I was given a yogurt start from a friend that claims this yogurt has been used in his family for over 100 years. It was brought over from Finland by his Grandmother.
I am unsure if this is a yogurt or a butter milk, or something completely different.
This family uses 2 table-spoons in 8oz glass of milk each morning.
This is mixed in the fresh milk and the glass container is left uncovered on the top of the fridge and is put in fridge at bedtime. It is ready to eat in the AM. (it is a heavy liquid and usually drank in AM).
Now I don’t care for plain yogurt, and do kind of like butter milk, but this tastes way better than buttermilk to me.
Just what is this culture?
It’s probably a various strains of lactobacillus and probably other wild bacteria, in yogurt. The “bringing over the yogurt from the old country” idea isn’t that unusual - I had a coworker originally from India whose family would bring over homemade yogurt from relatives back in India, and she seemed puzzled that people (like me) would make yogurt at home using storebought live yogurt as a starter.
Yogurts that are cultured in the open air like that will also be likely to take in other wild bacteria (like lactobacillus strains, for instance), and so the mix of bacteria may shift over time.
I have an electric yogurt maker (that model, but ignore the price, I spent maybe $25); it has the possible benefit of being covered, thus shutting out wild bacteria and other stuff that could get in, plus it keeps a consistent temperature. It comes with instructions to mix a little dried milk powder into liquid milk, heat on the stove until just boiling, cool down to about 100 F, then stir in the live-culture yogurt and add to the yogurt maker.
My Indian coworker’s family would put the pre-yogurt in their barely-warm stove to keep it out of drafts/keep insects away, and to keep it warm.
“Greek yogurt” can be bought in most grocery stores, and is a thicker, tangy-er type of yogurt than most plain American store-bought kinds. I suspect this may be a similar type.
That sounds more like the process for making kefir to me. Does it smell kind of yeasty? Are there little yellowy things in there that look kind of like cooked cauliflower? Here is a wild and crazy site about kefir. It’s awesome stuff. I thought I’d killed mine last week but those grains are feisty little buggers.
I make yogurt all the time, but thought it had to be much warmer than room temperature to culture and thicken properly. I guess on top of the fridge is warm enough. My yogurt maker keeps it at 110F.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure Greek yogurt is just regular yogurt that’s had the liquid strained out of it. I use one of those fine metal coffee filters to do it- suspend it in a Pyrex measuring cup, put yogurt in it, then refrigerate overnight. You end up with a bunch of whey in the bottom and a small quantity of lovely thick yo-cheese in the coffee filter.
Good point, I’d thought about it after I logged off for the night but figured it was just an odd alternate method.
Does this sound more like it, Gbro? Reading the article I’m not sure about this ‘grains’ thing compared to this situation - is there anything similar in your starter?
Not at all.
I did place a loose cover over the glass yesterday, as It was my 1st time. and forgot to put it in fridge but did at 4am when I was up.
I started the next this am, and my yogurt(?) was thick and tasty.
My Father used one of those yogurt makers, and his tasted , well i didn’t like the taste at all. This one is smooth, and tastes sort of like cottage cheese. witch I do like:) ,
And it is very easy!
I will try some blue berries tomorrow morning.
I am thinking/wondering if I should put them in before i refrigerate, or just before eating??
Will be leaving on a Elk Hunt later in week and this might be a nice addition to the trip.
Yogurt and Espresso at 10,000 ft. I will have to use Gorilla Milk(dry) as it is a pack in hunt.
Thanks for the responses!
Gregor
Forgot to add,
The friend that gave me this start stirs in salt before he drinks it. I have no intention of adding salt as I get too much already in my diet.
We have fresh yogurt all the time, but we use Easiyo - you have an incubator half filled with boiling water into which you place a 1 liter container with a sachet (containing milk powder and culture) dissolved in water, and 12 hours later you have yogurt (6 for the drinking yogurt I have for breakfast.
They do natural, flavoured and drinking yogurts (and a custard I want to try). We really like it - cheap, live and consistent. I guess we don’t get the risk/reward involved with a live starter, but we do get great yogurt every few days.
Si