Re: Newbie needs some advice

[Guest guest]

A lot of recipes from Nourishing Traditions turn out kinda funny, I

wonder how many of them had been tested before the book was published!

From what I understand of yogurt making, you want to produce lactose

so that the good bacteria can eat this sugar and make lots more

bacteria, turning the milk into yogurt. To turn the lactase into

lactose, you have to heat it. Not too hot. I test on my wrist, it's

hot, but doesn't burn. I pour my innoculated warm milk into mason

jars, cover with a blanket overnight and you'll have yogurt.

If you want lots of whey, I'd heat the milk gently until it froths,

not boils. For every gallon you're heating, add 2 oz. of vinegar (any

kind). This will give you curds and whey almost instantly. Strain the

whey and do what you'd like with the curds. We knead ours with garlic

and salt.

For Cream Cheese, I hang my yogurt in a dishtowel for a few hours.

Seasoning with either sweet fruit or savory herbs helps it out a lot.

>

> Hi all ~ I am fairly new to this Yahoo! Group ... our family is a

> consumer of Raw Milk for about a year with wonderful results. I am

> very interested in learning new ways to incorporate raw milk into

our

> family's diet.

>

> The most " experimenting " I have done with the Raw Milk is to attempt

> to make butter (turned out okay) and how to make Whey and Cream

Cheese

> using the directions from Nourishing Traditions. The Whey/Cream

> Cheese experiment doesn't seem to be turning out. Not sure if I

> messed it up somehow as what happened to my milk is not what is

> discribed in the recipe ... per the recipe it should separate into a

> clear whey at the bottom and the curds at the top. What I ended up

> with was a division in 3 sections that looked totally gross IMO ...

it

> was a milky substance in the bottom, yellowish liquid in the middle,

> and curds at the top. The curds remind me of what I think celloluse

> would look like. It definitely was not appealing. The smell was

> strong ... soured or fermented. I did strain the curds from

whey ...

> the color is just different that the whey I had made before with

some

> yogurt.

>

> Question #1: Is yellowish whey " normal " and okay to use??

>

> Some of the products I'd like to learn how to make are sour cream,

> cottage cheese, yogurt (without benefit of a yogurt-maker or

> dehydrator).

>

> I have done some research on the web about how to make the above but

> it seems that every single one says that you have to heat the

milk ...

>

> Questions #2: Is heating the milk correct even for Raw Milk?

>

> I living in the middle of a city and do not have access to anyone

who

> can tutor me in the fine art of using Raw Milk. If anyone is

willing

> to share their experience and wisdom with me, you would find me a

very

> willing student.

>

> Denice Lupcke

> Smyrna Ga

>

[Guest guest]

As far as the yoghurt goes. I don't reheat my milk, I

strain it and start my fermenting. Your culture needs

to be in milk above 76F or so. And stay below 96F.

At the higher temp it takes shorter to make, but I

prefer the longer times with lower temps myself. I

then set my containers(no bigger than quarts) on a

heating pad with a towel covering it all. You will

have to experiment with what setting your heating pad

by putting a warm quart of water on your pad and check

the temp of the water after a couple of hours. You

would also set in a very warm place in your hour, in a

cooler with warmed water....their are several methods

you could use to keep it warm.

As far as heating at the beginning, you need to feel

very sure or your source of milk, but you really only

need to heat it to the culutre heat above 76F for

most.

As far as the whey , yellow, clear and green are all

normal. I would go by smell. If it is unpleasant to

you then go by instinct. I like the sweetness of

curds and whey, but some people like tartness :-)

I also add good bacteria in my milk....otherwise you

could end up with bad bacteria instead of good. Does

that make sense? Good Luck on your raw milk and

cultured foods journey!!

Sheila

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm.....  My understanding is that the bacteria that make yogurt only work at between 100 and 117 or so degrees (preferably above 110).  While you will make a cultured product at a cooler temp it wont be yogurt.  Can someone correct me if I am wrong?  AlizaRe: Newbie needs some advicePosted by: "Sheila Willhoite" twelvegatesranch@...   twelvegatesranchTue Jan 2, 2007 5:15 am (PST)As far as the yoghurt goes. I don't reheat my milk, Istrain it and start my fermenting. Your culture needsto be in milk above 76F or so. And stay below 96F. At the higher temp it takes shorter to make, but Iprefer the longer times with lower temps myself. Ithen set my containers(no bigger than quarts) on aheating pad with a towel covering it all. You willhave to experiment with what setting your heating padby putting a warm quart of water on your pad and checkthe temp of the water after a couple of hours. Youwould also set in a very warm place in your hour, in acooler with warmed water....their are several methodsyou could use to keep it warm. As far as heating at the beginning, you need to feelvery sure or your source of milk, but you really onlyneed to heat it to the culutre heat above 76F formost. 

