Episode 311 Happy 8th Podiversary

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This episode is sponsored by Quince & Co and Knitcircus Yarns.

Knitting Pipeline is a Craftsy Affiliate. Craftsy offers affordable online classes and supplies. When you use the link in the sidebar before purchasing I receive a small percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Show notes are found at www.knittingpipeline.com. You can find me on Ravelry as PrairiePiper and on Instagram and YouTube as KnittingPipeline. There are two groups on Ravelry, Knitting Pipeline and Knitting Pipeline Retreats. Come join us there!

You can also find me here:

Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.

Instagram: knittingpipeline

Twitter: knittingline

Pinterest: Paula Emons-Fuessle

Ravelry Group

Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group.

Pipeliner Notes

Note about videocast…you may not have received notification from past two episodes even if you are a subscriber.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the podcast for the past 8 years! I could not do it without you.

Welcome to our newest Pipeliners who have said hello to us on the Welcome thread or to me in a personal message. AnnSoutter from Buffalo Grove IL. Remember to introduce yourself in the Welcome thread if you are new so I can recognize you on the show.

Thank you for your star ratings and reviews on iTunes. New review from Paulsmom12503!

Events

Links to retreats and registration materials are in the Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group on Ravelry. There is also a sticky thread with all upcoming retreat dates.

Eagle Crest Retreat Registration is open. Just a few spots left. Attendees have been posted on Ravelry.

Trip to Ireland in May 2019. Will be a separate episode AND blog post so subscribe to both.

Mittens for Maine (and Eagle Crest) Mary of Knitting Dish podcast.

Needle Notes

Reiko by Melanie Berg for Quince & Co Shawls 4

Detail of Reiko

Points on right side are the bind off. Loved it!

Reiko by Melanie Berg for Quince & Co Shawls 4

Seven Sisters Arts Zenith in Lodestar. Gorgeous yarn!

This shawl is pure joy to knit! The pattern is beautifully written. I would love to make another one in Quince & Co Piper.

Crazy Eights Dishcloth by Julia Tarsha (Simply Notable)

Nature Notes

The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

·        Stopped feeding except for Goldfinches and hummingbirds. Water feature

·        Wrens singing most of the time.

·        Bluebirds

·        Garden looks good!

·        Japanese beetles are back.

·        Swallowtail in garden. Red Spotted Purple on hike. Doe and fawn.

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. --H. C. Andersen, The Complete Fairy Tales. (The Butterfly)

In The Pipeline

Knitting

Odette Hoodie by Carrie Bostick Hoge (knitting as pullover instead of cardigan.)

Galiano Socks by Tracie Millar

Making

Quilting

Baby Kisses by Jenny Doan. For Helene’s 3^rd birthday. Shown in Video Extra #21

Mouse House doll quilt by Amy Sinibaldi from Sweetly Stitched Handmades.

Grandmother’s Fan Quilt sent to Grace and Peace Quilting.

Wooden Stool by Papa. It is a small version of the stool he made from the Craftsy Class.

Papa made for the 3rd birthday

Top of stool with joins

Information from Lisa who is Turbogal.

Hi Paula,
As always, I really enjoyed your episode. I love to hear about the knitting, also also the nature notes (I get to compare to see how different Minnesota is from Illinois!).

I listened to your yogurt making segment with interest. I studied dairy science, and am a yogurt maker by profession (I’ve worked for a well known yogurt company for more than 20 years). You are so right that yogurt is easy to make at home, and I’m always excited to hear about people making it themselves, because they really see what an amazing fermentation process it is. I have a couple of comments which might add to the discussion.

You said you thought the only reason dry milk was in your sister’s recipe was to save money. I don’t know her recipe, but I always tell people that to make good yogurt you have to add milk to milk. Adding extra milk powder (or condensed milk) to liquid milk makes a yogurt with a thicker texture and better body (less watery tasting). Using a milk with at least some fat will also give the yogurt better body.

You also talked about the difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt. There is no legal definition of Greek yogurt, and if you travel the world it means different things in different places. In the US, Greek yogurt is generally thought of as yogurt that is higher protein because it the yogurt is strained to remove liquid - that concentrates it (which increases the protein and the fat if is has fat), and makes it thicker.

You mentioned not moving the yogurt during fermentation, which is very important. If the curd is stirred or even jostled too much you won’t get the nice, smooth yogurt texture. During the fermentation, the proteins form a network, like a net that traps water, but if it is jostled, the net won’t stay nice and open, and able to trap the water.

You talked about how the temperature is pretty forgiving. That is true, but, if you want to have consistent results both the temperature and the culture you use are very important. Yogurt culture is actually two different bacteria, and they each have a slightly different temperature preference, so shifts in temperature will favor one over another. One of the cultures is more tolerant of acid than the other, and so more growth by that culture that will make the yogurt more sour. There are “cheese cultures” that grow at room temperature, used to make products like fromage frais, which is also delicious.

You talked about leaving the yogurt for 8 hrs. That is a good rule of thumb for the home yogurt maker (the best way is to measure pH exactly, but most people can’t do that at home!). It is true that the longer you let it ferment, the more sour it gets. But, how sour it gets (and what flavors it develops) also very much depends on the culture you use and how it grows. What you use for culture makes a big impact, so I recommend using fresh culture each time you start (not like sourdough, where you use the last batch to culture the next batch).

One other thing that I like to tell people about yogurt: One way to minimize the liquid whey that appears when you have a partially used container of yogurt, just use your spoon to smooth out the surface of the yogurt after you have dipped out what you need. This will really minimize the separation (called synersis). If you do see separation, there’s no need to pour it off. Just stir it in!

This ended up being quite long - I am so passionate about yogurt! It is fun to hear about people making it at home. Thanks for sharing it on your podcast.

…What you are doing is using fresh starter, because the culture you add should be the same every time you make a batch, if you always use the same culture source. The cultures should still be live and active well beyond the code date on your commercial yogurt, but they will grow more vigorously the “younger” the yogurt is. Not using fresh starter would be: saving some of the yogurt you made and using it to culture your next batch. The possible problem with that is since home yogurt making is not very controlled, the ratio of the two cultures will probably be different each time.

Thank you, Lisa!