If you can find a source for raw milk, it is an excellent way, indeed, to save a bit of money. That is, if you don’t live in NY City and have to pay the farmer to smuggle the milk over state lines. I think the debate over raw milk is ridiculous. But, anyhow…
Last night I got so hungry for real yogurt and homemade butter and actual sour cream that I decided to make the trek to my source, which wild horses cannot drag out of me, because I appreciate my source too much!
I brought home four gallons of fresh milky milk. Notice I did not say “creamy” milk because there was a fatal flaw, as I discovered this morning when I went to skim off a bit of coffee cream. There was
not even a drop of skimmable cream, only a dull little puddle of different colored milk on the top of the jar.
Friends, I brought home four gallons of skim milk. Apparently the agitator in the tank had not been run for quite a while, and that is that. So much for butter and sour cream, but the low fat yogurt option is still open.
Here is my yogurt recipe, which we think is fabulous. I got it from my friend, Naomi, who got it from some inspired aunt of hers. Just so you know who really should get the credit.
Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
8 cups raw milk
1 T plain gelatin
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup powdered milk
Heat the milk to 180 degrees. Let it cool to 130 degrees. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and stir in gently. Let cool to 115 degrees, then add the rest of the ingredients. I was told that you do not have to add the powdered milk, but it results in a smoother, creamier end product. I think I will just go ahead and put it in, seeing as I am starting with skim. Of course, if you are not a vanilla sort of person, you can leave out that and the sugar, too, and you will have Plain Jane yogurt.
Pour the mixture into jars, and cover tightly with lids. To incubate my yogurt, I turn on the oven light, which keeps my oven perfectly at 100 degrees. I let it set in the oven overnight, for 8 to 12 hours, then refrigerate it for up to a month.
It never takes us that long to eat it, but it keeps for a long time. Hello smoothies… Healthy low fat smoothies! I have never had a flop with this recipe when I started with raw milk, and I sincerely hope it works as well for you!
wocket in my pocket 
That sounds delicious. Its so disgusting that raw milk is even an issue. (spit spit) A nice fat Jersey cow is in our cue of “large things to save up and buy” I want fresh raw milk, cream, butter, sourcream, cottage cheese ect ect so badly I can almost TASTE it! (we are ALMOST there)
Amen, amen! We’ve lived on raw milk until about 2 months ago and it feels nearly sinful to pay 4 dollars a gallon for white stuff that I know is not good for us! One day soon, hopefully my hunny will become convinced again that it really is worth the time to milk the black and white cow that resides in our pasture! I miss the yogurt!
ooohhh… I love making yogurt and I think I will be using this recipe! Thanks for sharing it!