Yes!

The crockpot Greek yoghurt worked.

When I opened the well-wrapped crockpot this morning, I thought I had managed to make a lot of buttermilk. But I followed the directions and placed my milk concoction in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then I found the package of coffee filters I have had hanging around for over 10 years (at least!). Using several of them to line a spaghetti strainer, I plopped the cooled white thick liquid on top of the filters and placed a large bowl under it to catch the whey. (More on whey later.)

Then the whole thing went back into the fridge for an hour until a good amount of whey had leaked out. Then I used new coffee filters in a smaller strainer above a smaller bowl. This time I was able to collect about a quart of whey to keep in the fridge for future use. After another 45 minutes in the fridge and more draining, I have Greek yoghurt. Yippee! I will enjoy this yummy homemade product and for sure try this again.

Now for the whey. You were thinking I was going to say something about curds, right? No curds in my yoghurt. It is thick and smooth. Flip wasn't too happy to try the whey, and he actually loves spoiled milk. So it doesn't taste like that. A really popular cold drink in The Netherlands is made from whey. It is called Rivella. My hub loves it!

But here are a few things you can do with whey:

• Reincorporate all or some of the whey back into your yogurt. Keep in mind that the more whey you add the thinner your yogurt will be.
• Soak your grains or beans in it. Soaked grains (oatmeal, rice, quinoa) and beans take less time to cook, are easier to digest, and allow our bodies to utilize more of the nutrients. Add 1-2T of whey and just enough water to cover your grains or beans. Soak overnight.
• Use in place of water in just about any bread recipe or other baking. The Nourishing Traditions cookbook is a great resource for recipes that incorporate whey and all of its nutritional value.
• If you’re already making homemade yogurt, why not try homemade ricotta cheese. It’s made from leftover whey, and it’s delicious in lasagna or other pastas.
• Season your whey with garlic or other spices and use it as a marinade for meat. This works especially well with frozen meats. The enzymes will help bring out the flavor.
• Use in place of vinegar to pickle your vegetables.
• Add it to your bath water for healthy, glowing skin.
• Use it to water your garden or compost pile. This is especially useful if you have a lot of whey to use up.
• Drink it. Some people drink whey straight up, but I’ve found it does not taste very good. Add it to a smoothie for all the nutritional value minus the taste. (from Kelly on Faithful Provisions Blog --faithfulprovisions.com)