It's commonly advised to maintain a separation of around 4-5 feet between different fermenting batches. This helps minimize the risk of cross contamination and ensures each batch develops its unique flavors effectively. If you are storing your ferments in the fridge temporarily, it is recommended to use a tight-fitting airtight lid to maintain freshness and prevent potential contamination during the storage period. This extra precaution can help ensure that your ferments remain in optimal condition until you are ready to consume or further process them.

If you’re interested in playing with your culture to see what new textures you can come up with, fear not about cross contamination and go nuts! Let us know if anything interesting comes of it!

You can confidently extend the lifespan of your yogurt starter by placing it in a freezer-safe bag and storing it in the freezer for a maximum of 6 months. This simple method guarantees both the freshness and viability of your starter culture over an extended period. The yogurt starter will gradually weaken the longer it is stored, which may impact its effectiveness in fermenting milk. It is essential to use fresh starter culture to ensure desirable outcomes in your homemade yogurt. Based on that, we’d say worst case is you make a batch and then store some in the freezer for later. Then there’s just the one batch to deal with until you really are ready to get cozy with your yogurt.

This advice also applies to our sour cream, crème fraiche, and buttermilk cultures.

When we say “feed” we really mean making your next batch of yogurt. Yogurt is alive with beneficial bacteria that feed on the lactose in milk every time you make a batch of yogurt, so you’re really just saving some of the old batch to culture the new. Yogurt cultures need to be fed once every seven days to keep the bacteria healthy. We already know you’re not always going to be consistent about that, because life. But do the best you can. You can certainly go longer than that but you risk bacteria die off, and especially if you do it a bunch. Basically that means that doing it often will weaken the culture and possibly kill it. We find that yogurts we’re not using quickly enough can be used in muffins or other breads, mashed potatoes, and most recipes you’d use milk in.

It can be tempting to add more starter culture to your batches to hasten ferment time. Don't do it! Adding too much of your previous culture can lead to bitter and grainy yogurt.

The same applies to not adding enough culture. The yogurt will not ferment correctly or may cease to ferment and you could lose your culture.

If you notice that your culture has weakened, you can try adding more yogurt starter the next batch but then revert back to the correct ratio of one tablespoon per cup of milk.

Most mesophilic yogurts can be on the thinner side. Straining a portion of the whey from the yogurt can help! You can use a designated “yogurt strainer” like the Kleynhuis Yogurt Strainer Bag OR you can line a plastic strainer with unbleached coffee filters, add the yogurt, cover, and place in the refrigerator for a few additional hours. Once the yogurt is at the desired thickness, run it through a fine mesh strainer for a super smooth texture.

Another way to thicken yogurt is to heat the desired amount of milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Then cool the milk back down to room temperature between 70-78 degrees. Add the yogurt starter and culture as normal. Sometimes we even will boil down the milk until it’s barely caramelized before cooling back to room temperature for a sort of “dulce de leche” yogurt. Y’all check that out - it’s super tasty!

*Do not add the cultures in while the temperature remains above 78 degrees. Doing so would kill the yogurt starter.

First and foremost, ensure that the yogurt you have acquired is not intended for drinking purposes or as a thinner consistency, as this may impact the desired results. If you've attempted to make and desire a denser consistency, consider doubling the quantity of starter culture for the subsequent three batches. This adjustment should fortify the mixture adequately for subsequent batches to proceed with the usual amount of starter culture.

If it’s not one of those, it’s just a thing sometimes when you’re activating a culture. You’ll know by the smell and taste if it’s fermented, but make sure it doesn’t smell or taste rancid. Trust us - you’ll know the difference! Over the next few batches, the microbes that had been dormant will gradually awaken and start their processes. Much like how many of us require that initial cup of coffee to kickstart our day, these microbes just need a little time to rev back up before they can hit their stride in full.

Thermophilic yogurt cultures require a temperature between 90 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit to develop. It takes between 4 and 12 hours for the yogurt to reach the desired consistency. There are traditional recipes that call for as long as 72 hours incubation time, so if you forget about it, don’t sweat it! Just get to it as soon as you can and move on with your day. Head’s up about the long-aged yogurts: they’re quite sour!

Mesophilic yogurt cultures ferment at room temperature (between 70-77 degrees Fahrenheit), and this form of preparation typically results in a runnier texture. The phrase “Dangerous on a spoon” comes to mind. Mesophilic yogurt usually takes between 12 and 24 hours for the yogurt to reach the desired consistency. There are a few other distinctions between the two forms of yogurt. Opt for thermophilic starters for thick or Greek yogurt.If you prefer ease of preparation and runnier yogurt, (or just use it for smoothies or frozen yogurt) then you will be happy with the mesophilic cultures. We tend to recommend mesophils to really busy people, because it’s less to keep track of.

When yogurt is left to ferment for an extended period, it undergoes separation, resulting in the formation of curds and whey. The whey, which appears as a liquid layer both around and atop the yogurt, can be either mixed back in for a creamier texture or poured off based on personal preference.

It’s okay if it happens once or twice. However, when you consistently deprive the culture of nourishment, you are essentially starving it. This practice, if done habitually, can lead to the gradual weakening and eventual demise of the yogurt culture. Remember to keep a close eye on the yogurt as it ferments and watch for important clues that indicate it’s done fermenting.