There is something very refreshing about cold creamy homemade yogurt. Especially on a hot summer day, complement that with fresh raw honey in the comb and a tree-ripened peach; you’ll have yourself a spoon full of summer.

I was told homemade yogurt is easy. So, of course, I immediately gave it a try and failed miserably. I prefer yogurt to have a light tartness and also be extra thick and creamy. My first batch came out very watery and with hardly any flavor. I was told to leave it out for a longer incubation period. So again I tried to make another batch. The second round had the right flavor but still the wrong density. My house was simply not warm enough to get the cultures to set. I was about to give up altogether on making homemade yogurt when I stumbled on a method of incubating the yogurt in a cooler. Since my homestead is fully off-grid I had not invested in a yogurt machine or instant pot. Incubation was the pro tip I was missing. 

There are several techniques for yogurt making. Stay alert when the milk is on the stove and be sure to pick up a thermometer! The Culinary apple, a local kitchen, and gifts store had almost everything I needed for this project. I even found this sweet little Le Creuset honey jug as a gift for Luke on our anniversary. Bee-cause… 

Home Made Goat Milk Yogurt:

2 grams of Yogurt culture

Store-bought yogurt (not Greek, I use vanilla Yoplait!)

2 quarts goat milk (fresh, if available)

Candy thermometer

Local honey and fruit as a garnish

1. Heat your milk to 185 degrees slowly, continuously stirring to not scald the milk.
2.  Cool the milk in an ice bath until it reaches 120 degrees.
3.  Stir in the yogurt culture and store-bought yogurt. 
4. (Optional) Strain the mixture into containers. Straining will prevent any film or weird textures in your yogurt. 
5.  Fill a cooler with 2 inches of boiling water. 
6.  Place lids or plastic film over your yogurt jars and submerge into the water in the cooler. Close the lid and set a timer for 3 hours. 
7. Refrigerate after the timer goes off.

Save a cup from this batch to use for future batches instead of more store-bought and freeze-dried culture. 

All that is left is to enjoy your chilled yogurt with your favorite topping. I can’t help but do a little happy dance when I take that first bite!