Making Yogurt

So I've been tweeting* about making yogurt in the Crock Pot and I thought I might mention it in my Friday Fragments post tomorrow, but it's generated so much interest, I decided that it warranted its own post. This is not, however, a tutorial. There are several excellent ones already available. Just wanted to share my experience.

For the past year or so we have been buying raw milk. We get one gallon a week for our family of four. Buying directly from the dairy farmer is a little different than buying milk at the store. We have a set time to pick up the milk, so we get it whether we need it or not. Besides, raw milk doesn't "keep" as long as store-bought milk, so even if we haven't used the full gallon, after a week or so it begins to go sour.

 One of my daughters is currently experiencing a lactose intolerance, so for the past few weeks I've been ending up with too much milk each week. She had noticed, though, that yogurt doesn't bother her. After doing some research I found out that the lactose in the milk is consumed by the live cultures in the yogurt during the fermenting process. I had heard that making yogurt wasn't hard, and since I had extra milk I decided to try it.

First, I hopped on Google. (What in the world did we do before the internet?) Here are the sites I read before I headed to the kitchen:

• One Good Thing by Jillee: Crockpot Greek Yogurt
• Happy Simple Living: Make Your Own Homemade Greek Yogurt
• Shannon's Kitchen Creations: Crock Pot Greek Yogurt
• Money Saving Mom: How to Make Homemade Yogurt in the Crock Pot
• Mom Prepares: How to Make Yogurt in a Crock Pot

Step 1:  About 9 a.m. I made sure my Crock Pot was extra-clean and then poured in a half gallon of milk, and turned it on Low. Then I ignored it for about 2 hours.

Step 2: Removed the lid, turned off the Crock Pot. Checked the temperature of the milk with a kitchen thermometer. You want it to be about 180 and mine was a little higher than that, so I'll check it sooner next time. I also stirred in the "skin" that had formed on the top of the milk. Apparently, it's better to remove that, for a smoother yogurt, so I'll do that next time. Leaving the lid off to let in the bacteria from the air, I kept an eye on it for the next hour or so, "taking its temperature" every few minutes. I was watching for it to get down to about 110 degrees. This was the only "fiddly" part of the whole process, being sure to catch it at 110. At that time, I stirred in about a fourth of a cup of store-bought plain yogurt. I bought the Greek-style because I could get the "plain" in a smaller container. I think it doesn't really matter what style it is as long as it contains live cultures. Then I replaced the lid, and wrapped the whole Crock Pot (outer part and all) in a thick blanket and shoved it to the back of the counter. That was at noon. I didn't do another thing to it until bedtime.

Step 3: Just before I went to bed I unwrapped the Crock Pot and peeked inside. It had set up nicely! I was so pleased. A little whey had separated so I gave it a stir or two just to see what it looked like, and I tasted it. Oh, yum! A little tart, and unflavored, but I could tell I had made real yogurt! I lifted the inner crock part of the Crock Pot out of the appliance part and just set it in the fridge until morning.

Step 4: This morning I took out one serving and stirred in honey and frozen berries for breakfast. Tasty! I decided to try straining the whey, which is an optional step, to make it a little thicker. Apparently, straining the whey off is what makes it Greek-style. I lined a colander with coffee filters (having no cheese cloth) and set it down in a large bowl. After about an hour, a cup or so of whey had drained off, which I reserved because I understand it can be used for cooking. Then I stirred in agave nectar and vanilla, and persuaded my kids to taste it. They were more impressed than they expected to be. "Tastes a little bit like ice cream!"

Don't you love it when something you try turns out great the first time?

*Even if you're not on Twitter, you can read my Twitter feed in the side-bar of my blog, if you didn't realize that already.

50 Questions - Part 2

Because I'm sure you're all just dying to read the rest of my answers, here ya go. You can read Part 1 in the previous post, if you like.

