It’s been a while since I’ve posted something new, and I apologize for that. It’s been kinda crazy around here lately. The end of summer is always a busy time in the garden, with pickling, fermenting, canning … the tomatoes have been coming on crazy lately, and I still have cabbages, carrots, and chard waiting for me. We also homeschool, so with school starting up again for the year, that’s added one more thing to the busy-ness here. Work has been crazy too, as last winter was long and cold and hence, the labor and delivery unit for September and October has been projected to be nuts … and we’re already short staffed. And then, having essential oil seminars plus researching/reading for my GAPS training in a week and a half … yikes! 🙂
I wanted to post, though, about how to make GAPS legal yogurt. It’s really the simplest thing in the world to make, plus it’s delicious and very, very good for you. The recipe can be found on pages 216-218 of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”. It gives very detailed instructions, especially regarding the differences between how to prepare raw milk versus pasteurized milk. Below, I’m going to describe how I make our yogurt. If you are planning on making yogurt for a GAPS patient, please also refer to the book mentioned.
Homemade Yogurt
1 L. RAW ORGANIC goat’s milk
@1/8 to 1/4 tsp. yogurt starter (I use GI Pro Start from GI Pro Health)
1. Place 1 L of raw goat’s milk in a medium sized sauce pan on the stove. Over low-medium heat, while stirring, warm the milk until you reach a temperature of 115 degrees F (I use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of my milk).
2. Whisk in about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of yogurt starter (Check label directions if you are using a different starter).
3. Pour milk into small glass containers. Place in yogurt maker and turn on. Yogurt will be finished in 24 hours.
And that’s it!
If you do not have a yogurt maker, you can also pour the milk into 2 pint sized glass Mason jars. Then, change out the light bulb in your oven for a regular light bulb. Turn the oven light on and leave your milk/yogurt in there for 24 hours. It will keep the oven temperature at approximately the correct temp as well. That is how I make my coconut milk yogurt.
When you use raw milk, the texture of the yogurt can vary from time to time; also, goat’s milk yogurt may be a little runnier than cow’s milk yogurt. Experiment with making your yogurt to find what you and your family like and can tolerate; just remember, for GAPS patients yogurt should always be fermented for a minimum of 24 hours to eliminate the lactose.
This yogurt is great with fruit, added to other recipes, and in smoothies! There’s really no wrong way to eat it 🙂
~ Alicia
Healthy Home Body LLC 
Is there any particular reason you chose the yogurt maker with single portions rather than a large 1 or 2 quart yogurt maker, like this one?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191595855230
I use a lot of yogurt for smoothies around here and i thought the 2 quart size would be better for us, i just want to make sure that there aren’t any drawbacks that I’m not thinking of. Thanks!
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Oh, one more question, if I buy the raw milk and can’t use it in time, can I freeze it, or is that going to destroy the healthful properties of the milk?
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dOntstop,
When we were first starting out on the diet, this yogurt maker was the one I could afford and was easy to find at the time. If you could get a larger yogurt maker, that’s a great idea, because you will definitely use it! My yogurt maker is constantly running.
Yes, you could freeze up the raw milk if you need to. Freezing is better than pasteurizing or heating the milk in terms of keeping the healthful properties as intact as possible. Our drop spot for raw cream has moved further north and so I’m traveling around 60 miles to get it now. So I buy enough cream for a month’s supply and freeze the rest. Later, I thaw it to make sour cream. So this is an option for you, too 🙂
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What can I do if I cant get RAW milk? 😦
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Dr. Natasha discusses the procedure for making yogurt from both raw and pasteurized milk in the “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” book on pages 217-218. If the milk is pasteurized when you buy it, she recommends heating it close to a boil and then cooling it before adding your culture.
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