Homemade yoghurt in the Instant Pot or multi cooker - easily!

 When my kids were younger I made yoghurt every week, carefully wrapping a casserole dish in a blanket and placing it in a styrofoam box in the airing cupboard. It worked most of the time, but sometimes it didn't and that was gutting and expensive.

The girls used to eat it almost every day with stewed apples and raisins, I used it in baking, in curries and to replace sour cream on the mountains of nachos they devoured.

For the past 20? years I have used an Easiyo maker, the big plastic thermal jug half full of boiling water and the plastic container of water and yoghurt mix placed inside. I saved money there by only using 30g of the mix and topping up with 150g milk powder, and that worked well (even though I had to wrap the entire contraption in a blanket to ensure success).

Recently I have been trying to declutter the kitchen and pantry, and I realised my multi cooker (Crockpot brand - just like an Instant Pot) has a yoghurt setting, I investigated further, I tried it, it worked. I gave my trusty Easiyo to my daughter.

We like Greek yoghurt, and we like it a bit sour, so thats what I make. To buy 750 mls of greek yoghurt is $8.70 (NZ) at the moment. 

• Milk costs $3 for 2 litres at the Warehouse so $1.50 a litre
• Milk powder is $12 a kg so .60c per 1/2 cup
• My Greek yoghurt $2.10 a litre plus power and culture start up cost, so say $3
• That's a saving of at least $7 a litre.

To make instant pot yoghurt you will need:

• A multi cooker with a yoghurt setting
• A thermometer
• Milk (your preference - this recipe is for animal milk, not plant milk)
• Milk powder (if you prefer thick yoghurt without having to strain the yoghurt)
• Culture: I purchased two small pots of different brands of plain, unsweetened natural yogurt and a bottle of plain kefir as my culture. I took a tablespoon of each to make my culture.

The recipe is for 1 litre of milk, most multi cookers will hold 3 litres, the recipe can be scaled easily.

If you prefer thick yoghurt add 1/2 cup of milk powder per litre of milk (mix in a small amount of milk first to eliminate lumps, then add to milk and whisk.

1. Remove the sealer ring from the multi cooker lid (remember to replace it after making yoghurt) the ring often holds minute amounts of scent from previous cooking, its enough to taint the yoghurt.
2. Place the milk in the multi cooker and press "boil" or "sauté" to start heating the milk, stir often to prevent sticking. When the temperature reaches 82 degrees celsius (140F) remove the pot and sit it in a bowl of ice water to cool (keep the lid on) until the temperature is 40C (104F).
3. Place 1/4 c of culture in a small bowl, take a 1/2 c of the warm milk and add it to the bowl, stir to mix the culture in, this tempers the culture so it is not a shock to the warm milk.
4. Add the culture mixture to the pot of milk and stir well.
5. Return the bowl to the instant pot and place the lid on, you don't need to lock the lid as we are not pressure cooking.
6. Press the "yoghurt" button, it usually sets for 8 hours, we programme ours for 9 hours as we like it a bit sour. Experiment to see what suits your family.
7. That's it - when the yogurt is done scoop it out and refrigerate. It will last 2 weeks in the fridge so long as you kept everything clean. Reserve 1/4 c to use as your next culture. If you do not use the culture within 10 days it is best to buy a new small pot of yoghurt from the supermarket. 

Facebook ate my blog

 I was blogging here...and then I started a FB page  and kind of forgot about the blog...

Its a few years later, a lot has changed, a lot hasn't. I'll catch you up:

- Flash continued to commute for 18 months, until he packed in the big city job for one that is more stressful and pays less, so yay! At least we are together :-)

- The doggy had a heart condition and was put to sleep before she was a year old :-(

- Zsa Zsa and Gigi went to live with lots of other goats in Akaroa, Ava stayed with us as our loyal paddock dog and lamb nanny until she passed away earlier this year. The granddaughters had a sweet ceremony for her.

- My business moved to the farm and has grown into a full-time job, changing our plans a little, but we are adapting.

Thats it, thats the catch up.

Welcome goat girls!

I  vacillate wildly over the idea of stocking this land, there are so many variables to consider. One moment I am all "alpacas and donkeys and ponies", the next I am "chooks and beef only". I am trying to consider the amount of work required by an animal and my ability to cope with their needs. 

