The easiest ferment EV-ERRRRRRRR! 

(As if anyone could know that.) Guess that movie! 

But then again, I think most ferments are easy . . . except those that involve lots of chopping of vegetables. 

However, chopping veggies equals burning calories and spending quality time with one or more of your children.

I’ve sacrificed my former way of making yogurt (meaning using our heavenly raw milk) due to a need for simplicity, speed, texture, and taste.  This just means more raw milk for us to drink!

There are only a handful of things that I prefer the store bought versions better (read processed). 

Yogurt is one of them. 

That is until I started making yogurt using a starter culture called Villi.  (Thanks Tracy!)

I thought it sounded ominous at first, not wanting to use it because a Villi yogurt culture can live years, should the Lord tarry, so long as it is made with pasteurized milk{the horror}. 

Villi is a mesophilic yogurt, meaning that the bacteria living in this yogurt thrive at room temperature.  

Hurray for the genius who discovered this bacteria because room temperature bacteria means a clean stovetop, no burnt pots, and no ruined or wasted milk. 

Happy me!  Happy you!

My kids could even make this.

Anyhow, this yogurt . . . this creamy, French Silk pie-like (sans French Silk Pie ingredients), thick spoon of good for your belly yogurt . . . is truly yum. 

And easy. 

Forget my old yogurt recipe (and my blogging pre-Willow and pre-Live Writer days).  Make Villi, as long as you are comfortable using store bought milk.

Please note, there are extra steps that you can take to make Villi with raw milk . . . I just don’t have the time these days.

We drink raw milk . . . but I make my yogurt with ahem half-n-half. 

Villi Yogurt

(A Greek yogurt wanna-be)

Ingredients

• Villi starter culture (follow directions from Cultures for Health)
• organic milk, preferably non-homogenized like Trader’s Point (or organic half-n-half)

Directions

• Using a previous starter (approximately 2-4 tablespoons), drizzle it into a clean Mason jar.  I typically use a half gallon wide mouthed Mason Jar.  You will use one tablespoon of yogurt culture per one cup of milk.

• Pour milk into the bacteria incubator (aka Mason jar)

• Loosely cover and allow it to sit 6+ hours in a warm and safe location.  You will know your Villi yogurt is done when it separates from the jar when you ever-so-carefully tip the jar sideways.

• Transfer to the fridge where it will firm up for you.   Be prepared for a jar of Villi yogurt to be consumed in one setting. 

Would you like to become a Villi Yogurt Maker?

Enter to win a starter culture of Villi yogurt from Cultures for Health

(a $12.99 value but a lifetime of savings!)

RULES
Please, please, please . . .do not put more than one entry per comment. I will be using www.random.org to pick the winners. Make sure you are logged in to Disqus or leave your email address in your comment.  All options are worth 1 entry.

(Mandatory) Click on the link and subscribe to the Cultures for Health newsletter. 

Bonus Entries (remember to list separately)

• Become one of my fans.
• Tweet or blog about the giveaway.  Feel free to copy and paste the below text:

Enter to win a Viili Yogurt Culture from @Cultures4Health! Details here: http://bit.ly/q1uluw @GranolaMom4God

• Watch Julie, from Cultures for Health, make Viili yogurt.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ZXWB6mOWE?version=3]

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional, but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends August 25, 2011 at Midnight

Author’s Note: I was not given this product to review from Cultures for Health.  I have been using this yummy goodness for over a year.  BUT you will be given a new Viili yogurt culture. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine unless otherwise noted.

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