Fermentation Support Forum

I'm making a batch of 4 quarts of yogurt today, which I will be fermenting for about 24 hours (in order to remove most of the lactose). How long will it keep?

Also, how long will the whey keep, if I remove some?

Thanks!

It, the yoghurt, should be okay for at least 2 weeks. I've kept some for about 18 days with only some excess lactic acid to show for it at the top. The longer it goes, without adding food for the bacteria, the more lactic acid is produced and the sourer it becomes. The bacteria will begin to die when the food source runs out.

I'll keep mine till it separates (which can be 2 days to 2 weeks), then I use it to make cream cheese.

The shelf life of yoghurt seems to depend on the milk you started with, the kind of yoghurt (room temp or heat cultured), and the time of year (especially true for grass fed cows/goats/animals because their milk directly reflects their diet).

Whey (cultured whey like from yoghurt cheese) on the other hand is difficult to say. Sally Fallon states that it lasts 6 months or longer, others say use it within a month. Some people say it will keep for up to 4 years in the fridge. Personally, I feel 4 years is too long. Usually, I'll toss the whey after 4 months.

Well, it's been three weeks, and I just used the last of it today. Seemed fine. Thanks everyone!

I left a few small sealed pots in the fridge for a good few months and it ended up covered in black mould so I had to throw it out and sterilize the containers. I keep everything very clean as well, sterilize the jars, boil the milk so there should be the minimum possible contamination.

I won't leave anything that long again!

I have had a jar of raw goat milk in the refrigerator for about 3 or 4 years. I've only opened it a couple of times until now. It has separated completely with some (curds?) forming on the bottom. It has only just started to get a little blue/green mold on top of the cream. It smells and tastes really good. To my unsophisticated palate it tastes like a cross between feta and chevre I've just separated the cream and whey and plan on making some stuff with them. Any ideas? Sandor mentioned in one of his books that there is a place in NY where they have been using the same yogurt culture for over a hundred years.