We McSisters are excited to learn new ways to live without plastic.  We were delighted when our friend Cathy Scarr, who, like us, looks for ways to reduce single-use plastic in her life, offered to share her yogurt recipe.  Other subscribers also make their own yogurt.  Here is the way Cathy makes yogurt.  Thank you Cathy.

Cathy Scarr’s yogurt making.

Every time I opened the fridge, there was that large plastic tub of yogurt staring me in the face. At our house we eat a lot of plain yogurt so the yogurt container is always present. I finally got irritated enough to make my own yogurt so I could ditch that plastic tub! Making yogurt is a very easy process, but does require some time and patience.

Here is an ingredients and supplies list:

1/2 gallon organic whole milk (2% also works fine)

1 cup plain yogurt with “live active cultures” (to use as starter)

Large saucepan

Thermometer

Glass container with lid

First, I purchase a half gallon of organic whole milk. I like to use Clover brand because of their plant-based carton that they use to package their milk.

Then, I pour the milk into a large saucepan and heat the milk to a temperature between 180 and 200 degrees. On my stove it takes about 15 minutes to reach a desirable temperature. Once the milk is to temperature, turn off the heat and let it cool. More than once I have missed that temperature window and boiled the milk. I carried on with the process and the boiling doesn’t seem to hurt the yogurt.

Cooling the milk can take a while. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to reach the desired temperature between 110 and 120 degrees.

Once the milk has cooled, I spoon about 4 tablespoons of the plain yogurt into a small bowl. I then ladle about a cup of the warm milk into the bowl and whisk it together. This mixture is then added back to the pot of milk and stirred thoroughly. 

Now the pot of milk has been inoculated with the starter yogurt and it needs to ferment for around 8-10 hours. To do this, it needs to be warm, and there are a number of ways to achieve the optimal temperature for the bacteria to grow and create yogurt.  I received a yogurt maker as a gift and so I use that with a large glass pyrex dish that fits right into the yogurt maker. The yogurt maker heats up the container of milk and makes great yogurt every time. 

The one I used is pictured above. It comes with 12 little jars, but I prefer to use a large dish because it’s easier to manage. I set the glass dish into the yogurt maker, cover it, and turn it on. In 8 hours or so, the milk has turned to yogurt and it’s ready to go into the fridge.

There are other methods for this last step. When I first made yogurt in the mid-80s, I just wrapped the container in a towel and left it in the oven overnight with the light on. Other methods include the use of a heating pad or a slow cooker. I have never tried these methods, but have included links below that provide more information.

And that’s it. Yogurt is extremely easy to make yourself and it’s also an easy way to reduce your plastic packaging. Getting in the habit might be the biggest challenge, but making homemade yogurt is well worth the effort. I encourage you to give it a try!

Here are some links that can also help get you started:

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt/

https://wholefully.com/yogurt-making/

P.S. One tip for cleaning up: making yogurt leaves milk scum on the inside of your pot. A perfect tool for scrubbing off of the scum is a scrubber made of peach pits! All Purpose Spaghetti Scrub

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Detergent-Latest-Purpose-Spaghetti/dp/B0757TTYR9