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In our exploration of real food (check out the Intro to Real Food, here), I thought we could start with dairy. Before we get into the nitty-gritty (that would be raw milk), lets talk about something easy you can do to improve your health! 
Most people eat yogurt because they like it. It’s an easy snack, it’s full of sugar, there are tons of fun flavors to choose from… oh yeah, and they heard somewhere that it’s “healthy”. That used to be me. I was even really proud of myself for getting the “light” version (shiver!). I have learned so much! Curious about what I have discovered? Well….
There’s More Than Just Yogurt!
I’m sure many of you are rolling your eyes, but I just never really thought about it at the time. I knew yogurt had probiotics and I knew that was a good thing, although I wasn’t really sure why. Since then I have discovered that there is a whole wide world of cultured dairy!
- Yogurt (check out my easy recipe!)
- Kefir
- Buttermilk
- Sour Cream (recipe here!)
- Creme Fraiche
- Cultured Butter
- Fresh cheeses
Maybe there are even more than I know of, but just imagine what you can do with those seven products! Yogurt and kefir for smoothies, buttermilk for baking, sour cream and creme fraiche for dips and toppings, cultured butter for your fresh baked bread, cheese for everything… YUM!
What is “Culturing”?
To “culture” is simply to allow a beneficial bacteria (in the case of kefir, it’s beneficial bacteria and yeast) to grow. In most cases, that means adding a concentrated dose of the good bacteria to dairy, such as adding the culture to yogurt, then providing an ideal environment for the bacteria to grow. Different bacteria grow best at different temperatures, so one yogurt might need to be at 105 degrees while buttermilk can just sit on the counter at 70 degrees. If the temperature is too high for that bacteria, it will die. If it’s too low, it won’t grow. Most bacteria needs 12 to 36 hours to do it’s thing, then the finished product is put in the fridge to slow/stop the bacterial growth.
Bacteria Is A Good Thing!
Don’t let the word “bacteria” scare you off. It’s actually a really good thing. There are tons of kinds of beneficial bacteria that your body actually needs in order to function well. It’s the pathogenic bacteria that makes you sick. People are often put off from making cultured dairy products because they have been so conditioned to fear “sour” milk. The truth is, if there is plenty of good bacteria in it, it won’t go “bad”. We’ll talk about this more when we get to the raw milk post. For now, just trust that starter culture to grow good bacteria and prevent bad bacteria. Any cultured product should have a slightly sour smell. If it’s overwhelming or doesn’t smell similar to the way real cultured buttermilk from the store smells, something is wrong. I have made all of the dairy products listed above and have never had a “bad” batch that would have made us sick. I have had failed batches (kefir that I forgot about too long and let get way too strong to drink and yogurt that didn’t “make” because the yogurt maker didn’t hold the right temperature). Those incidences were obviously failures and there was no way we would have consumed the failed products.
What’s In It For Me?
How is cultured dairy different from uncultured?
First, there’s tons of beneficial bacteria! That good bacteria does some very important things for our bodies.
- It helps prevent pathogenic bacteria from taking over.
- It helps control the growth of bad yeast.
Second, it has enzymes that make digestion much easier! This helps us in two ways:
- food is more easily broken down, resulting in less (or no) digestive problems, such as gas, constipation and diarrhea.
- The more efficient breaking down of food means that our bodies can then absorb more of the nutrients from the food.
Third, culturing actually increases vitamins!
- There are more B vitamins in cultured dairy than in uncultured.
- There is more vitamin C in cultured dairy.
Be sure to follow along as we learn how to make many of the cultured dairy products listed above. Even the most difficult ones aren’t very hard once you’re familiar with the process, and many of them are ridiculously easy!
Where To Get Starter Cultures:
I buy every single one of my starter cultures from *Cultures For Health. The selection and quality are fantastic and I have had nothing but good experiences with customer service.
They carry starters for:
Are there cultured dairy products you’ve been wanting to try making? How do you hope to include more cultured dairy in your diet?
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[...] Cultured Dairy: Some people (though not all) find that dairy makes them more congested when they have a cold. If that’s the case for you or your little ones, cut out all dairy except cultured dairy (yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, sour cream) until the cold is gone. Even if uncultured dairy doesn’t cause any problems, increase your intake of the cultured kinds to give your body plenty of good bacteria to boost your health! [...]
[...] Culturing dairy, such as buttermilk, sour cream or kefir, is easy in a jar. When it’s done, just put the lid on and pop it in the fridge! [...]
[...] took well under ten minutes for all of these dips, so it’s perfect for a impromptu party! Read here to learn why to culture dairy in the first place. [...]
Sharing on my FB page, thank you!
We LOVE cultured dairy in this house! We drink a lot of milk keifer and have a lot of sour cream. I need to try butter milk too! Yum!
Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday! I hope to see you again this week. http://wp.me/p2pBvv-AQ
Thanks for hosting, Amanda! Cultured dairy is one of our favorite food groups!
I need to know how to learn to like it. We utterly DETEST kefir, every way we’ve tried to drink it. Even adding just a tiny bit to a whole blenderful of smoothie. I know it’s soooo healthy – but not if you don’t eat it. lol Any suggestions?
