making greek yoghurt ~ reader request

I eat a lot of Greek yoghurt, so when I discovered an easy method to make it I was thrilled. 

I have tweaked the method to suit my own liking and this is what I am sharing with you today.

You will need one of these Easiyo's to make this yoghurt. They are very cheap to buy.  I found mine in the op shop.

Step 1: Fill up the kettle with water and boil.

Step 2: While the kettle is boiling, half fill litre container with cool water. I use filtered rain water.

Step 3: From the freezer I take out a packet with one tablespoon of saved frozen Greek yoghurt inside. You can either use a purchased packet of powdered yoghurt or use a tablespoon of purchased Greek yoghurt.

And add this to the water. This doesn't take long to thaw.

Step 4: From a bag of full cream powdered milk.

Take out one and half cups of the milk.

Step 5: Get a fork ready. 

Step 6: Add the one and half cups of powdered milk to the jar half filled with water and yoghurt added. Mix well with the fork.

Step 7: Top up the jar with water and continue to mix until powdered milk is well combined.

Step 8: By this time the kettle should have boiled. Add boiling water to the fill line shown in the Easiyo flask.

Now is the time I will explain about the glass jar I use. I just prefer glass to plastic for obvious reasons. 

The only thing is that the boiling water can be too hot when placing the jar into the flask. I have learned the hard way, trust me haha!

So if you choose to use a glass jar remember to let the hot water cool a bit.  I also warm the yoghurt mix slightly by adding a little bit of boiling water when I fill it. This way it is not too much of a shock when the cold glass meets the very hot water. Or you could just use the plastic container that comes with the Easiyo.

Step 9: I put the lid on and then place the container in the hot water inside the flask. Leave to sit overnight (I make mine at night). If you cant leave it overnight, let sit for at least eight hours.

Next morning your yoghurt should look like this.  Nice and thick!

Step 10: Remove one tablespoon and place into a snack bag and put in the freezer to use for the next batch. 

And there you have it.  Tania's method for Greek yoghurt, easy peasy! A while ago I worked out the cost for this and can not quite remember the total, but it is a lot less than a dollar a litre, so a great saving there. Tastes so much better than the store bought variety!

Do you make your own yoghurt?  If so, what method do you use?

~edited to add;  to make sure the yoghurt mix is blended really well, you can use a stick blender or give a good shake once the lid is on securely.  A good beating with a fork works for me but may not for others.

See you soon with an overdue update!

the great outdoors

Hello dear friends,

Just a quick post to share some random photos I took a couple of days ago when out and about with the hubby.  

These were taken on my cheap mobile phone and I think they turned out quite well.

The day was a beautiful sunny, calm day, perfect for capturing some good photos.

Taken down at the town centre where the top of the Spencer Gulf begins to meet the outback.  There are two parts to our town and a bridge over the gulf that joins the two.

I took these from the west side...

Looking across the gulf to the shopping precinct on the other side. 

And from the east side...

Welcome Spring, I am so glad  you have arrived.

Wishing you a lovely weekend and Happy Father's day on Sunday to all the dads out there.

xTania

catch up

Hello again dear readers,

I cant believe how quickly the time is passing, I wish it would slow down so I can catch my breath.  So much has happened since my last post that I can barely remember it all. Thank goodness I take lots of photos, this helps to remind me.

There is no particular order to this post, just a mish mash of daily life.

The girls have started laying again.  The young ones have begun their laying life too...

Trying my luck with avocado seeds.

I dried and made this weed (no not that weed!) into tea...nettle tea.  The taste is quite pleasant, with no sting! This humble little weed, can be a nuisance but has many health benefits, see here.

One of our better finds at a little hidden op shop. We passed these on to a dear friend, because we have no more room!

We were gifted these two from our neighbours. Both are in good working order...and this is why we are running out of room!

Around here...

Healthy living...

Who knew this ugly looking specimen,

would make such a delicious refreshing drink that is so good for you.

Now for the best news of all.  Our dear sweet baby grand-daughter arrived safely in July. Her name is Ziva Grace. 

Meanings and history of the name Ziva: Pronounced ZEE-va, the name Ziva is of Hebrew origin, derived from the name Ziv meaning brightness, brilliance, or light of God.

Here is Ziva, just a few hours old with her older brother Charlie looking on.  He is just a baby himself, bless him.  He has been so good to his sister and calls her "gentle", because that is what mum says every time he goes near her lol!

A little porker weighing in at 9lbs 3ozs!

Three days old...

 Not happy with the world lol!

Ziva is now a month old. These were taken just a few days ago.

And this gorgeous photo of Charlie.  Such a happy little boy. I love him to bits!

Meet my new friend. She was wrapped up in the shade-cloth I was pulling over the tomato plants and certainly gave me a fright! One HUGE Mama!!

I am still picking tomatoes.

Chopped.

and made into soup using this recipe.

It is so delicious!

We had a few rainy days. It was so nice but not enough to make a difference.  The ground is so dry!

A quick trip to the big smoke to pick up our new trailer.

The trailer in action...

As seen in the clip we decided to buy two huge bales of pea straw to use as mulch around the garden.

We had a really windy day and sadly this little nest fell out the tree.

I love this bright orange aloe flower!

I have finished this row of hugelkultur/layer beds. They are ready to be planted for summer.

I am trying a hugel type bed along side of the grape vines and dragon fruit.  I had dug a trench to catch water and thought I might try this method to see how it goes. It should hold moisture and help the plants along here.

Sour dough bread...

Beauty in the simple things...

My first pansy!

A lonely rose.

Calendula.

We have had heaps of these butterflies hatching out.  They are so pretty. I have since found out that this beauty is a Scarlet Jezabel.  

I tried to capture this one in flight a few days earlier.

The quandongs are ripening, so spring is not far away.

I hope this toady is indicating healthy soil.

The sleepy lizards (shingleback) are on the move in this warm weather.

How is this for a spectacular sunset? This is one reason I love living here.  I can walk out my back door and see beautiful skies like this on a regular basis.

Hope the world is treating you well.

Until next time, take care.

xx