Yogurt from Scratch-Wholesome and Frugal

October 10, 2009 | Posted by Kristen

One of the most unusual things I make from scratch is yogurt. You may remember that I posted about this when I wrote about cooking things yourself. Until a few years ago, I thought this was a cumbersome process that required lots of time and a yogurt-making machine.  Fortunately, I was misinformed, and since I learned the proper method, I’ve been making four quarts of yogurt nearly every week, using nothing but typical household items.

I’ll get to the actual yogurt recipe in my next post, but for now I want to explain why I think homemade yogurt is worth the effort.

1. Homemade yogurt is very inexpensive. A quart of non-organic yogurt costs $2-$3 in my area, but I can make yogurt for $.50 a quart, which is a large savings.

Four quarts of grocery store yogurt per week would cost me between $416 and $624 a year, whereas yogurt made from scratch (from milk purchased at $2/gallon) costs me $104 per year, a savings of at least $312.

You can even make yogurt from organic milk and save money. A $5 gallon of milk produces four quarts of yogurt, each of which costs only $1.25. Even if you pay $7 for a gallon of milk, a quart of yogurt made from that milk will only cost you $1.75.  I never see regular yogurt for that price, let alone organic yogurt.

2. Homemade yogurt is environmentally friendly. The only trash produced in this process comes from the original milk carton, which should be recyclable. The yogurt itself is made and stored in reusable Mason jars.

3. Homemade yogurt is delightfully natural. It has exactly two ingredients: milk and yogurt cultures. There’s no pectin, no starches, no guar gum, no colorings, and no preservatives. I love that.

Check back soon to learn how to make yogurt from scratch all by yourself!

This post is derived from an original post on The Frugal Girl.
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Kristen blogs about saving money cheerfully at The Frugal Girl. In addition to being a life-long devotee of frugality, she’s a photography nut, a baker, a homeschooler, a musician, and more importantly, a wife and mom who loves God.

Categories: cooking and recipes | Tags: cooking from scratch, from scratch, frugal living, self reliance, yogurt | 1 Comment »

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