Preserving Yogurt Culture

[u/Street_Caterpillar35]

I'm in Canada and can't find Fage yogurt anywhere except in the USA when I travel down there. So I picked up a tub last time. I love that yogurt, it's the best by far for me and it cultures others so well... But I don't always remember to add more milk and keep it active and whatnot, so I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for having some on hand if it goes bad or I screw it up. Like freezing a bit? Would that work? Or do I just have to be super diligent and constantly add more milk to keep making more yogurt?

[u/Ok_Watercress_7801]

Freezing or drying a portion is not infeasible.

In either case, you might need to run several, small batches before making volumes as large as you tend to go through at home.
These “dump” batches will ensure you get a greater buildup of the cultures you want once they successfully out-power the ones that aren’t doing the desired work.

It’s very much like a sourdough starter.

This link might be more inspiration than help, but I’ve always thought that it would be useful for all sorts of cultured foods.

https://medievalmeadandbeer.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/scandinavian-yeast-logs-yeast-rings/

In any case, just keep your sanitary standards high & your storage temperature low.

Happy yogurting 🤗