Curds and Whey Part 2

I am a very visual person, so I have included lots of pictures today. I hope it will help you visualize this process. A Special thank you to my dear daughter and budding photographer.

First, this is my yogurt maker. I use it all the time. This yogurt has been making all night.

After your yogurt is done, chill it well before trying to separate curds and whey.

Here are the supplies you will need for separation.

-Fresh, well chilled yogurt
- A strainer

- A bowl that fits under the strainer

-Flour sacks, torn to fit in your strainer

(I got these in the dish towel section at Wal-Mart)

First, wash your hands well, you don't want to contaminate your good bacteria with bad bacteria.

Next, fit the flour sack material inside the strainer. You want this to fit your strainer and not be too big (like hanging all over the counter) as the entire fabric will become saturated with whey and you want more whey in your container than absorbed in your cloth.

Next, spoon your fresh, well chilled yogurt into your strainer that is lined with your flour sack cloth.





Next find the largest rubber band you can find and a piece of saran wrap. Cover the entire concauction with saran wrap and place the rubber band on the outside container, the one that is holding the whey. Now refrigerate this whole thing for 10-12 hours.




After refrigeration unwrap it and pull up the corners of your cloth. You are going to twist the cloth, squeezing any remaining whey from the curds.

Open the cloth and put the curds into a clean container. This cloth may be washed and reused over and over. Curds will last covered in the refrigerator for several weeks, however, it doesn't last that long at my house. My dc have discovered that is is really good on whole wheat toast mixed with their favorite jelly. YUM! I also use it in any recipe that calls for cream cheese.

Store the whey in a glass jar in your refrigerator. Whey contains much of the healthful bacteria that is in the yogurt. It is an excellent medium for fermenting and preserving foods.

This is a foundation for some of the recipes that I hope to share on my blog. Admittedly, we use a lot more of the cream cheese than the whey. A little whey goes a long way.

In His Service,

Suzie