Our land has some gorse, not huge amounts but you know the way gorse works, one moment you think it is under control, next moment you own a gorse farm. I can't spray for health reasons and we only use sprays as a last resort, so it became evident that we would have to spray or get goats. As usual I researched the crap out of different breeds before settling on Boer goats as we are not interested in milking goats and would like something that is less of an escapologist than your usual caprine. 

Boer goats are bred for meat, they are short and stocky and seem to cope with life pretty well. We don't really want them for meat, more as lawnmowers.

Having decided that this was the breed for us and out land we then set about finding some. Luckily we found a small herd for sale 1.5 hrs drive from us, and travelled there on a beautiful sunny morning towing a covered cage trailer. 

The farm where the goats were bred had suffered a drenching in the latest round of floods and everyone was a bit miserable. They handled the trip well and we turfed them out into our cattle yard so they could settle down without having to cope with the paddock just yet. 

The small ones (doe kids - 6 months of age) jumped and frolicked, the older one has scald on a back leg from the flooding and was suffering a bit, after a couple of hours we moved them into the smaller pen next door with lots of food and water and a big shelter full of straw, the bedded down and settled in really well.

This morning I let them out into the first paddock, the little ones were full of joy, kicking up and running. I gave the older one a wash down as she had scoured, then washed and dried her feet and applied copper sulphate. I drenched her with apple cider vinegar, garlic and molasses to give her a bit of energy and try to settle her tummy. Over the next few hours she perked up a lot, and I washed her feet down with iodine. They are on dry ground here, so hopefully with daily treatment it should settle down.

This afternoon they were in full exploration mode and have been enjoying the browse in the paddock, particularly the gorse - which is great to see, thats why they are here after all!

I was very apprehensive on the way up, and on the way home, but as soon as they were unloaded the apprehension lifted and I felt so happy seeing them wandering around getting to know their new home. 

Gigi (doe kid) in the foreground

Ava (4 year old doe) looking a bit better after some TLC

Zsa Zsa (doe kid) having a bad hair day

Gorgeous Gigi

Zsa Zsa still isn't sure of me!

Ava showing us "this is how a goat eats gorse...very carefully)

Really? Its been 3 months?

So, we moved in...Flash moved in first, he was already down here for work and had driven my car loaded to the gunwales.

I started at 4.30 on the saturday morning, drugged the cat, packed my remaining possessions and drove to the airport, which was hectic and thanks to some "charming" documentary filmmakers Frasier and I only just managed to board our flight. I didn't even manage to have a coffee.

Arriving was easy, cat came out, luggage came out, Baby Girl picked us up and drove us to the farm where the movers had already unpacked half the container and were in full flight. Baby Girl and I both swooned at the gorgeousness of the place (remember it had been almost 5 long months since we had last seen it) and Flash was in his element.

Frasier settled into his crate happily sleeping off his medication, and we slowly unpacked our old life into our new home.

Fast forward 3 months and it has been a dream. We have learnt so much, worked hard and lost weight! The farm has been named (more to come) and we now have "stock" (ok, ok we have 5 chooks - 2 laying and 3 freeloading) and 3 weeks ago I lost my head and brought a rescue pup home.

We have been snowed in, watched floods decimate half the district, witnessed sunrises that will make you cry, auroras had us spellbound and sunsets that bathe the house in gold. We have met the neighbours and walked the perimeters countless times. We have learnt how to keep a fire burning for days, what to do if the gas doesn't automatically switch over and have proceeded with the changes we want to make "now" instead of waiting as we have always done.

Thats how the 3 months disappeared!

Gathering

Waiting is always difficult...that last few days of pregnancy always seem like months, as a child Christmas Eve lasts forever. Today is Wednesday, the movers come next Tuesday, Gordon leaves the following Sunday and I will remain, with the cat, in an empty house.

Deciding what goes and when is complex...I want to pack the kitchen up but we need lots of the things, there is no point in packing the lesser used items when it won't take much more time to pack everything...so I wait. We actually packed up a lot of stuff (and filled 3 mini skips) prior to listing the house, so there really isn't that much here, but I like to be ready!

It doesn't help that I have been gathering a few new items to help with our rural lifestyle. I gave away so many things and declared that I would be so careful not to bring new things in and here I am doing just that. I am not doing it carelessly though...a Fowler Vacola water canner is so much safer than trying to lift a giant pan of hot water from the stove, both in terms of the small people who will be around and the fact that in 15-20 years time I will not be as strong as I am now.

