Back of the Wood Stove

My grandmother did it all the time.  I remember an enameled bucket with skim milk sitting toward the back of the cooking surface of her wood stove.  I can still see the same container, again filled with skim milk, on my mother's wood stove.  We always made our own cottage cheese.  I loved to sip the warm, sour whey with a dash of salt for extra zing once the curds had drained.

I have a big bag of powdered milk that I use for making yogurt.  I don't have a wood stove to set the milk on while it sours, but I do have the internet (from which to gather 20 variations on the theme of making cottage cheese from powdered milk).  I can no longer push this lower on the list of Things I get to do today.  I'm making cottage cheese or something similar.

What really has my interest is a trail snack food that could take you the whole trip if necessary: Dried Cottage Cheese--14 oz. of canned pineapple and 16 oz. of cottage cheese.  Put the two ingredients into the food processor to puree.  Then spread it on to non-stick sheets and dry it in a food drier.* Filled with protein, sweet, chewy and good for you, this is a healthy snack if you are a nibbler like me.

Heating the soured milk

But first the cottage cheese: I picked a technique that seemed closest to my grandmother's.  It worked like magic. A slightly sour solution formed curds when it was heated with the whey separating from the milk solids.  When it was drained, the curds were fine and compact.  The first try became Dried Cottage Cheese with Pineapple.  My second batch is in the freezer and is scheduled to become lasagna. And there is a herbed garlic spread that is settling in the on the back of the stove in my mind, waiting for a good day to ferment its way on to my "get to" list.

Whey draining from the curds--ready to use in a few minutes.

*From MaryJane's Outpost; Unleashing Your Inner Wild, by MaryJane Butters, Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, 2008, p. 188.

Miss Muffet Makes Her Own

I've got a sweet tooth.  But right next to it sits a sour one.  Raw rhubarb, green gooseberries and sorrel were all favorites when I was a child.  There was a gooseberry bush next to my sandbox.  I ate all the berries when they were green, not knowing until I was over 30 that those berries would, if left on the bush, turn dark purple and grow quite sweet.

Another favorite was the whey from making cottage cheese (curds and whey).  I liked it still-warm with a tiny dash of salt.  The fragrance still makes my salivary glands ache in anticipation of that first sip.  All this means that making my own yogurt is rooted deeply in my--some would say "ancient"--past.

Every week or so making a very tart yogurt is one of the Things I get to do today.  As I lift the lid on the jar of warm finished yogurt the next morning, I nearly lose my balance and my head swims.  Am I three years old again?

Two-quart jar with 2 cups cold water and 2 cups powdered non-fat milk

Stirred with a wire whip until it is smooth

Adding enough warm water to nearly fill the jar and bring liquid to about 90 degrees

Remove the foam with a slotted spoon.  Mix in 1 cup of your favorite yogurt.  Place in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours.

Low tech yogurt maker:  Cardboard box, metal rack, two night lights for heat.  The jar sits on the rack, box flaps are closed.  An old towel is draped over it all to keep things cozy until the milk is properly fermented.