Then I read in Sandor Katz' book that these are commercially controlled starters, and it's possible to acquire wilder starters that are self-regenerating if properly fed.
Consequently, I bought a Bulgarian yogurt starter online (here) this summer. As long as I remember to save a little yogurt and make a fresh batch every week or so, I will never need to "refresh" my starter by buying something again. I love this independence (which comes with the caution to keep the Bulgarian starter alive!).
10 comments:
I'm firing up my Greek yogurt today!
Yum! I really should start making ours--it feels like we eat a ton of it, and homemade is so delicious.
I'm catching up here...
Yay for homemade yogurt!
The pj's are awesome.
The lentil meal = YUM and I hope you get that lens!
The wallet! Love, love, love!
And the percolator - that's wonderful - I'm a total coffee addict/snob and your set up sounds lovely and satisfying (and not just the taste of the coffee!)
I've never had homemade yogurt; how does the taste compare with store-bought? (I find the plain yogurt sour but don't like added sugar)
I think it's wonderful to be able to make your own and keep it going. I can't even keep a plant alive so I'm probably stuck buying yogurt in the store :)
jenny_o, the taste depends on the milk and the starter used. I find my Bulgarian yogurt to be especially delicious - mild, with a fabulous creamy texture. I use 2% milk that I buy in glass from local farmers - probably that helps, too. Everybody's kitchen has its own bacteria, so homemade yogurt is particular to the house where it's made! I never add sugar to my yogurt when I eat it, but I often eat it in tandem with another food - curry, or baked oatmeal, or a Mexican soup.
Thanks, Margo. And so interesting about what you choose to eat with it. Yogurt wasn't a common food here until the early eighties, and then it was the plain kind and marketed as a healthy dessert, no more. Do you eat it with spicy food to cool the heat, or another reason?
Yes, it's a nice side dish to a curry meal. If I'm feeling energetic, I make it into a raita with bananas or cucumbers.
Margo - I'm curious how you are enjoying this yogurt starter now a few months into it. I've gotten back into making my own yogurt and am considering buying some of this starter rather than always using commercial. Thanks.
Hi Wendy! Good question: I've now had the starter at least 6 months and it is great. I'm a little careless about making yogurt every 7-10 days, but it doesn't show signs of suffering. Let me know if you have more questions - hope it goes well for you.
Wow. How interesting! This is something Matt and I have talked about looking into. I rarely buy yogurt on account of the cost and packaging (not all of which is recyclable in our area).
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