In recent years, yoghurt has been hailed as a health food. Cultured milk products are loaded with calcium, protein, and Vitamins B and C.
Making yoghurt at home is easy and offers delicious results. For equipment, you will need a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot with a lid, a thermometer, a stove and an oven.

Whole Milk Yoghurt
What you will need:
1 gallon local whole milk
1 1/2 cup high quality plain yoghurt

What to do:
First, pour the milk into a stainless steel pot. Set it on the stove over medium heat. Gently heat the milk to about 180 degrees, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the burner and allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees. Using a whisk, stir in the plain yoghurt. Cover the pot.
Turn on the oven for about 30 seconds. When it reaches about 110 degrees inside, turn it off. Slide the pot of milk into the warm oven and close the door.

After 12 hours have passed, check on the yoghurt. Shake the pot gently. If the yoghurt wiggles like Jell-O, you've succeeded. Store the finished yoghurt in the fridge for up to two weeks. Enjoy.

This month, tune in to Living Culture on CCTV, cable channel 22. Our guests include Claudia & David Prevost, from the Buena Vista House.
Living Culture airs Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 5:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. More information can be found at livingcultureonline.com.

Tips on buying milk

• Most grocery stores will offer milk from a regional dairy. Buy local first.
  
• Try to find milk that is pasteurized ONLY. Ultra-pasteurized and homogenized milk will work for yoghurt, but they are less than ideal.
  
• Do your homework. Is the milk organic? Hormone- and antibiotic-free? Obtained from grass-fed cows? If these issues are important to you, contact the dairy and ask.