The dairy section of my local grocery store contains at least a hundred different varieties of yogurt. I'm thinking that this is not unique to my corner of the world. I'll bet that your local store has a similarly large selection of yogurts. From fat free to full fat, organic and chemical-rich, flavors varying from strawberry to chocolate to key lime. With this endless sampling of yogurts it was a big question to answer this week, why make your own yogurt? I can give you not one, but three reasons.
1.
It's so cheap! That's right, making your own yogurt with save you money. This is especially true if you want organic yogurt. Let's do the breakdown. (All prices are taken from my local Peapod site, prices will vary by region)
1/2 gallon of organic milk - $3.69
1 single serve plain organic yogurt - $0.99
1 single serve plain organic Greek yogurt - $1.99
From my experience, a half gallon of milk will yield approximately six servings of Greek yogurt and 8 servings of regular yogurt. If you decide to make the entire half gallon of milk into Greek yogurt, you save $8.25!
If you decide to go the non-organic route...
1 gallon 2% milk - $3.69
1 serving plain yogurt - $0.50 (on sale this week!)
1 serving plain Greek yogurt - $1.25
Servings from 1 gallon of milk - 16 regular yogurts & 12 Greek yogurts
Savings - $4.31 (regular), $11.31 (Greek)
Put that money in your piggy bank!
2.
It's so easy! If you have a food thermometer, this is a breeze to do. If you are without thermometer, do not worry. You can still do this. The hands on time for preparing this yogurt was so minimal, I was able to do several other things at the same time. If you can put milk in a pot, the transfer it to a jar, you can make yogurt.
If you own any of the following - an oven, a towel & a pot, a yogurt maker or a heating pad - you can make yogurt.
If you have a container of yogurt in your fridge, you can start making yogurt right now.
3.
It's so delicious! I was a little skeptical at first, thinking that my yogurt would come out all funky and I would be wasting my time. However, once I popped open the jar of my freshly made yogurt, I was a skeptic no more. I dipped my spoon in and tasted the fresh yogurt and active cultures and was pleased at the yogurty flavor. More intense than most store-bought varieties, you can't get fresher than this.
The flavors options are only as limited as your imagination. Keep it simple and drizzle on honey, sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon. Make it fresh and puree seasonal fruit for a topping. Take it over the top and blend it with a little sugar and cream cheese.
There we are, three wonderful reasons to start making your own yogurt! I have been enjoying fresh Greek yogurt all week with my breakfast and I couldn't be happier. Would I do it again? I already have.