26. Do you often skip breakfast?
Probably about half the time, though I usually do have coffee.

27. Would you want to know the exact date and time you were going to die?
No, thank you.

28. Describe your neighborhood.
We live in a new-ish neighborhood. The houses are about 15 years old, I think. Because of this, the trees in our neighborhood are all pretty young, so we don't have a lot of shade. Our street is on a hill so we have a nice view of the valley below. We also have mountains in the distance on three sides.

29. Name a TV series you didn't enjoy until after it ended.
I grew up without TV, so a lot of the shows from the 1980s and before had long-since ended before I ever saw them. One of my favorites is The Andy Griffith Show.

30. Have you ever bought a product from an infomercial?
No. Though I have bought products from the "As Seen on TV" section at Wal-Mart or wherever. Not that I had seen it on TV, but because it looked like a useful product. Some turned out to be more useful than others.

31. What is one thing you could never forgive?
I'm not sure. I pray that God would give me the grace to forgive whatever I needed to forgive.

32. What part of the past year sticks out in your mind?
One of my favorite memories is the 2-day trip Lyle and I took to the coast for his birthday.

33. What is your favorite sport?
Who says I have a favorite sport? I don't really care for sports much at all. I enjoy hiking but that's really more of an activity than a sport, I guess.

34. What has been troubling you lately?
Lyle having to work 70+ hours a week.

35. Who was your first crush?
I had a "boyfriend" when I was 5. Does that count? He was also 5 and went to our church. I barely remember him.

36. Where is your favorite place to go out and eat?
On the Border, but there isn't one around here.

37. Give me an unpopular opinion you have.
Nope. Not gonna. This is my blog and I don't invite controversy here. Thanks for asking, though.

38. Describe a person that inspires you.
My parents and my grandparents inspire me. They are/were hard-working and giving. I am grateful for the heritage I have.

39. If you could earn minimum wage doing what you love, would you?
Probably. I do a lot of things I enjoy for which I earn less than minimum wage or even nothing.

40. Describe the last time you were very angry at someone.
I can't remember. Usually disagreements make me sad, not angry.

41. Where would you prefer to live? A city? The suburbs? The countryside? The mountains?
Out in the boonies, whether that's "countryside" or "mountains." We choose to live in town, though, so Lyle can spend more time at home and not commuting.

42. Where is "home" for you?
Home is where I currently live. I have lived in so many different places, that I don't have a "hometown." We have been in our current home for over 4 years now, and in the area for over 14. So it feels like home. That being said, "I'm kinda homesick for a country to which I've never been before..."

43. Where do you and your friends go to hang out?
Usually a coffee shop and/or bookstore. And my "friend" is usually my husband, though occasionally I'll meet another friend for coffee. (Jan, it's been too long... we really need to make a date to "hang out" again sometime!)

44. Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied anyone else?
I was bullied in... oh, 5th or 6th grade. I've never intentionally bullied anyone, unless you count being the bossy big sister the same thing as being a bully. Or being a mom. My kids probably think I bully them.

45. Is it possible for guys and girls to be just friends?
On a certain level, yes. I think there is a fine line that shouldn't be crossed, though.

46. What are the 6 songs you listen to the most?
I don't listen to music often enough to know.

47. If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be?
I'm not sure. I'm not big on meeting celebrities, if by "meeting" you mean shaking their hand and exchanging pleasantries once. I do have several blogging friends I've "met" online whom I wouldn't mind meeting in real life sometime.

48. What is your favorite blog currently?
I have a list of favorites that pop up in my Google Reader whenever there's a new post-- including Day by Day and Butterflies and Rainbows, where I picked up this tag.

49. What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
Florida, I think.

50. What's the one thing you're afraid of?
Snakes. I hate snakes.

50 Questions - Part 1

I saw the tag questions on 'Tasha's blog, Day by Day, originally... and I was tempted... but decided my blog readers had seen enough of my answers to these types of things.  And then... Jan @ Butterflies and Rainbows posted her answers... and I was tempted again. The clincher was when she actually called me out at the end of her post. Just me! By name! Why, I'd be plumb embarrassed to not participate after that.

