Makin' Whey! (And, A BONUS!)

Today's post is like a preamble for a few recipes I will be making later this week. I have plans to make some slow food in the form of ferments!

I love fermentation. It is amazing on so many levels. Preserving food without any electricity, actually increasing nutritional content, and supplying those oh-so-good for you probiotics. Not to mention how yummy they are! Some of my favorite things to ferment are cucumbers, carrots, and salsa. Look for a post later in the week detailing how I prepare at least a couple of those! Most of my recipes are inspired by Sally Fallon's cook book, Nourishing Traditions. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Ferments can be made by just adding a lot of salt in water along with your veggies, but I like to use whey instead, along with a little salt. Whey is the liquid that separates out when you strain yogurt, or clabbered milk. For simplicity's sake, I like to use yogurt. Are you ready? Here we go!



1 750g container of full fat plain yogurt
A bowl
A dish towel
A place to hang your towel from

1. Lay the dish towel centered in the bowl.
2. Dump in the entire container
3. Close up the dish towel, but do not squeeze it.
4. Hang the yogurt filled towel over the bowl.
5. Leave it alone until it stops dripping (usually around 6 hours)

Whey

The liquid that has dripped into the bowl is your whey! You can use it right away, or store it in a glass container with a lid in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Simple, right?

BUT WAIT! There's more!
Open up the dish towel. Inside, you will find cream cheese! I use it for so many things. Stuffed jalapenos, on salmon with fresh dill, made into a dip, or just on crackers or toast. So yummy!