Planted and Enchanted

Dinner from the garden tonight:

Roasted Red Potatoes with Fresh Rosemary  (Tossed potato wedges with just enough olive oil to coat. Added chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. Baked in covered dish for 25-30 minutes (375 degrees), stirring occasionally. Removed cover and baked 10 more minutes. ) and Dramatically Seared Green Beans with Garlic and Chili. (Recipe from Mollie Katzen.)

I made my own yogurt today. It was so easy; I can’t believe I hadn’t done this before! There are several different ways to make it—I used the oven method described in The Backyard Homestead as my guide.

Step 1: Heat one quart of milk and 1/3 cup dry milk in saucepan until it reaches 100-110 degrees. I used whole milk but have read that any will work.

Step 2: Pour warmed milk into covered casserole dish.
Step 3: Add three tablespoons plain yogurt to the milk and stir well. (Make sure the yogurt has live active cultures in it – check the label. In the future, I’ll use yogurt from my last homemade batch.)

Step 4: Place in warm oven (heat to 100 degrees, then turn off) and let sit for six to eight hours. (Oven too dirty to post a picture.)
Step 5: Remove from oven and store in refrigerator.

Step 6: Eat topped with fresh fruit or homemade granola. Yum!