While reading “Nourishing Traditions” recently two of the components for healthy eating the author focuses on is both the soaking of grains and legumes to make them more digestible, and the consumption, with meals, of fermented (think pickled) vegetables and fruits. Now, I’m a sucker for anything pickled or preserved, and I feel like it is a culinary heritage, truly an artisinal craft, that we’re quickly losing, so I perked up my ears (can one really do this while reading? Anyway . . . ) and read on. . .
Most of the preserved vegetable and fruit recipes called for the use of whey as the preservation liquid, rather than vinegar (which is what is commonly used today, especially in commercial processes). Considered “lacto-fermented” fruits and vegetables, the author explains that by preserving the vegetables and fruits with whey rather than vinegar, it creates beneficial bacteria that will help break down the food one is eating them with, while preserving all of the nutrients. She explains,
Plus, by not cooking the vegetables or fruits, you are retaining all of their nutrients and will be able to enjoy the bounty of summer all year long. I’ll be sharing the recipes I try as I go, but these include everything from the suspected pickles and sauerkraut (and cortida, and kimchi, depending on where you are from), to roasted red peppers, pickled green tomatoes, corn, cucumber and watermelon relishes, fruit chutneys, salsas, sauces and more.
The author also frequently uses whey (though you can often substitute yogurt or lemon juice) in her soaking of grains and legumes.
Luckily, on page 87 there is a recipe for it! And I tried it and it worked! Now I have several cups of whey stored in a Mason jar in my fridge (which she states will last about 6 months) and I can go on experimenting with these fun recipes through the summer. . . join me, won’t you?
The Basic Equipment
A wooden spoon or dowel of some kind
A pitcher
The Process- Insert colander in bowl.
- Line colander with tea towel
- Dump 62 ounces of yogurt in tea-towel lined colander
- Place another tea towel on top of the yogurt
- Place bowl on the counter and forget about it for a few hours.
- Every few hours, check contents of bowl and pour whey off into mason jar, storing whey, covered, in fridge.
- Before you go to bed, put bowl in the fridge
- When you wake up, pour whey off into mason jar
If you want thickened, Greek-style yogurt, stop here and put in the fridge and enjoy.
However, if you want to make yogurt cream cheese, do the following: take opposite corners of the tea towel holding the yogurt and tie in a knot. Do the same with the other opposite corners, tying the second knot above the first. Take the original knot’s corners and tie a (second knot with this particular set of ties, but third overall) third knot on top of the second knot. This will make what looks like a little hobo bag of yogurt cheese.
Insert the handle of a wooden spoon, or a dowel, or whatever you have on hand through the opening in the tea towel hobo bag under the knots.
Insert the hobo bag of yogurt into your pitcher, leaving the wooden spoon resting on the top.
Make sure that there is a few inches from the bottom of the bag to the bottom of the pitcher.
Put back in fridge and allow to continue to drip out whey, checking once or twice and (if the whey is getting close to the bottom of the bag) decanting whey into the mason jar.
Go to bed. Forget about it.
When you wake up and look for something for breakfast, check and see if the bag is dripping any longer. If not, you are done! Remove hobo bag, pour off the remaining whey into your mason jar and store your yogurt/cream cheese in a container in the fridge (I just used the original yogurt container.)
Whey should last for about six months and yogurt/cream cheese should last for about one month. You will yield about two cups of cream cheese and four to five cups of whey.
The cream cheese, by the way, is fantastic! It is somehow milder, yet tangier, than commercial cream cheese and we’re enjoying it!
Please note: The author also recommends using raw milk or buttermilk for this process and, depending on what dairy you use will determine how long it will take for the whey and the cheese to separate. Using yogurt, the process took about 36 hours (I began it in the afternoon of Day One and completed it the morning of Day 3 – but I probably only spent five minutes actually DOING anything)
Keep your eyes peeled for the first recipes using whey!
Welcome to the Heartland! Reformed Urbanites, we are enjoying new life on a small family farm/homestead in the Midwest. Join us as we garden, cook, read and enjoy our boys; becoming better stewards of the Earth while raising our family.
Want to learn more about us? Click
I've seen this trick when you need a substitute for greek style yogurt, but no one ever said to keep the strained liquid.
So in that regard, you can accomplish two things: getting your whey and making some tzatziki! Or anything else you might do with thicker yogurt: honey and berries is always good too.
Great stuff!
Original comments from former blog:
Lisa said…
Wow, I’m impressed!
It is amazing how much we seem to be losing in regard to knowledge about the way things used to be done and why. I applaud your effort to learn about those traditions and to keep them alive.
I have also been enjoying reading through your blog today. Keep up the great work!
Fran Z said…
Wow, that’s pretty ambitious! and pretty interesting!
Corinne said…
Good job Sarah, I have the book ‘Nourishing Traditions’ but I love that we can get whey from yogurt. I’m making mustard with it and wondered if there was any way to keep it in the pantry instead of the refrigerator. Thanks again.
Sarah said…
Hi Corinne!
Thanks for your note! You can keep any lacto-fermented condiment (i.e. one with whey in it) in a cool place, it doesn’t have to technically be refrigerated, but if your pantry gets much above 65-68 degrees I’d probably store it in the fridge just in case. Root cellaring is more what I have in mind when I say a “cool” place, rather than most pantries.
I often keep my lacto-fermented items in my “cool” basement autumn through early spring, but keep them refrigerated through the summer.
I’d love to hear how your mustard goes! It is one of my favorite condiments and I’ve never made it . . .
Best,
Sarah
[...] Cups milk plus 2 Tablespoons Whey (if using pasteurized milk, if using raw, just use the milk) OR 4 cups of [...]
[...] line a colander with cheese cloth or coffee filters, place over a bowl and pour yogurt into it. The whey will drain off into the bowl (collect it and store it in your fridge for a few months for other [...]