Saturday, October 23, 2010
My homeschool assignment
One of my goals for this school year has been to learn how to make my own on-the-counter yogurt (I know there are lots of ways to make yogurt, but I'm not interested in something I have to buy special equipment for or have the oven at just the right temperature for or wrap a crockpot in towels for, etc., PLUS I really want those raw enzymes and reproductive capabilities so that I can stop buying yogurt altogether), as well as getting into whole wheat sourdough bread making. So far, I've only gotten as far into the process as proving to myself that I can [once again] be in a good routine of bread making-- so that at least I have a smidgen of confidence that I won't kill the cultures through neglect.
(Maybe, anyway.)
The thing is, I'm not so confident that I won't kill the cultures by smothering.
When I try new things, I tend to analyze and over-tend them. I look back on my early days of cloth diapering and I have no doubt that half my "troubles" were caused by hyper attentiveness on my part. Likewise with Gabriel's infancy (poor first child). If something seems to be going wrong, I'm not good at just waiting a bit to see what comes of it; I naturally want to intervene and consequently-- nine times out of ten, anyway-- make things worse!
Not to mention, science and anything scientifically-related scares me to death. I don't get it, therefore, I am afraid of it!
That said, I really want to do this. I have come to realize over the years that I tend to have a somewhat bad pH body balance that makes me very prone to thrush (a breastfeeding infection). Taking probiotics has really helped tremendously, but I also want to get away from yeast breads, as well as increasing natural probiotics through homemade yogurt.
So I'm about to take the plunge and buy both yogurt and whole wheat sourdough starter. It's my homeschooling assignment after all, and the first quarter of the school year is already up. Better get crackin', I say!
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My problem is I don't think about things enough. I say "I can do that", and in all reality can but because I'm REALLY impatient and want to start something the second I think of it I end up missing vital important things and necessities which slow me WAY down! Hope you find something that works especially if you're prone to getting thrush. That is just awful! I'm surprised WIC hasn't done anything in the line of yogurt. They're SO good at overdoing some things, I'd argue to have it spread over to some yogurt! There, that would save having to make it!
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of success with homemade yogurt in the past - and found it very easy. There's only about a 10 minute window of making sure that the milk is hot enough, and knowing (guessing, at the beginning) of how long it takes to cool to the right temperature again - at least for the method I use. I've never had a batch not "set" - just expect it to be less gelatin-like than storebought. And my kids loved it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't use any special equipment beyond a thermometer and a heating pad set to low overnight. I used storebought all-natural yogurt as a starter - I froze it in ice cube trays and used one or two cubes per batch. I don't think I ever used my own yogurt as a starter - I was afraid it might not be "strong enough," but it probably would have worked.
Let us know how it works out!
@Girabbit - The kind of yogurt starter I plan on getting doesn't even involve heating anything, which I'm really excited about. And it says very clearly that the raw enzymes (from not heating the milk at all) are good for the next batch-- so I should theoretically be self-sufficient! We'll see how it goes. If it works, being able to just do it on the counter (with no thermometers, heating, etc) seems like it will very easy. That's a big "if" in my mind, but I'm hopeful!
ReplyDeleteRochelle will chime in any minute with some valuable advice.
ReplyDeleteI, of course, have nothing to offer.
Oh, except coupons! If you like Stonyfield Organic they sell it at Price Chopper for 3.99 per 32 ounce container and I ALWAYS have dollar-off coupons (which, as I recently discovered, they will double if you ask)...
Am I makin' any sense?
Thanks for posting the link for the whole wheat sourdough starter. I may just have to see how I can fit bread making back into my schedule. Yum!
ReplyDeleteExciting! I am so excited to hear how it goes. I bought some kefir grains from that website a few months ago and started eating kefir everyday. My digestive system was doing weird things after Claire was born and eating kefir really helped. Thank you so much for the breastfeeding help. The articles that you sent me were very encouraging. I have not changed my mind and still believe it is a good decision to wait on the solids for at least a couple more months.
ReplyDeleteWould you please post how it goes with this? Have heard of making yogurt, but have been unsure if I ever could. Thanks, Brietta!
ReplyDelete