THE PRESERVATIONIST

I first made yogurt while living on a remote farm in Norway. It was a summer that truly changed my life. We would take a sunset walk about a mile out to pasture and call for the animals to come. e cows had about 5,000 acres to roam, but they would usually be near the gate waiting for us as the sun fell low in the sky. Ninny led them home so that she could feel the relief of being milked. Milking Ninny in the barn during the everlasting sunset of the far northern climate remains one of my most profound experiences. I always enjoyed the gentle sounds of her chewing and the soft feeling of her fur when I would nestle into her side as I milked her. On this isolated farm, it was astonishing how much nutrition came from this one animal and what sweet companionship she offered.

Often, we would take the warm milk, filter it into another clean bucket, add a certain amount of yogurt to it and cover it with a cloth to prevent contamination. en, we would rest that bucket in the corner of the mudroom, which had a heated floor. e next day the entire bucket would be yogurt and we would enjoy it for a whole week. We would eat yogurt and muesli for breakfast and yogurt and fresh berries as an afternoon snack.

Both yogurt and kefir offer ways to preserve fresh milk for a little longer by adding cultures to encourage coagulation and make the milk more acidic. Both are loaded with beneficial bacteria that make everything easier to digest and can aid in recovery from all sorts of ailments. Yogurt typically has two to seven different kinds of bacterial strains that can help clean and line the gut while nourishing the good bacteria, or probiotics, there. Kefir has 10 to 34 strains of good bacteria and beneficial yeast, which can also attach to the walls and colonize to create a healthy digestive tract.

YOGURT

roughout the process of making yogurt you need to keep the temperature at about 110° F. ere are many insulated chambers on the market to aid you in doing this, but they are not necessary. You can get creative and create your own warm environment. Some people use a heating pad, a small cooler containing a jar of hot water, a piloted oven or a hot water heater closet, a heated floor in a small room or a spot next to a wood stove. Conditions change from home to home but your goal is to keep the yogurt at 110° F for about 24 hours. You can test your environment by experimenting with a jar of water and leaving it overnight in your desired place and checking the temperature in the morning.

You will need a starter culture to make your yogurt. For this, you can use any commercial live-culture yogurt. Be sure the label says, “contains live cultures.” en you save a little of the yogurt you make to use as a starter for the next batch and keep it going from there.

KEFIR

Kefir is a fermented milk product that is started by a special colony of grains. ese grains are actually yeast and bacteria that look like curds, which you strain out of the kefir after fermentation and then use for the next batch—like sourdough starter. You cannot make kefir without this starter culture.

Kefir’s roots lie in the Caucasus Mountains of Central Asia. Said to have been a gift from Allah, the first kefir grains were treasured by the people who possessed them and were not shared with strangers. So how did they finally migrate to the rest of the world? I have to quote my hero, Sandor Katz, here as he has written the story with perfection in his book, WildFermentation (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016).

“Early on in the 20th century, the “all-Russian physicians’ society” became interested in obtaining the mysterious source of this healthful drink,” Katz writes. “Since the keepers of the grains did not wish to share them, this required deception and cultural thievery. e scheme involved a young Russian woman named Irina Sakharova, who the physicians hoped would be able to charm a Caucasus prince, BekMirza Barchorov, into giving her some kefir grains. He refused, she tried to leave, he had her kidnapped, she was rescued and he was charged in the czar’s courts. For reparations, the young woman was awarded the treasure she sought; the court ordered the prince to give her some of his cherished kefir grains. In 1908, she took the first kefir grains to Moscow. Kefir became, and remains to this day, a popular drink in Russia. In 1973, at age 85, Irina Sakharova was formally rec-

HOMEMADE YOGURT

Courtesy Jordan Champagne, chef and proprietor, Happy Girl Kitchen Co. in Pacific Grove Makes 1 quart

1 quart fresh cow’s milk 1 tablespoon yogurt culture (any store-bought yogurt labeled “contains live cultures,” or homemade)

Simply heat the milk to 110° F and add the tablespoon of yogurt culture. Gently stir in the culture and send in some good thoughts about the culture loving its new home and creating amazing yogurt. Let it sit in an insulated environment for 12 hours. e yogurt culture is very sensitive and does not like to be disturbed, so just let it be and do not fuss over it. After 12 hours, check it by tipping the jar to make sure that it is thickening. If it is not your desired thickness, let it go longer and be sure it is warm enough. You may need to adjust the environment somehow, by turning up the heat or adding another bottle of hot water to the cooler. e yogurt should be ready within 24 hours and will last two weeks in your refrigerator. Enjoy and remember to save some for the next batch.

To make Greek-style yogurt, simply hang your yogurt in cheesecloth for four hours or overnight. (is method strains out some of the watery whey and makes the yogurt thicker.) You can reserve the whey and use it to add a nutritional punch to smoothies, or for soaking oatmeal or making bread. ognized by the Soviet Ministry of Health for her role in bringing kefir to the Russian people.”

I think it important to understand this part of the history of food preservation. We can easily take for granted that we can just order kefir grains from an online store and they will be delivered to our doorstep within two days. is story reminds us of a time when people knew the health benefits of food and were willing to risk everything to obtain just a few cultures. People also believed the health of their extended families depended on fresh kefir, and they protected it from outside invaders as the treasure that it was. It is a treasure just to get a glimpse of that kind of fervor for this healthy probiotic drink.

Jordan Champagne is the co-owner and founder of Happy Girl Kitchen Co. She has a passion for preserving the local, organic harvest and loves sharing her secrets at workshops she teaches in Pacific Grove and in Oakland.

HOMEMADE KEFIR

Courtesy Jordan Champagne, chef and proprietor, Happy Girl Kitchen Co. in Pacific Grove Makes 1 quart

1 quart milk—goat, cow, sheep or coconut 1 tablespoon kefir grains*

Pour the milk into a clean glass jar. Add the kefir grains and cap. If you do not want your kefir to develop too much effervescence, then put the lid on loosely. Leave the jar at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, shaking it periodically. I put my kefir out on the countertop next to the stove where it is a little warm and out of the sunlight. In about 18 hours I find it to be perfectly cultured without becoming too sour or separated.

At this point, pour the kefir through a strainer to fish out the precious grains. Reserve the grains and use them for the next batch, storing them in a small jar covered in milk where they will keep for one month. e grains should continue to look whitish in color and plump with vitality. You only need one tablespoon of grains per quart of milk to keep your kefir going.

You can leave it out to continue to sour or refrigerate it and it will last about one week. Your homemade kefir will likely be sourer and more watery than the ones in the store. is is because commercial kefir contains thickeners and sweeteners. Embrace the homemade flavor!

*ese may be ordered online or strained from a friend’s batch of homemade kefir.