I’m not a big milk drinker so have survived on powdered milk for cooking and baking but whilst I’ve had other people living with me we’ve had a daily delivery of fresh milk. And I mean fresh – straight from the cow. The first thing that needs to happen is the milk needs to be pasteurised, luckily it is very easy to do in my neighbours’ microwave. Then it needs to be left to cool before the think layer of cream is removed from the top and kept separately – in Africa nothing is wasted, before it is ready to be used or drunk.
I have discovered the variety of other products which can be made from milk, with the help and wisdom of my neighbour.
Yogurt was my first success- with only milk, a teaspoon of yoghurt, some warm water and blankets. And with a teaspoon from that batch you can then continue to make more.
One yoghurt attempt failed and turned into sour milk which I am now planning to use to make banana bread or sour bread. Another attempt didn’t quite work out either, turning into lumpy cottage cheese but it didn’t go to waste as I hung it in an old handkerchief over night and woke up to cream cheese. Yummy!
The cream hasn’t gone to waste either. Some of it has been enjoyed by others with fruit or pancakes but once a good amount has been collected my houseworker painstakingly spends a morning churning it in a little pot to produce butter.
Now I just need to figure out if it is possible to make ice cream!
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