I have created yogurt:

Here is how I did it:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

It was not too hard, though I think I worried about it too much as I always do, and eventually strained it through a cloth to thicken it a bit. Boy is it good. It's from cream-top milk, and is flavored with vanilla, and sweetened with sucanat. It tastes every bit as good as what I usually buy for Ray to eat with her breakfast. I would like a less expensive source for organic milk, though, as this did not save me any money. I initially wanted to try this as an alternative to buying yogurt in non-recyclable plastic containers. I still don't know why those containers have to be made out of type 5 plastic, but I'm sure there's a reason. Now if I could just find milk that comes in glass I'd be all set.

The process was a little weird for me, as I am not a milk drinker, and haven't had it (by itself) in years. I do eat yogurt and cheese (no rennet, though), and will have milk in coffee or as a hidden ingredient. The straining part was a little gross. All the whey that collected in my bowl should by all rights have been saved for baking or something due to it's nutritional value, but as I looked at it all I could think of was "foremilk". It was like the cow equivalent of those first few squirts that your baby gets. I'm not grossed-out by my own milk, or anything, but my daughter was a HUGE spitter-upper, and I still can't associate a lot of milky things with my own food. The sight and smell of ravioloi cheese is a major turn-off. Yucky. So, yeah, the whey went down the drain.

Next time I will try to figure out how to get the batch to thicken better. I did everything I could think of, but still had to strain, and only got half a quart in the end. Not cost effective. Any tips?