Here the first 25 questions with my answers. I'll post the rest another day. And please, do feel free to play along. Let me know if you do. I'd love to read your answers.

1. Are you young at heart, or an old soul?
I'm an old soul. Always have been. Even when I was young (as a pre-teen and teen) I had "grandma" hobbies like knitting and crocheting... and writing letters... and reading stories to little kids.

2. What Christmas present do you remember the most?
I remember lots of presents. I have a good memory! I remember (and still have) several rag dolls that my mother made different years. I should get them out now and let them live in my baby buggy which has finally "come home" to my living room. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've blogged about it, other than posting a picture of Rachel and myself when we were babies on her birthday once. I'm slowing working on cleaning and decluttering this fall, so when I get my rag dolls out I'll be sure to show you pictures of them and the buggy.

3. Name one physical feature that you like about yourself, and one you don't like.
I have thick wavy-ish hair, so I guess that's what I like best. I have never colored it, and it's beginning to "lighten" around the "edges." I'm still not inclined to color it.

I've always wished I wasn't quite so tall (I'm 5'10"), but mostly when other people comment on it. Other than that, it doesn't really bother me. Why is it not okay to comment on someone's weight, but fair game to make remarks about their height? Just wondering. I mean, after all, weight is changeable. Height is not.

4. What holiday do you most look forward to?
My anniversary, which was this past weekend. Does that count as a holiday? I actually don't like national holidays very much. I'm not a Grinch (I hope), but I have found myself wishing that we didn't have big full-blown holidays every year. It just seems like so much excess. I like keeping celebrations as simple as possible.

5. How is the relationship between you and your parents?
I have a good relationship with my parents. They are so supportive and encouraging in everything I attempt.

6. You've got the TV on, but you're not really watching. What channel is the TV on? 
That never happens. I can't stand for the TV to be on if I'm not really watching it. In fact, I never turn it on. I watch TV with Lyle in the evenings sometimes. We only watched pre-recorded programs so we can skip commercials. Sometimes I'm just in the room with him, working on crocheting or reading a book while he watches sports.

7. If you could pick anywhere to live the rest of your life, where would it be? 
Northern Idaho is my #1 choice of places to live. We moved here 14 years ago, and we love it. My second choice would be Montana.

8. Have you ever spent a night in the hospital?
No, I never have. I've never had surgery, either, and the only bone I've ever broken was my little toe.

9. Do you enjoy being with only one or two friends, or with a large group of people? 
I strongly prefer being with one or two friends at a time. I feel overwhelmed in large groups.

10. Do you like the type of music your parents listen to? Do your parents like the type of music you listen to?
I think so. I enjoy traditional sacred music (hymns), and I know that's what they like, too. I also enjoy easy-listening style music and classical. The thing is, I actually don't listen to music all that much. Just like I don't like having the TV on when I'm not watching it, I don't like background music, as a rule, either.

11. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
I'm going to say salad because that could be so many different things and have a wide range of ingredients. That's probably cheating, but I love variety, so I would have a very hard time choosing just one food to eat for the rest of my life.

12. Do you believe in a god? 
I believe in and have a personal relationship with the only true God, the Creator of the universe.

13. What's you're favorite hash-tag to track? 
Sometimes #homeschool. Sometimes #writing.

14. When you were young, what would you dream you would be when you grew up?
I often thought of becoming a nurse... or a librarian... or a teacher... or a novelist. Turns out, nursing was definitely not for me, though both my sisters are nurses. The librarian career requires more schooling than I could afford. I'm currently in my 15th year as a homeschool-teacher. Just another year-and-a-half to wear that hat. It has been so fulfilling. And so the next stage is to become a novelist.

15. Do you want to have more friends than you have right now?
I don't need more friends, but I'm always happy to make new friends.

