We like to make things at home, from scratch. A while back, we had friends visiting. I got up to go make yogurt. Our friend looked at Brian and said, “She does know she can buy that at the store, right?”

Well, of course, but that misses the point. I know exactly what I put in my yogurt. I get the texture I love. And I have fun. It still amazes me each time I check in the morning and find yogurt in the pan. I used to make it in a little thermos, now I use a gallon or so of milk at once so I use a big pot. No fancy recipe, just heat the milk to 180 degrees, let it cool to about 110-120. Then I add a bit of yogurt leftover from the last batch. Meanwhile, I heat my oven to 200 degrees, put the pan in their with a lid and turn off the oven overnight. Works every time. I like a firmer texture, so I take my yogurt out and let it drain (coffee filter inside a strainer, set atop a glass measuring cup) for a couple of hours. I mix it with honey and frozen fruit and it is wonderful.

Other things we’ve made lately that have been a hit: laundry soap (been doing that for years), kombucha tea (yummy, but the “mushroom” kinda creeps me out), deoderant (love it!), ice cream (yum!), quilts, clothes, scarves, butter (fun for the kids), ricotta cheese (how can it be this easy?), kale pesto, and caramel syrup (great on Bella’s pancakes) to name a few. We also do a lot of cooking from scratch, that just seems normal to us.

Things that didn’t work out so well: buttermilk (we don’t actually like buttermilk, at least the soured kind), lacto-fermented sauerkraut, a bag crocheted from plastic bags (kind of wanted to make a point, but the point was “dang! this takes too long!”).

I have a list of things I want to try too, just haven’t gotten around to it. I want to get a beehive, but I have to talk Brian into doing all the work first. I would like to make a solar cooker, just for the fun of trying it out. And I want to make hair gel. I hear it is easy, and I hate thinking about all the unpronouceable things that make it into common products people use every day.

Today I found this list of 100 things you can make yourself with links to all 100 projects. Great list. I think we could be busy all summer and still not make it through the things we want to try. My girls will enjoy making hoola hoops I think. I can’t wait to get started on some new projects!

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