan. The directions say to heat until milk boils and starts to climb up the pan. When we make it, we only heat the milk to 140 degrees, to prevent the loss of necessary nutrients. Then we turn off burner, move the pan away from the heat, and allow milk to cool to 108-112 degrees before adding the yogurt culture to it. To speed up the cooling process, you can place the saucepan with the hot milk into a sink or pan of cold water or ice. Be careful not to get any ice or water in the milk.
Once its cooled to the desired temperature, if there is a“skin”that develops on top of the cooled milk, you want to take this off the top of the milk and throw it away. The skin should all float to the top as the milk cools. However, we have found that if you stir the milk as it cools, this skin never develops, so we don’t have to waste anything by throwing it away.
In a separate bowl, combine one package (5 g) of Yogourmet freeze-dried yogurt starter or other yogurt starter that you have, and approximately 1 cup of the cooled half & half. Mix well, then add the rest of the cooled half & half to this mixture.
If you are using a yogurt maker that has its own jars, now is the time to fill these jars with the milk-culture mixture. Do NOT cover the individual jars with their lids. Cover with yogurt maker lid only, and turn it on. Leave in the warmer for 12-13 hours for best results. Then take the jars out of the maker, cover them with their lids, and put them in the refrigerator for another 4 hours. If the yogurt doesn’t appear to have fully set (solidified) when you take the jars out of the maker, this is okay, they will finish setting up in the refrigerator over the next 4 hours.
Using an oven: We have found that a warm oven works well too. If you have an old oven that will heat as low as 110 degrees, you can use this and leave the opened jars, covered in a towel, in it all night. We do not have one of these, and ours only goes as low as 170 degrees. What we did was to preheat the oven to 170. We put a metal cookie sheet in the oven to heat that too, then we could use it for 2 purposes: setting the jars on it, and adding additional heat when we turned the oven off. We also left the oven light on all night for additional heat. After our canning jars were filled with the milk-culture mixture, we covered each one with a dish-sized towel and set them fully covered except the bottom, on the cookie sheet and turned the oven off. We do this in the evening so we can leave them all night. They are fully set up when we take them out in the morning, 12 hours later.
Place individual lids on the jars and refrigerate.
It is best when eaten within 6 days after making. It can be served plain, with honey, preserves or fresh fruit.
Yogurt in a Crockpot
- Pour the milk into your crock pot and turn the heat on medium or high. You want to heat the milk very slowly until it reaches 180°F (30 mins to 1 hour).
- Turn off the slow cooker, unplug, and allow the milk to cool to 120°F (about 30 mins).
- While waiting for the milk to cool, measure out your plain yogurt starter and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Once milk is 120°F, add the yogurt and stir gently until it is fully incorporated.
- Cover with lid and then wrap the slow cooker with several towels.
- Set it where it will be undisturbed for 6 to 8 hours. Yogurt likes a quiet, still environment to ferment.
- Place the cultured yogurt into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before eating to ensure that it’s fully set.
The more fat in the milk, the thicker, creamier and healthier the yogurt.
The longer you culture the yogurt, the less lactose will remain. If you are lactose-sensitive, culture your yogurt for at least 8 hours and up to 12. Twelve hours will produce a healthier, more immune-benefiting yogurt.
The longer you culture the yogurt, the tangier it will be. If you like mellow yogurt, end the fermentation process and refrigerate after 6 hours. If you like a hearty tang, start with 8 hours and adjust the recipe from there.
Adding the live yogurt culture to your warm milk. 1 tablespoon is enough if you are just making it for enjoyment. However, adding more will increase the healthy bacteria and the health building properties, like a super food.
For best health benefits, consume 4 ounces 3 times daily between meals.