Survival Kitchen–Making Your Own Dairy Products at Home May be Easier Than You Think

September 15th, 2012 |

If your prepping strategy includes making more of your own food at home, then consider making your own dairy products. Below is an article excerpt from the September/October 2012 issue of “Backwoods Home Magazine” to give you some food for thought.

I know, bad pun. But good article.

Easy homemade dairy products

By Maggie Howe
Photos by John Gibney

I have a strong interest in cooking and in local foods and I very much enjoy making my own breads, jams, and canned goods. I work one mile from an amazing local dairy that produces grass-fed Jersey milk and cream, and often wish I could have more locally-produced dairy products. However, I assumed that making dairy products at home was time consuming or difficult. One day a friend served me some delicious homemade crème fraîche and described how easy it is to make. I was astonished! It turns out that making some of our most common household dairy products is incredibly easy and very cost effective.

Homemade dairy products are not exactly like commercially produced dairy products — in every instance, I have found that homemade products are superior! The texture tends to be thicker and creamier, and the homemade products are made without artificial thickeners or fillers. You can also control the amount of sodium added (if you choose to add any) and the amount of butterfat you wish to use.

Read the whole article here:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/howe137.html

Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine.
http://www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418.

* * * * * *

For more in depth help on making homemade dairy items, get a copy of Homemade Living: Home Dairy with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Cheese, Yogurt, Butter & More. It has a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.com and is a DestinySurvival Amazon Pick.

Here’s info from Amazon about the book and author.

Ashley English provides a feast of information for dairy-loving foodies! She guides readers through all the essentials in four topic-specific sections: Butter & Ghee, Cultured Dairy Products, Cheese, and Ice Cream. Each primer offers need-to-know facts with gorgeous photos, troubleshooting tips, profiles, and Ashley’s own roster of recipes for making such dairy staples as butter, sour cream, and cheese from scratch-as well as 10 seasonal dishes from Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup to traditional Mac & Cheese.

About the Author

Ashley English is a lifelong cook, baker and gardener with a wide breadth of knowledge on issues of sustainability and foodways. Ashley is a member of Slow Food USA and has worked over the years with a number of non-profit organisations committed to social and agricultural issues.

Reviewers say this is a great book for beginners. Not only is it well illustrated with recipes, but it has instructions for making a cheese press.

Order your copy by clicking on the book’s title above or on its image below. You’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page where it’s featured. Add it to your cart to start the order process.

Have you made your own cheese, yogurt or other dairy items at home? How did they turn out? Any advice for other preppers? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Be Sociable, Share!

Posted in Amazon Pick, Other Resources, Survival Kitchen, Survival Reading |

Tags: homemade dairy products, Survival Kitchen

Another Prepper:

September 15, 2012 at 3:31 pm

Yup! I keep a small herd of dairy goats as part of my self sufficient life. Goat milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk–for me at least! I make yogurt on a weekly basis, and kefir twice a week. When I have an extra half gallon of milk, I make up a simple cheese by heating the milk in a double boiler up to 190 degrees, then reducing the heat and adding 1/2 cup of lemon juice to set the curd. Once the curds and whey have separated, I pour it through a cheese-cloth-lined colander. At this point, I add 1 tsp of coarse Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and minced chives. Mix that through the curd with a spoon, then tie up the corners of the cheese cloth and let it drip over a sink for about 20 minutes. (I use a pipe cleaner and tie the cheese cloth to the faucet! Remove the cheese from the cloth, wrap in plastic and chill. This cheese can be made in the morning and eaten that same evening. It’s great on a cracker…..Wonderful stuff!