Goat Yogurt

I have recently abandoned all powdered milks, and homogenised milk products (after reading, among other things, Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions--a dedicated post likely coming this way soon) and have been trying to make yogurt out of raw goats milk. Since becoming pregnant I do actually heat the milk to 80 degrees c for a few minutes and then let it cool, as I currently have listeria phobia*, but this doesn't seem to alter the result at all. It seems there is not enough of something in the milk I am using, I suspect it needs more cream, and I end up with a very runny drinking type yogurt. Since I am the kind of person who likes very solid, more of a greek style yogurt I have been finding this a real barrier to my desire to eat the resulting product.

I think I may have found a solution in my last batch. To my litre of warm milk and starter I added two teaspoons of gelatin desolved in a little boiling water and then put the whole thing in the yogurt thermos and left it over night as usual.

After refrigeration the result was a much firmer yogurt that, with a little honey, was very edible.


*Ah, listeria phobia. So many huge precautions taken in order to avoid a disease that only affects 10 women in Australia per year, causing miscariges in aproimately 5. And yet, the stakes are so high, and the guilt factor from both outside and inside sources so intense that we just can't bring oursleves (me included) to not follow the rules 'just in case'.