Our milk supplier, aka Ronnie, has went above and beyond our expectations this year. Last year she produced about 3/4 pint per day at her peak. This year she's giving about a quart per day. That's hardly noteworthy to most people but for a mixed breed sale barn goat... I'm impressed. And my fridge is full of milk!
So yesterday I put on my milkmaid boots and made a batch of yogurt. I don't have a kitchen stocked with dairy equipment but I was able to improvise quite well. Here is the process that worked for me ( your mileage may vary)...
1. In a stainless steel saucepan, I slowly brought 2 quarts of raw goat milk to 180° (using my cheap-o candy thermometer to check.)
2. I let the heated milk then cool to 110°, stirring occasionally.
3. I poured the milk into a clean 1/2 gallon empty pickle jar, whisked in 1/2 cup store bought yogurt, capped it, and placed it in a Styrofoam cooler.
4. I filled the cooler with hot tap water to the neck of the jar, put the lid on the cooler and then wrapped my old Carhart barn coat around the outside.
7 hours later, I had the creamiest, yummiest yogurt! I strained some overnight for thick treats and saved some of the runnier stuff for sauces, salads, and smoothies. Mmmm
And now I have my own yogurt kit- a Styrofoam cooler, a pickle jar, and a ratty barn coat.
