What some of you may not know is that we run an online site for homeschool families and the month of September had a highlight of homesteading…because…we LOVE homesteading!
For that event, Roots & Harvest sent us a yogurt maker to test and review as part of their fees to join the event.
When the box showed up at the office, I was immediately struck by how nice of a gift this would make. When I give a gift, I like the packaging to create anticipation for the amazing content to be discovered inside! And this packaging fits the bill. Not only was it pretty, but it felt “homestead-y” if that makes any sense.
Over the next couple of weeks, while the box sat in my kitchen waiting on its turn to be filmed, my kids all funneled in and out of the house asking why anyone would take the time to make yogurt when you can buy good, organic yogurt at the store with ease. They grew up on, and now are raising their own kids on yogurt as a meal, snack, side, anything that gets them the chance to eat it. They have had them all and some are really good! This got me thinking…”Why WOULD anyone do this?”
The only way to get that answer was to actually do it.
I opened the box, pulled out the contents, got a little giddy at the thought of what was about to happen, and started washing all the pieces! Inside the box was everything you need, including an instruction booklet with a recipe to make yogurt. The machine itself is pretty enough to live on the countertop and the jars are simply adorable! My thoughts that this would make a great gift were profoundly correct! I think I will be giving several of these for Christmas gifts this year!
The simple basics:
42 oz of milk
6 oz of yogurt with live active cultures
Heat the milk, cool the milk, add the yogurt to part of the milk, add the mixture to the rest of the milk, fill the jars, start the machine. It is THAT simple. The whole process took me less than 30 mins.
During that thirty minutes, something happened. I felt myself, as corny as it sounds, pouring love into those jars instead of yogurt. Because, yes! You can go to the store and buy organic yogurt. But there is something magical that happens when you are making something from scratch for people that you love…or for yourself for that matter. There is a special care that you take when preparing food that will nourish your loved ones and I was instantly struck by this with the simple task of making yogurt.
So, I came up with 4 “Why’s” to answer the question!
1. Cost
I bought a gallon of organic milk (128 oz) for $5.99 and 1 – 32 oz tub of organic yogurt for $4.00. All in about $10! Given the recipe requirements, I can make this recipe 3 times and have a little yogurt left over to go with another gallon of milk. So, 30 servings of yogurt for $10 or $.34 each.
2. Known Ingredients
Piggybacking on that $.34 each serving…this is for two-ingredient yogurt. No added chemicals or preservatives. And you know what those two ingredients are…because you put them in there.
3. Special Flavors
The booklet with the recipe gave several suggestions for toppings and add-ins that I could never have thought about. But, you can add ANYTHING…ANYTHING AT ALL…to this yogurt to make it a special treat.
4. Fun With Kids
This yogurt maker is so easy to use that your kiddo can do it with you without slowing you down. This is a great product to use for teaching the science of yogurt, teaching about following recipes, or simply just having a giggle with your kids in the kitchen.
After about 8 hours of processing time, we were excited to find 10 jars of yogurt waiting for toppings and consumption. I have to admit, I am not a fan of yogurt. I use it in recipes often, but to just sit and eat a scoop of yogurt, it just isn’t my thing. So, I turned to the biggest yogurt connoisseurs I know, my kids! They now understand why someone would take the time to make their own yogurt as well.
I would highly recommend the yogurt maker from Roots & Harvest as a gift to a loved one or yourself. I wish I had known about this machine years ago!