I've seen people doing this on and off and always thought it'd be neat but never took the time. Well, I decided to take the time last night/this morning. The directions are simple!
Step 1: Get some yogurt. Of course raw milk whole yogurt would be best. I didn't have the luxury so I went to the store and bought some plain Stoneyfield yogurt. I've read you can use really any plain yogurt that has living cultures in it as long as it's plain and doesn't have gelatin in it. The gelatin would keep it from separating.
Step 2: Get a bowl, a colander that will fit on the top of the bowl, some cheese cloth, a rubber band and something to tie it all up with. Of course you'll also need your yogurt and a spatula or spoon.
Step 3: Put enough cheese cloth over the colander (double layered) so that it hangs a bit off the sides as you'll need to gather this up in a bit.
Step 4: Pour your yogurt into the cheese cloth. Bring up edges and twist up till the liquid starts separating and dripping out the bottom. This is your whey. Secure your top with a rubber band.
Step 5: Next, find a place to hang up your yogurt cheese. Let it hang at least 12 hours.
Step 6: Open up the cheese cloth and take out your cheese. You should have about 1/2 the amount of each cheese and whey as the total amount of yogurt you started with.
Step 7: Taste your cheese. How do you like it? Ours has a very mild taste. We're going to add in fresh herbs, garlic and sea salt. Mmm!
Step 8: Put the rest of your yogurt cheese in the fridge. Make sure to cover it. I've read it lasts up to a week.
Step 9: Put your whey in a jar and store in the fridge. You can use this to make all kinds of foods. Check out the book Nourishing Traditions on what you can use your whey for. We're going to make lacto fermented salsa and lacto fermented cabbage (later this week). I've read online that the whey can last in the fridge for up to 6 months.
If what I did didn't quite make sense, watch this video. I find I always learn better watching a video. This husband and wife makes great videos!
Last but not least, when my youngest son Joshua saw I was finished taking pictures of the cream cheese and whey, he wanted his picture taken. He sure is getting funny and developing quite the character. lol
**Just a note, if you're uncomfortable letting it sit out on the counter overnight, I've read some people sit there's in a colander over top a bowl in the fridge and cover it**
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