You can make your own yoghurt on the trail. I have tried this and it works fine with the ‘Easiyo’ sachets you buy from supermarkets and some powdered milk.This is from a CDT thru-hiker:
‘Yoghurt can be made on the trail in a zip lock or a more durable plastic jar. It’s very simple to make:
- Bring a small amount of store-bought yogurt to get it started. Mix powdered milk, water and the store-bought yogurt starter in the container. Shake it up.
- Keep fairly warm either by sleeping with it at night or by keeping it somewhere dark yet warmed by body heat or the sun. Inside your shirt works well or at the top of your pack in a place that would get warmed in the sun. It makes yogurt even if the temperature of the liquid only reaches 20-25 degrees or so.
- If you sleep with it remove it from your sleeping bag a few hours before eating so it will be cold for breakfast.
- Eat but save a little for starter for the next batch. Repeat.’
I found you don’t need a starter, (and that would only increase the chances of contamination and things going wrong. use a fresh snap lock bag for each batch and you will be fine.
My wife said ‘I don’t think I need yoghurt this much on the trail….some people are nuts…’
I admit I am; but also that I can probably get by with just powdered milk and instant porridge or (Carmen’s) muesli for breakfast, with occasionally scrambled powdered eggs or falafel fried in the fat from last night’s Chinese sausages (or a fresh-caught fish) & etc. However, I am thinking about stoveless hiking – more about that later – and trail-made yoghurt might fit in with that.
I do like a hot meal at the end of the day usually though, but it does mean the weight of carrying a cookset – at least between two people..
Hi there, I am going to give this a try and was hoping you could give quantities for this recipe please.
I just used the Easyo sachet pictured and it worked fine. Cheers, Steve. You will have to experiment.