This is kind of significant post for me because homemade yogurt (or more accurately, the idea of homemade yogurt) is what got me started on my less waste journey a few years back. Lucy’s system wasn’t handling dairy well so I wanted to make non-dairy yogurt because it was so expensive to buy and also because we were going through so many of those plastic containers. Needless to say, after many disappointing misadventures with “no fail non-dairy yogurt you don’t even need a yogurt maker for” recipes, I admitted defeat and started making bread instead.

Skip ahead a few years and I was really motivated by that picture I took of my groceries from a few posts back. It has been a bit of a wake up call and I encourage all of you to do it if you haven’t yet. I thought I was doing better than the evidence showed. So I decided to look at some of the packaged foods and figure out what I could make at home and sustain the practice of. That last part is big for me because I have learned in this journey that if I can’t sustain the practice, it’s not worth putting my time, energy and money into. With that in mind, I noticed the yogurt again. We are back to eating dairy yogurt now since both of the girls are handling it fine and we consume a lot of it which means a lot of plastic containers are being “recycled.” I don’t like buying it so I thought I would give the homemade one last shot but this time, I would use an actual yogurt maker and not put so much effort into it.

I did some research and went on eBay and found a used yogurt maker that seemed to review well. The price was good so that if I ended up not liking it, I could resell it and come out even. After making it this weekend, I can happily say that I will be adding this practice to my routine. It took less than 5 minutes from start to letting it sit in the maker overnight. From there, I let it strain for a handful of minutes to thicken it a little bit and then into the fridge it went to be enjoyed by all. (This is a lie, I actually put it into the fridge for 2 hours before straining it.) The machine made it so much easier than trying to keep it at the right temperature for 12 hours using a crockpot or my oven or a cooler with hot water bottles (I’m telling you, I have tried it all) Making it this way is a practice I can sustain and it tastes delicious! And the yogurt machine has changed my views on something else, as well. Since I started less waste, I’ve solidly been in the camp of “get rid of the appliances!” but now, if you have the storage space (thankful for basements!) I am all for having second-hand appliances if they will get used and help you keep less waste, so don’t let me talk you out of it anymore!

I made this parfait using the yogurt, a thin swipe of blackberry jam, and my homemade granola. I had one waiting for Andrew when he arrived home from work and it was a big hit. I’m looking forward to knowing exactly what is in our yogurt and keeping all those plastic containers out of the recycle bin (and my “grocery haul” pictures). Thankful to finally have homemade yogurt success.