16. Have you ever met someone through the Internet, then met them in real life? 
Yes, quite a few people actually. When I first started contracting for Sonlight,  I hadn't met any of my co-workers in real life, though I worked with them online. Since then I have met them, and we are all good friends now.

17. Tell me about the last book you read. 
It was Soul's Gate by James Rubart. I'll be posting my review later this week.

18. Predict what your life will look like a year from now. 
I don't expect any major changes, but you never know what a year will hold.

19. Early bird or night owl? 
Night owl for the most part, but I have managed to get in the habit of getting up early, which requires going to bed earlier than I would naturally. Which is a good thing, I think. I'm definitely not a morning person.

20. Where do you live? 
In northern Idaho. I thought we already established that. Oh, I guess the earlier question was, "Where would you like to live?" Okay. Same thing.

21. What was the longest car ride you've ever taken? 
I'm not sure. It might have been the two-week road trip we took in 1991 from Kansas to Pennsylvania. Or it may have been the road trip from here to the Grand Canyon and then up the west coast in 2006. Another possibility was the trip from here to Illinois and back in 2009. Each of those trips included little side-trips and scenic driving along the day. Lyle could probably figure it out and tell me for sure, which one was longest.

22. What is your ethnic heritage? 
I am "American" for at least 200 years back on most branches. One of my great-great-grandmothers came from England in the late-1800s... and one of my great-great-great grandfathers came from Germany in the mid-1800s. Most of my ancestors came from England further back than that.

23. Do you want to live until you're 100? 
I might. If that's what God wills. But I would only enjoy it if I could be healthy both physically and mentally. One of my great-grandmothers lived to be 101. I was 22 when she died (I think-- something like that). I remember her visiting us when she was in her 90s and I was in high school. Her mind was sharp until she died. It was neat to be able to know her and listen to her stories.

24. Do you practice what you preach? 
I hope so. I try to.

25. Have you ever laughed uncontrollably when it was socially inappropriate? 
Oh, yes. The one memory that sticks in my mind is when I was in high school and my sisters and I were singing as a trio. Our church at the time had clear glass doors which could be seen from the platform... out the back of the sanctuary, through the vestibule, down the stairs and through the foyer. As we got up to sing this dog walked up to the doors and peered in. For some reason, that cracked us up. And you know how hard it is to quit laughing when someone is laughing with you. All three of us started snickering. The pianist, not being able to see out the door, did not realize we were tickled. She thought we were sobbing so she just kept playing softly. We finally composed ourselves enough to sing, and when we finished the song and sat down, our dad (the pastor) asked-- from the pulpit! -- "Girls, what was so funny?" That started us up again, and we tried to explain about the dog. No one else was very amused. Except the pianist, who thought it was funny that she thought we were "blessed" when we were actually laughing.

Celebrating 27 Years!

Lyle comes home for lunch every day, but my work schedule doesn't always allow for a lunch break, so more often than not the kids serve me lunch while I'm working. Lyle often eats in my office just to hang out with me for the few minutes he's home.

He walked in the other day and pointed to his framed senior picture which I keep in my office. "Whatever happened to that guy?" he asked. The picture is 30 years old and doesn't look much like him any more.

"That guy?" I feigned confusion. "I haven't seen him around in a long time."

He sprawled out on the floor for his after-lunch cat nap. I leaned down to kiss him. "But this guy. I love this guy way more than I ever loved that guy."

No question about it...

...he's been working too hard again!

 I walked in the back of the print shop yesterday evening to discover Lyle resting his back on a pallet of paper, while his press was running! Taking a nap, he called it.

 Don't worry. He only stayed there long enough for me to run get my phone and snap a couple of pictures.

"You know you're going to end up on my blog, don't you?" I asked him.

"So everyone can see how lazy I am, huh?"

Um. Yeah. I don't think lazy men work 60-80 hours per week.