I make a lot of yogurt. With a lot of yogurt comes a lot of whey, yogurt cheese, sourcream, and cream cheese. In the past I had a small local fabric store, that sold the sturdy cheesecloth by the bolt. I would buy a few yards for a few dollars and I was set for the year. That store went out of business and now I’m lost! All I can find is the flimsy cheesecloth with holes that are way too big, and is so cheap that you can’t reuse it. That can end up being expensive. And we all know how cheap I am….
But alas I found the answer! And a permanent answer, that you won’t have to buy again and again and again.
I don’t normally shop at Walmart. Not for any ethical reason really, it’s just a total zoo. In our area there are only 3 Walmarts for 5.7 million people. Crowds are not my favorite thing. However I am the ultimate cheapskate, and so I ventured in to Walmart, bought 4 packages for these flour sack towels (for $2.79 per package) and ran for my life. (to be honest it took me two trips. The first time I was so depressed with the lack of healthy choices, and disgusted with the families in there with shopping carts full of garbage that I had to leave. But that’s a whole other topic…)
At home I washed and dried the towels and got to work straining yogurt. I loved the durability and texture of the towel, it was perfect. But I had a problem with yogurt going around the edges of the towel and into the whey. So I folded one towel in half, and sewed up the edges (by hand, because I don’t have a sewing machine) and ran a ribbon through the top for a drawstring.
Now I can pour a whole gallon of yogurt into this bag and hang it over a bowl and leave it to strain. I don’t have to babysit it, I can just come back the next day and it’s cheese…
Your other option, and I am going to do this next time, is to skip the drawstring part. These towels are the perfect shape, if you just sew up the long sides. They fit right down into a 1 gallon pitcher. Just fold the towel edges around the rim of the pitcher, and secure in place with a rubberband. Pour in your yogurt and leave it to drain.
They rinse out really easily under warm water, and can be thrown right into the wash. God, I love being cheap. 1 towel makes 2 large, gallon-sized bags. So you can make at least 10 bags for $0.27 cents per bag! That was worth the trip!
Add some herbs and homemade crackers and this is the perfect snack!
