What am I doing wrong?

Yogurt, Kefir, Clabbered Milk, Cheese, Whey, and more!

Moderator: Christopher Weeks

What am I doing wrong?

Postby Bigfishfindshiswhey on Fri Apr 25, 2014 2:09 pm

Hello everyone,
This is my first post here!
I'm trying to recreate a local beverage called Softers from Eatwell farms. It's very bubbly and delicious cold. I called the nice lady who owns the company and she told me that she uses the whey from St Benoit Creamery and adds it to sugar water to create a base and then she adds the flavorings. I have purchased some St Benoit plain yogurt and strained the whey out of it. I am using 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup whey, the juice of one lemon and three cups of purified water from the health food store. All the recipes that I've seen for similar beverages say to let it sit for 1 to 2 days. Mine is on day 4 and it doesn't appear to be doing anything. I have attempted to do this recipe many times in many different temperatures with no change. I'm beginning to think it maybe something in my house.

Any thoughts are appreciated. :D

Also If I combine sugar and straight whey together should it ferment and become bubbly?

I would like to make something bubbly and icy cold with the honey from our own bee hives and lemons from our own lemon tree. Doesn't that sound good?

Thank you!
Bill
Bigfishfindshiswhey
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:33 am

Re: What am I doing wrong?

Postby WWFSM on Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:08 am

Sorry you've had so long to wait for a reply - I've never made anything like this, but I can give you some of my regular troubleshooting ideas.

Could it be your soap? Antibacterial soap will cause failure to grow bacteria. A lot of people forget this, so I'm mentioning it first.

Next troubleshooting would be to try changing the water... your bought water shouldn't be a problem, but maybe try boiling some tap water then leaving it uncovered overnight to cool. Maybe the bottled water has something in it to prevent bacteria growing, or maybe they are using antibacterial soap to clean their bottles? I don't know the brand so I can't say how likely it is.

How about a different container? Are you growing it under pressure like a fizzy drink, or in an open vat setting?

Try a different yoghurt maybe?

Sounds like a good recipe, I might just have to try it. I tried one of Katz's recipes that had yoghurt, mint, and something else to make a fizzy drink, it was... milky, but refreshing. Can't remember if it's in Wild Fermentation, or The Art of Fermentation, but it might be useful for you.
Doing my best to be the change I want to see in the world, one meal at a time.
http://wholewheatfsm.blogspot.ca

Currently Culturing
Kombucha, perry, cider, wine (red and white), mead(s), miso, sourdough, & seasonal veg my garden gives me
WWFSM
 
Posts: 153
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:10 am
Location: Canada, Left Coast


Return to Dairy Ferments

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 7 guests