Easy Crockpot Yogurt Recipe

I was going to write this post yesterday but it ended up turning into a raw milk post. So.....

Here's how I make my yogurt. It really makes a lot of yogurt for less than half the price of store bought and it's twice as healthy! Plus... it's ridiculously easy!!

You will need:

-A crock pot

-1/2 Gallon of milk (Raw or pasteurized)

-1/2-1 cup of some plain, store bought, organic, pro biotic yogurt. (or if you have a friend that makes yogurt ask them for a 1/2 cup to get you started)

*note- you only need the store bought "starter" the first time you make it. After that just keep a scoop from your previous batch aside for next time!

The method:

-Put the milk in your crock and turn it on low for 2 hours.

-After 2 hours unplug the crock pot for another 2 hours.

-After that, add in your yogurt starter and replace the lid (keeping the crock unplugged). wrap a bath towel around the crock pot and let it sit for 8-9 hours.

-Open the lid and be amazed that your milk just turned into yogurt!!

I only have a picture of ours nearly gone...

If you want really thick yogurt-strain off the whey by pouring it through a cheesecloth. (Use your whey in place of water next time you bake bread!)

 If you want really thick Greek yogurt then let it strain for a few hours until all the whey has dripped from it.

Finish the yogurt with your favorite toppings and enjoy!!

I love mine with honey and granola, or any fresh fruit that I have. I also love it mixed with a dollop of my favorite homemade jam. The possibilities are endless!

 

My kids' favorite way to eat it is blended with a half of a banana....But they only like it If I hang a piece of banana on the side of the glass...Go figure!

 

Now go ahead, get out your crock pot and fill 'er up with some milk. You know you want to have fresh yogurt for breakfast tomorrow!!

 

 

The Road Less Traveled...To the Raw Milk Farm!

(The funny thing is this started out as a crock pot yogurt post. It evolved to a milk post. Yogurt recipe coming soon)


One of the skills you just have to have as a homesteader is to be able to make your own dairy products out of milk. If you're really lucky, like I am you will be able to make things out of local raw milk. (This is where the post veered off the yogurt topic..just sayin')

I'm so fortunate to be in a state where raw milk is legal and in a community where it's easy to find. For cheap! I read so many other blogs that have talked about raw milk and all of the troubles they go through to find or to be able to "purchase" it. I've met some women online that travel 2 to 3 hours a week and pay $10 or $12 for a gallon!  It really made me think about how I buy my milk. Again, I say I'm fortunate.. Just to make some of you extremely jealous, I'll tell you my milk acquiring story!

The farm that I buy from is about 8 minutes away. It's the most beautiful drive in the world and I always find myself especially aware and filled with gratitude while I travel the back roads to get there.

Let me take you there with me for a minute:

 I start by passing through my little small town and crossing onto a winding back road. This road takes me through a vineyard...a beautiful vineyard that hosts beautiful concerts every Saturday night all summer long. A vineyard that has rows of grapes that seem never ending with the backdrop  of  rolling hills and far off tree lines. After the vineyard, I make a left. This road takes me directly along a beautiful stream that reminds me of all of the times I would go fishing there with my dad as a little girl. On a warm day with the windows down, you can hear the sound of the water babbling along as you drive by. After coming to a stop at the end of that road I make a right and proceed to pass nothing but farms and distant trees. This is the part I especially love in fall before they harvest the corn from the fields. It's just wide open pastures and crops that no matter what the weather may be it always make the sky seem to burst with colors. After a sharp wind in the road I turn into the farm and park by a humble little yellow shed with an open sign on the door and an "honor box" and notepad inside. The system is..You drop of your empty gallon jars and pick up your filled ones. Then you put your money in the box, writing what you've purchased so the farmer can keep track of the sales. If you don't have the exact change? Well that's okay just pay next time! This is a Farmer that still trusts his patrons. AMAZING! This is truly the way I want to do my business. This is who I want to give my money to!! I love everything about this dairy farm and I love the 8 minute drive there to reflect on the beautiful simplicities of nature that are abundant all around me. And most of all.....I love the milk!

I wish I had pictures of this beautiful path less traveled to share with you. Unfortunately it's dark outside as I type this or I would be taking that spirit lifting drive right now, camera in hand.

I will add some photos to this post the next time I fill my jars, in the meantime here is a photo of my  milk jar....which in my opinion is pretty all by itself!

 

 

And the real kicker is it's only $2.50 a gallon!!

 

Where do you all get your raw milk? How much do you pay?

(If you say from your own cow then I will be the jealous one!)

A little taste of Heaven- homemade vanilla coffee creamer

 

Two of my favorite things in life are making things at home and vanilla coffee creamer. So, it only makes sense that I would eventually figure out how to make the worlds best coffee creamer, right? Well I did..and it is heavenly! I couldn't start my day off right without a hot cup of coffee and a morning phone call from my big sister. Okay, so maybe I should have said my 3 favorite things in life because my big sister is pretty high up on the favorites list. Now you know what makes my heart happy- Making things, drinking coffee and my big sister!  In this recipe you can play with the amounts of each ingredient in the recipe and adapt it to your own personal taste but here is what I do:

 

 

2 to 3 cups - Heavy cream -I ladle mine off the top of our raw milk but you could use any cream such as half and half

 

1/4 cup -organic brown sugar -or any alternative sugar you prefer

 

about 1 Tbls-Pure Vanilla Extract -I use my own homemade vanilla extract. I got the recipe from my all time favorite blogger here-

 http://theelliotthomestead.com/

 

 



 

Put the brown sugar in the bottom of a saucepan along with the vanilla. Heat on low until sugar is warm and moist looking. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Pour it in a pretty jar and keep it in the refrigerator. 

 

Use within 7-10 days. Unless you're like me...then you can invite over a girlfriend or two and drink coffee all day long, in which case it only last about two days. Good thing it's so easy to whip up another batch! 

 



 

 

 

What is your favorite coffee creamer flavor? Maybe I can come up with a recipe for it!