What are you fermenting today?

[Wifezilla]

Remember that home made yogurt is almost never going to be as thick as store bought. They add fillers.

If it tastes good but it isn't thick enough, just drain it by putting it in a strainer lined with cheese cloth over a large bowl. Refrigerate over night. By morning it will be plenty thick.

 

[ORChick]

I just checked CL. Someone has Kefir grains for sale for $8.00 for 1 tbs for pick up only (in my town). So how do you make kefir and do you think that is a fair price.

FD, I haven't read all the posts since yours, so maybe this has been answered. When I was looking for kefir grains I found a place in Fort Bragg CA that sells them - for $20+! Plus shipping. So the $8 sounds like a steal . But if you can find someone to give you some (as I did ) that is even better. If you are willing to wait I could send you some - but I still need to grow mine some more; all my extra went to Freemotion, and one other.

 

[ORChick]

I started my yogurt @ 1:30 yesterday afternoon, and its still not yogurt! I used store bought from the back of the fridge as culture, but it still looked good. Maybe I need to get some fresher some or find some thermophilic culture. However, a little while ago I stuck a spoon in to see what the texture was like. It was a little thicker on the bottom, but not much. But, the taste was soo creamy and nummy. It had a kick of the acidity taste of yogurt but it definitely needed more time. I'm thinking of just taking it outta the yogurt maker, freezing it, then when I get some newer yogurt trying it again with the same contents.. Any thoughts?

Oh, and the yogurt container said that it was low fat.. could that have anything to do with it?

Low fat shouldn't have had any adverse effect. Did the yogurt you used have live cultures? And was it very old? I have read that the older it gets the less good it is for a starter. If your "yogurt" is still very liquid you should be careful how you use it. It may look like milk, but if you heat it it will curdle like yogurt; for that reason it may not work using it again for another batch. You could use it in recipes though, like cakes or breads. Or give it to the chickens if you have any. (PS - To keep a supply of starter yogurt on hand, I buy a quart of plain yogurt, and freeze it in icecube trays, and then store in ziplocks. While heating the milk, I put a couple of yogurt cubes in a cup to thaw, and then use as usual. I find the ability to culture tends to lessen with time, so after about 6 months I make a double batch, and freeze some more cubes. Any un-used cubes can be thawed out and used as you normally use yogurt. After 4 or 5 times doing this I buy some new yogurt at the store and start again.)

 

[freemotion]

BB, you are using goat's cream, aren't you? The goat's milk I use comes out very runny, that is typical of goat's milk yogurt. I haven't figured out how to drain it, it either sits in the cloth or runs right through it, I haven't found the perfect cloth yet.

I have found that it tends to thicken up in the fridge. It is still more of a drinkable yogurt, though.

Many low-fat dairy products today have powdered milk added, so I don't buy them anymore. They don't have to label the powdered milk, since it is still milk, but not in my world! Many people who make their own yogurt use powdered milk to get the thicker consistancy. I will tolerate my runny yogurt, thank-you-very-much.

If you incubate it too long, it will get more and more sour. I was hoping your cream would make a thicker yogurt, though. At this point, I'd just chill it for a day or two, then if it is still runny, use it as cream on your berries.....lots of cream! Yummy!

 

[Dace]

Yes, mead is alcoholic. (Without the alcohol, it is just honey water. That is no fun! LOL)

I took 6 lbs of honey and 2 gallons of water. Boiled it for 15 minutes and added 2 tea bags (regular lipton tea). As it boils you skim off any scum.

As it cools (and the tea steeps), you add the juice of 2 whole oranges. You can also add the zest if you want.

Pitch some champagne yeast in a bit of warm water.

When the honey is cooled enough, toss the tea bags, add the yeast and put in jugs for fermentation.

You have a way of making things sound so easy

Do you need airlocks on the jugs? How long before it is drinkable?

 

[Wifezilla]

I do have airlocks. Hubby used to home brew, but he is too impatient so now his stuff is all mine. Bwaa haa haa!

I am using growlers from a local micro-brew. Friends gave me the jugs. I do have a 5 gallon carboy, but I prefer to make mead in smaller batches. If you screw up, you aren't wasting a ton of good honey that way.

My recipe was actually a mish mash of recipes I found online and through a mead book I have. Here is a forum post along with some links that can get you started....

"2 1/2 lbs honey
1 gallon of H20
Wine yeast (the yeast from the grocery store will also work...but I don't like it and highly reccommend that you use wine yeast...do your research or start another topic on yeast for more info on wine yeast).

Honey Does Not have the acids or tannins needed to fully ferment...so add a tsp of lemon juice and a shot or swig of tea to speed up the fermentation time and help with clarification..

Boil the H20, add honey, bring back to a boil. Skim the foam off the top, take off the heat. Put a lid on it. let it cool to room temperature...don't take the lid off so things will stay sterile. Put it in your fermentation vessel add the yeast. Put sterilized airlock on fermenter and wait 2 weeks to 5 months (depends on how long your yeast needs to finish converting the sugars to alcohol). This will make a dry wine strength mead. Enjoy."
http://www.entheogen.com/forum/archive/index.php?t-4860.html

http://www.brewingkb.com/mead/Orange-Mead-374.html
http://www.moremead.com/mead_logs/Ancient_OCC.html

Come to think of it, I did throw a couple of cinnamon sticks in for the boil. Not enough to add a strong flavor, just to give it a little body.

I HATE measuring and tend to change my recipes depending on available ingredients.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Re yogurt. The yogurt I remember from my childhood in Germany was never that terribly thick. It was more of a drinking consistency, pretty much the way home made yogurt turns out.
It is also important to read the label, some commercial yogurts don't even have live cultures in them and they also add pectin and gelatin. I used low-fat yogurt for my batch last night and it came out perfect. I also used commercial cow's milk.

ORChick, I like your idea of freezing yogurt starter in ice cube trays. I'll have to do that, with what is left of my starter.

Free answered my post last night and also offered to send me some kefir grains, when she has extra. Thank you to both of you. I did decide to wait. For now I'll just make yogurt and then when either of you have enough to spare, I would love to get some from you. Maybe I can return the favor, by sending you something that I have extra of that you might like to have.

Wifezilla, thanks for posting your recipe. The one I have is very different. I plan on trying it in the next day or so. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Dace]

Is it really sweet?

 

[FarmerDenise]

Here's a picture of my plum wine in progress.

We found one of the balloons had a hole in it. So we had to replace the balloon.

 

[big brown horse]

Very cool FD!! Are you using used wine bottles?