[Guest guest]

As far as the yoghurt goes. I don't reheat my milk, I

> strain it and start my fermenting. Your culture needs

> to be in milk above 76F or so. And stay below 96F.

Shiela, I love this! I've been making fermented foods for awhile and

have never thought of using a heating pad! I can't wait to try this

method of making yogurt. Thanks! - Heidi in So. Or.

[Guest guest]

The new yogourmet cultures I bought want the milk at 73-77F and I keep it in

the oven in with the lid on the jar and the oven light on till thick. I

take the morning milk and strain it into a jar. Pop in the thermometer and

let it sit in ice water till the temp is attained. Then I add the culture

and stir it in well. Then put on the lid and into the oven with the light

turned on but no heat. The other culture I had needed the milk to be at

110F. This one is thicker by far.

Debbie Chikousky

Manitoba, Canada

gdchik@...

http://www.winnipegbeach.com/chikouskyfarms/

[Guest guest]

To turn the lactase into

> lactose, you have to heat it.

Hi group

I mostly lurk, but as I'm catching up on my lists after the holidays I

see no one has addressed this yet. Lactase is an enzyme, which is a

protein, and lactose is a sugar. Lactase cannot turn into lactose,

under any conditions.

[Guest guest]

Get a good basic cheesemaking book like the one Rikki Carroll has

written, Cheesemaking Made Easy. Or if you are working with goat

milk, I would also get Jane Toth's book 'Goat's Produce Too!'

A great yahoo group on cheesemaking is GoatCheesePlus, which is all

species of milk, hence the 'plus.' There are many recipes being put

up on the 'files' page, too. If you want to join, just do a yahoo

group search on GoatCheesePlus and it should take you right there.

If it gives you any trouble just e-mail me at

safehavennubians@...

I make a world of butter and more than half I go on to make Ghee with

as it stores without refrigeration, cooks without smoking and just

SMELLS so good!

Cow milk will set a firm enough curd without any rennet to make a lot

of cheeses. Goat milk sets a more delicate curd and needs rennet.

www.dairyconnection.com has a marvelous selection of cheesemaking

supplies.

Your attempt at cheesemaking should have smelled like buttermilk!

Don't loose heart, though. Instead, you need to keep a notebook with

the recipe you used, the time of year, weather, air temp, etc.......

to let you see any patterns to both successes and failures.

Honest, cheesemaking is EASY! But, it does take practice. I can

make all sorts of cheeses almost in my sleep, now.

Someone once said that 'cheese is milk's leap at immortality' and I

have always loved that quote!

Donna

Safehaven Nubians

Dandridge, TN

>

> Hi all ~ I am fairly new to this Yahoo! Group ... our family is a

> consumer of Raw Milk for about a year with wonderful results. I am

> very interested in learning new ways to incorporate raw milk into

our

> family's diet.

>

> The most " experimenting " I have done with the Raw Milk is to attempt

> to make butter (turned out okay) and how to make Whey and Cream

Cheese

> using the directions from Nourishing Traditions. The Whey/Cream

> Cheese experiment doesn't seem to be turning out. Not sure if I

> messed it up somehow as what happened to my milk is not what is

> discribed in the recipe ... per the recipe it should separate into a

> clear whey at the bottom and the curds at the top. What I ended up

> with was a division in 3 sections that looked totally gross IMO ...

it

> was a milky substance in the bottom, yellowish liquid in the middle,

> and curds at the top. The curds remind me of what I think celloluse

> would look like. It definitely was not appealing. The smell was

> strong ... soured or fermented. I did strain the curds from

whey ...

> the color is just different that the whey I had made before with

some

> yogurt.

>

> Question #1: Is yellowish whey " normal " and okay to use??

>

> Some of the products I'd like to learn how to make are sour cream,

> cottage cheese, yogurt (without benefit of a yogurt-maker or

> dehydrator).

>

> I have done some research on the web about how to make the above but

> it seems that every single one says that you have to heat the

milk ...

>

> Questions #2: Is heating the milk correct even for Raw Milk?

>

> I living in the middle of a city and do not have access to anyone

who

> can tutor me in the fine art of using Raw Milk. If anyone is

willing

> to share their experience and wisdom with me, you would find me a

very

> willing student.

>

> Denice Lupcke

> Smyrna Ga

>