Caitlin Frame’s Easy Homemade Yoghurt

The thing I miss the most about my time living in Maine is having access to the most incredible organic, raw, grass-fed dairy products. One of my obsessions was the incomparably thick, rich, and nutrient-dense yoghurt from The Milkhouse. Caitlin Frame and Andy Smith established the Milkhouse in 2012 and the farm and creamery has since grown to provide milk and yoghurt to stores all across Maine, as well as schools. 

I always wanted to do an episode with Caitlin and Andy, with a secret mission in mind: to uncover the secret to their exquisite yoghurt. It turns out, it’s not that complicated and not really much of a secret at all. As Caitlin says, it’s all about the quality of the milk. In this case, that would be their gorgeous grass-fed Jersey cow milk. The second defining factor is the bacterial culture used to make the yoghurt. In this episode, Caitlin shows us how easy it is to prepare a batch of yoghurt at home. And in these days of rising food prices, making it from scratch will save you a few dollars (more than a few if you’re a big yoghurt fan)!

Yoghurt can vary widely in texture, flavor, and consistency. Different folks have different tastes, and how you like your yoghurt is a matter of cultural and personal preference. As Caitlin explains, if you use a type of yoghurt that you personally love to eat to inoculate your own batch of homemade yoghurt, then your yoghurt will be similar to the original “parent” yoghurt. You can always use a storebought freeze-dried powdered culture, but in my experience, it’s always been easier to simply use my favorite yoghurt as the inoculator. The steps to having delicious homemade yoghurt are really very simple and Caitlin walks you through them in this episode.

As for the milk, if you don’t have a great milk options at your local store, try to find a local farmer who produces grass-fed (and depending where you live, perhaps even raw unpasteurized) milk. Some dairy farmers will sell directly off their farm, so call around and befriend a local dairy farmer!

The cows at the Milkhouse are raised year-round on grass and forage from the farm. Their cows are primarily Jersey cows, but Caitlin and Andy also cross in some other breeds including Holstein and Normandy genetics, cows that thrive on pasture. Cows are generally meant to eat grasses. Yet in conventional, industrialized milk production, they are usually fed grains, including soy and corn that have been genetically engineered to survive herbicides, as well to produce insecticide from within the plant. Allowing cows to have grass-based diets is not only good for the cows, it’s better for the environment, and research shows the milk that results is better for human health. 

Organic and grass-fed dairy products lowers dietary intakes of omega-6 while increasing intake of omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, a heart-healthy fatty acid). And since a diet containing too many omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3s has been linked to heart disease, cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases, “grass milk” is a healthier option. It’s also better for you because it doesn’t contain the growth hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide residues commonly found in conventional milk. For farmers, it can also be advantageous to switch to grass-fed dairy operations, since shifting away from high-production, high-cost systems that rely on off-farm purchased grains and concentrate feeds can lower costs and increase profitability.

Caitlin and Andy are truly an inspiration because their farming practices really match their personal values around healthy ecosystems, healthy foods, and healthy communities. Their milk and yoghurt are certified organic by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), and they recently installed 192 solar panels on top of their cow barn, which Caitlin estimates will save them about $10,000 per year and generate around 70,000 kilowatt hours annually which will meet all the energy needs of the business. When I eat their yoghurt and drink their milk, I feel nourished in every way. And it makes me happy to know that their products are available to people all across Maine, and especially to school kids.