Raw Milk Yogurt Cultured With Chili Stems + Amasi

It has been my experience that using commercial starters does not create a reliable yogurt that can be kept going indefinitely. Additionally, when I first started making yogurt it seemed that there were a lot of precise steps that don't really jive with the spirit of fermenting (at least not for me). I ferment things like fish and cabbage and I just mash some things or throw some things in a jar with some water and whey & voila! Delicious foods have been created. It's simple, it's easy, & I can do it with a baby hanging from my breast.

For me, simple is better. I am an unschooling, fullterm breastfeeding mama to a 9-year-old & 21-month old twins. We also eat what I like to call an "organic omnivore" diet (basically paleo but with a heavy focus on ferments: dairy, meat, veggie, fruit). This means that (like most people) my life is very busy & I spend most of my time cooking and preparing food.

 So, I was eager to find out how people made yogurt before commercial starters & yogurt making devices. I don't have a yogurt maker and I always just put my milk in an insulated bag in a warm place, the result being a delicious yogurt (sometimes more cottage cheese than yogurt) that I & my little ones love.

I scoured the internet for a way to begin an heirloom yogurt and what I discovered was chili stems!! How exciting, right?!

So I tried it right away. Last night, at 9pm, I pulled the stems off of 5 dried chili peppers, put them in my 1 quart fermenting jar, covered them in raw milk and left them to sit under a heat lamp at my "fermentation station" ^.^

The results were rather exciting & delicious!

At 4 pm the following day, I have a thick cottage cheesy top & whey that has separated (I may have let it ferment a bit too long). The temperature inside the jar was 104 degrees F. 

It has a slight hint of chili flavoring to it but I have read that that will go away in future generations.

I am so extremely excited about this!

Has anyone else done this? If so, how did you do it?

1 litre definitely wasn't enough because this serving is just about half of my delicious creation.

I am also currently making Amasi (soured milk). I have poured a litre of raw goat's milk into a jar & covered it with cheese cloth. That's it! Tomorrow I should have a yummy yogurt & whey to drip!