Good question! I’d recommend backing off and trying to acclimate your tastes. People’s tastes will change, eventually, you just have to keep at it. I’ve known many people with serious sweet tooths (LOL, “sweet teeth”?) that have found that a couple months off of sugar cures their cravings and actually makes really sweet foods taste terrible.
So, for cultured dairy, I’d recommend only very, very lightly culturing and using a tiny amount (1 teaspoon, increased by 1 teaspoon a few times a week). If it gets too strong, back off by one teaspoon and stay there for a week or two. Then, try increasing again.
My other thought is that your kefir might be “off”. Do you make your own? It should have a pleasant sour flavor. If it smelled like… I hate to use this description, but it’s so accurate… vomit, the yeast and bacteria balance is off. This is the same for water kefir. Gently rinse your kefir grains with distilled or filtered water until they don’t smell, then put them in 1 cup of milk (or water, for water kefir), put on the lid and give them several days to rest in the fridge. After that, you should be able to make kefir again, starting with about 1 cup and gradually increasing. Just remember to only culture about half as long as normal- just until it’s thickened slightly, not one solid mass. You can increase the strength of the kefir after your tastes have changed.
My final suggestion is to go with the sour flavor. Instead of trying to cover the flavor of the kefir, try to blend similar flavors with it. Use pineapple, citrus fruit juices and other tangy fruits. Use some raw, local, unfiltered honey to sweeten it up and maybe a splash of coconut milk or shredded coconut to work with the tropical flavor!
I hope that some of this helps! Let me know how it works out for you or if you find some other ideas that help!
Blessings
Thanks! Maybe this is a dumb question, but…how would I “lightly” culture kefir?
And, yes, I made my own, so it could be that I messed it up. I don’t remember it *smelling* bad, but we thought it tasted really, really, REALLY strong – WAY more sour than plain yogurt. So maybe I did something wrong.
Maybe I need to mooch some off of someone who’s been making it for a while, and see if we like that better, so I’ll know if that’s the problem.
Not dumb at all! You might want to try some from a friend, if you can find it. You might even want to get a small bottle of kefir from the store for comparison.
To lightly culture the kefir, you’ll need to watch it pretty closely the first few times. The degree to which it cultures depends on the temperature where you put it and the length of time you leave it. I’m not sure how long you’ve been allowing it to culture, but I’m guessing 24 hours, or so. Get the kefir started right before bed so that you can check it as soon as you get up. Stir up the grains in the milk, cover it with a thin cloth or a coffee filter and set it away from any cool breezes or other cultures (yogurt, sauerkraut, etc.). In the morning, use a wooden, plastic or other non-metal spoon to gently stir. If it is not at all thickened and looks as thin as plain milk, recover and check it again in about two hours (set a timer!). Keep checking it every couple of hours until it is just slightly thicker than it was when you started it. It should just barely have a light tangy smell and taste. The longer you let it culture, the stronger the flavor and smell. If you wake up and discover that it is already a thick blob, rather than slightly thickened milk, try moving it to a slightly cooler area to slow down the culturing process. I’ve noticed that if my kefir gets too warm it cultures too quickly and tastes “off”. It shouldn’t taste any more sour than plain yogurt, so I’m betting that it is either culturing too long or in too warm an environment. A good texture to aim for is buttermilk or even a tad thinner. It should be easily pourable, if you want a less sour flavor.
How long have you had your grains? Did you get them from a friend or order them? Some batches of kefir grains are just stronger than other ones, so it’s probably just a matter of playing with it until you get results that you are happy with. If you all like yogurt, I think you’ll enjoy kefir once it’s playing well with the other children.
Thank you so much! I got my grains from a friend (well, from our chiro, actually). The stuff we were making was more acrid than sour. I bet…I’ve been culturing it next to the fridge, and I bet the heat coming off the back of the fridge has been throwing the temperature off. I’ve let them die long ago (’cause we weren’t doing anything with the kefir), but I’ll see about getting some more and try again.
We aren’t huge fans of plain yogurt, but we definitely use it in things.
Thank you!!
LOL, I don’t just sit down with a bowl of plain yogurt, either. Some people do, but I like to stir in some raw honey or herbs (for a meat dip) or use it in smoothie. It sounds like it might not have been a healthy starter to begin with. I’ve also heard of kefir grains not doing well when they are transferred from one kind of milk to another, so it might just be that they were traumatized. I do keep mine away from the counter with the fridge, because it does get pretty hot near the back.
So many possibilities! Whenever you try again, feel free to comment here or e-mail me if it isn’t working well!
Blessing!
[...] Cultures For Health is another one of my favorites! I’ve ordered so many products from them and have enjoyed them all. They carry all kinds of cultures for fermenting foods and they are the only place I ever buy cultures. Not sure why culturing food is such a big deal? Read about it here! [...]
[...] last many, many times longer, but the nutrition is also increased- bonus! What can you culture? Dairy, veggies, fruits, tea, juice, water… so many things! My favorite store for buying starters to [...]
I want to try Swedish Filmjoelk . . . and bonny clabber if our cows ever give us milk!
Fun! You need to talk those cows into making it possible!
Thanks for the comment, Dana!