A serious dehydrator will save money and help preserve our harvest for use during the year. Jerky and dried fruit and vegetable leathers for healthier snacks. Dried veggies for soups and stews. I am sensitive to sulphites (I experience breathing difficulties after ingestion) so dried fruit has to be sulphite free. This will ensure that it is.

A tapener is an extreme time saver, I was using stretchy rubber ties to tie up my tomatoes, cucumbers and climbers, but they are expensive and won't be suitable in a large garden. I bought the tapener from Hong Kong via Ebay, as I haven't seen them here (I am sure they are available commercially). I have friends who have bought them from the same supplier and swear by them. 

I am sure many more garden tools will make their way into the shed. We will take our time to ensure that they are quality, long lasting and necessary before purchase.

One last indulgence is my kettle. A Le Creuset traditional whistling kettle  (in coastal blue) has long been a symbol of home and hearth for me. A kettle that can boil water using any heat source, a kettle I can place on the wood stove in winter and not rely on electricity. I received a royalties payment from a pattern publisher and I immediately knew where it was going,  getting it at a reduced price was a bonus, so I can buy a couple of packets of my favourite tea to get me through the winter.

I want my grandchildren to fight over this kettle, a rotary whisk that has been on our family for generations and my mixing bowls when I am gone!

Everything I remember from my childhood has been from the kitchen, I remember visiting my best friend from childhood after 10 years, walking into her kitchen and exclaiming "you have your Mum's wooden spoon!" its the simple things that hold the greatest memories.

Down the rabbit hole

The decorator dramas, 14 hour days and then suddenly we were finished and the open homes began. I spent every day cleaning and trying to live with none of our stuff. Everything was in storage so we could present our house beautifully. Agents here every day for private viewings, open homes on thursday, saturday and sunday. Having to take Frasier away in the car (which he hates) so that he wouldn't misbehave during the open homes (he is a Bengal...this is his territory...misbehaving ranges from quietly seething from under a chair, to yelling a lot, to peeing on handbags). And then finally, after a month the big day arrived and the auction began...Flash and I sat in the hallway straining our ears to hear the auctioneer on the deck, 40 people in attendance, 4 bidders...and then it started...low - ohmigod too low...and then it struggled and suddenly it steamrolled closer and closer to our reserve...and then it stopped. We looked at one another, the agents and auctioneer descended on us. We took 10 seconds and said "yes" drop the reserve...too many places aren't selling and we don't want to sit around, and two minutes later that was it, the house was sold.

It took days for the relief to set in, to stop the obsessive tidying (but the house is still like a showhouse...we are both enjoying that!) to start cooking dinner in our own kitchen (and cooking curries and chillies, as the smell didn't matter any more). The agent dropped us like a hot potato as is their wont, and the cat was allowed inside again (although he now overnights in a dog crate in the garage which is working well).

I am in a form of suspended animation, just doing the bare minimum to the veggie garden, cleaning out the spent plants and saving seed, not much more, no planting for next season as it is no longer 'my" garden. I have no work as my studio is packed and my website now reaches an Otago audience (I already have some bookings down there which is great!) and designing knits just seems impossible with my scrambled brain. So I am knitting my own and others patterns, planning some cowls and balaclavas to protect my cheeks from the cold. I am watching homesteading docos and catching up on  new photoshop techniques. I'm trying to spend my time doing positive things that will pay off in six weeks time when we hit the ground.

I have "met" (virtually) a few of our neighbours to be and they are lovely, I am now receiving the community newsletter and have answers to many of my questions. our internet connection will be enough to watch netflix and for Flash to telecommute, so we are happy with that! the grandchildren are getting more and more excited (donkeys, ponies, donkeys, ponies), but they will have to make do with chickens until we have spent time on the land and worked out what it needs. Exciting times ahead!

Committed

We have decided to go unconditional early, our lawyer is a lovely guy, but ponderous. I have heard too many stories about buyers being gazumped due to lawyers taking too long to let them know about  vendors exercising their right to cancel in the face of a better offer. We couldn't bear the thought and we have bridging finance if we need it, so we decided to go ahead. Scary!

Flash brought a truck home for me to test drive over the weekend (don't fret - the model, transmission, extras and colour were all chosen by me). I am in love...it is perfect! Now to make sure our house sells so that I can buy it. My current vehicle just isn't cut out for icy roads and since I will often have very precious cargo in the form of grandchildren we are not willing to take any risks.  It will also be handy for picking up loads of hay, cages of chickens and sacks of feed (I just love saying all that stuff!).