Ham Radio Conditions/MUF

We are starting our Rocky Mountain Survival Search and Rescue (RMSSAR) net. We are hoping that you will join us internationally on HF, and locally on 2 Meters. Please contact me, W7WWD, at rmssar@gmail.com for information on times and frequencies.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Making Yogurt

Making Yogurt

By Patrice Lewis
When you get to the point where you're milking your own cow, you'll need to figure out what to do with the excess milk. One of the easiest and tastiest options is to make homemade yogurt.
Yogurt is nothing more than the bacterial fermentation of milk using specific cultures. As far as I know, any milk can be used (cow, goat, yak, water buffalo, whatever). Yogurt in one form or another has been around for literally thousands of years. Curdled milk, after all, is nothing new. Because the fermentation process changes lactose into lactic acid, people who are moderately lactose-intolerant are often able to eat yogurt without a problem.

Heat milk on the lowest setting
to no more than 180° F.



Stirring in half a cup of nonfat dry milk gives the finished yogurt a creamier texture.



Let the milk cool to 105°- 110° F. Don't stir. Scrape off & discard the skin that forms on top.



When you are sure the milk has cooled to at least 110° F, add the yogurt culture.



The hot cultured milk must incubate for a minimum of 5-6 hours.
Making yogurt requires two main ingredients: culture and heat. Both must be controlled in order to produce a successful batch of yogurt.
Theoretically, any commercial yogurt (bought at a grocery store) that contains live cultures can be used to culture your milk. However, I've had little success following this option and prefer to purchase a yogurt culture in powder form from a supply company.
While there are a number of yogurt cultures available from suppliers, I wanted something I could re-culture myself so I wouldn't have to keep purchasing new culture. After a bit of research, I found a Bulgarian Yogurt culture through the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company (www.cheesemaking.com). It can be re-cultured indefinitely without the need for fresh culture powder.
So...ready to make some yogurt? Let's start from the beginning. I'll pause for a while so you can go milk your cow...
...Now that you're back, strain and chill the milk and let's get started.
Start with about two quarts of milk. You can use skim or whole, fresh or store-bought. I prefer fresh skim. Put it in a pot on the lowest heat setting on the stove. You don't want to heat it too quickly or it will have a burned taste. Keep a thermometer in the milk to watch the temperature. Do not use a microwave.
I like to add half a cup of nonfat dry milk when I get started. This gives the yogurt a creamier texture. Stir the dry milk into the fresh milk until dissolved.
Heat the milk to no more than 180° F. Don't go any higher than this or the milk will taste burned. This temperature is high enough to kill off any undesirable bacteria and to denature the milk protein so it won't form curds (as with cheesemaking).
When the milk reaches 180° F, turn off the heat and let the milk cool to between 105° and 110° F. Don't stir the milk while it is cooling. It will form a thick nasty layer of skin on top. After the milk has cooled, scoop off and discard the skin (don't try to mix the skin back into the milk; it will only result in strings of skin in the yogurt). Don't let the milk cool to less than 105°F or it will be too cool to culture the milk. Re-warm if necessary.
Add the yogurt culture. Do not add the culture before the milk has cooled to at least 110° F. Trust me on this; you will kill your culture if you add it to the milk when it's too warm. Stir the culture in thoroughly.
Now the milk has to be incubated for a minimum of 5 to 6 hours. The longer it incubates, the tarter the yogurt. (I usually incubate mine about 12 hours because I like a tarter yogurt.) Anything can be used as long as the milk stays warm. Several years ago I bit the bullet and bought a Yogotherm Yogurt Maker because it's non-electric and simple to clean (it's literally just a plastic bucket that nests inside a Styrofoam sleeve and cover). You could probably put the milk behind the woodstove in order to stay warm, or inside a gas oven with a pilot light, or wrapped in towels and tucked inside a small ice chest. Use your creativity to come up with some way to keep the milk warm. But low-grade heat is necessary for the milk to culture and thicken properly.
After the yogurt has incubated for several hours, chill the yogurt for about 12 hours.
Before flavoring the yogurt, scoop out a few ounces and put it in a small container. Cover and keep this in the fridge. This is your starter for the next batch. The starter is best used within a couple of weeks — the older it is, the less effective it is. If you don't make yogurt very often, you may have to purchase some more starter culture for your next batch. However, the starter can be frozen and then thawed at room-temperature (not in the microwave!) to store it for longer periods of time.
The yogurt can be sweetened and flavored to your preference. You can use honey, sugar, Splenda, or eat it unsweetened. You can add vanilla flavoring or puréed fruit. My favorite combination is one cup Splenda plus two cups peach purée.
Fresh yogurt will store in the refrigerator far longer than fresh milk. I've eaten yogurt that is two or three weeks old and the only problem is it needs a little stirring and has a tarter flavor than fresh-made yogurt.
Making yogurt is such an easy task that it will become a routine way to use up some of the excess milk from your dairy animals.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Types of Candle Wicks

Types of Candle Wicks


    • A wick's function is to draw the wax up to the flame.
      A wick influences a candle's burning performance. According to the National Candle Association over 100 types of wicks currently exist on the market, making it essential to select the right one. A candle that has a consistent flame size, a wax pool with no dripping and an afterglow makes a well-designed candle. Factors that impact wick choice include the wax type, candle's size, shape, color and fragrance.

    Flat

    • Composed of three braided strands, flat wicks have many plies per strand, cites Betty Oppenheimer, the author of "Making Hand-Dipped Candles." The number of plies in a flat braided wick determines its size. Sizes range from 15 ply (extra small) to 60 ply (extra large.) When lit, these wicks burn slightly off center, imparting a curl in the flame. Flat braided wicks break off as they burn called self-trimming. Select flat braided wicks for pillar and taper candles.

    Square

    • Originally designed for beeswax candles, plaited square wicks have rounded corners making them more robust than flat ones. Manufactures have devised a numbering system (differs between manufactures) to determine a square wick's size. Square wicks give a curl when burned to minimize carbon buildup or mushrooming. According to "The Candlemaker's Companion," square braided wicks maintain a centered flame in the candle. Find squared wicks in pillar, block and novelty candles.

    Cored

    • Braided with round cross sections, cored wicks stay upright while burning, according to the International Guild of Candle Artisans. Materials used for the interior core include cotton, paper, hemp, and zinc as the most popular. Zinc-cored wicks burns the coolest while paper core wicks do not burn as hot making them effective in paraffin-based wax candles. Cotton-cored wicks burn the hottest, making them more effectual for natural waxes. Find cored wicks in jar candles, pillars, votives and devotional lights.

    Precut

    • Cut to the candle maker's specifications, a precut, or tabbed, wick improves the beginner candle maker's craft by leaving out the guesswork. They also cut down the process time when producing in quantity. Make use of precut or tabbed wicks for votive, tea light and novelty candle-making.

    Special

    • CD series wicks have interwoven paper filament that offer increased rigidity, improving the burn of the wax. Generally used with paraffin and natural waxes, HTP series wicks have a rigidity often found in core wicks. As a self-trimming wick, it produces less mushrooming than other types.

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