Buttermilk C21 - 5 Packets

Works very quickly with great results.

This packet is about the size of a seed packet, but has 5 small packets inside. Followed the instructions for 1 qt except only used 1/2 of one of the tiny packets. After about 24 hrs the milk was thick but wasn't very tasty; still milk-ish tasting with little to no "tang". So I left it for another 14hr or so and it was great.

I'm a buttermilk aficionado. I drink it, not just bake with it. You won't go wrong with this culture. Although I do not see any improvement over using store-bought buttermilk as a starter. I've read that store-bought cannot be re-cultured repeatedly, but I'm not sure that's true. I'm gonna test it soon and will report back.The quality of the resulting buttermilk with this culture is as good as any other. No better, no worse, in my view. Since it can be recultured indefinitely, having a supply of this in the freezer ought to last a long, long time! My suggestions follow.1) I have not seen any reason to fuss with the heating step. It can't hurt (unless you burn the milk, which is easy to do). I just don't see any need. I mix the starter culture in with fresh milk, and let is sit at room temperature until done. This can be shorter or longer depending on the ambient temperature. In the winter, I do use a yogurt culturing warmer. I have one large enough to accomodate a quart of yogurt, and I just set my canning jar filled with cultured milk into the warmer. Keeping an eye on it in case it gets overly warm. In the summer, I brew at night, so it's not too warm in the room.2) I have had bad results using ultra-pasteurized milk. I bought it because it was "organic", but the ultra-pasteurization sterilizes it to the point of being dead I think. I prefer organic, but not ultra-pasteurized. 1% milk does fine, no need for whole or even 2% to get a rich creamy, thick buttermilk.3) Use plenty of starter. I use the packets to culture one quart or less the first time. From there, I use about a 1:4 ratio of cultured milk to fresh. That's probably overkill, but it costs nothing to use more at that point, and it seems to work out well.4) I was initially disappointed in my homemade buttermilk because it lacked the zip or tang that commercial buttermilk offers. Duh. I read the ingredients and saw that they add sodium citrate and salt to commercial (as well as powdered milk, which I will NOT do!). I got some sodium citrate here on Amazon (https://amzn.to/2JjfQRm) and add 1/2 tsp per quart, more or less. I add a couple of dashes of pink Himalayan salt also. The sodium citrate adds a slight zing, and also acts as an emulsifier, resulting in a less grainy texture for the finished product.5) I use an immersion (stick) blender to whiz the finished product before sticking it in the fridge to chill. Adds additional smoothness to the texture. If the milk has cultured to long and separated, this will also bring it back together, though it may need to be repeated from time to time in that case.6) For a refreshing summer treat, try putting some of your freshly fermented buttermilk into a blender with ice and a few sprigs of mint and make a slushy. Soooooo good!

I'm from Texas. We love our buttermilk for everything and it's readily available. Since moving several places in the world I realize buttermilk and green beans are not a worldwide phenomenon 🤣Hence the need for this wonderful culture. I used while milk and it was better than store bought. I was able to continue to use a little from each batch to start a new one. I made about a pint a week. So one packet of culture lasted about 6 weeks for me before my final batch went bad quickly. This may not be everyone's experience.I was also able to use some of the buttermilk to make cultured butter. Yum! I'm on my second packet now.

Worked like a charm. I used it to make butter and can't say that I could tell all that much difference between mutter made with fermented cream and commercial butter, but the cream I used was ultra pasteurized. That may have muted the effects of the product.

Nothing like a fresh cold glass of buttermilk to put a smile on your face! I just LOVE having fresh buttermilk in my frig anytime I want it! I make it with raw milk I get from the farmer and it fabulous!UPDATE: I typically get 3 or 4 batches per packet. I use raw milk and do not heat it at all. For my first batch, I allow 1 cup to set on counter and get to room temp (apprx 70 degrees) then add the packet and let it set a few minutes. Then I put it and 3 cups of cold raw milk straight from the fridge into my 1 liter jug. Cap it with a paper towel/rubber band so it can breath and put it on a shelf in the pantry. The first batch takes 24 to 48 hrs. Subsequent batches just overnight usually (I just pour 3 cups of cold raw milk into the last cup or so of buttermilk left in the jug. I bought my first package of this starter end of Sept 2015 and just used my last packet so came back for another. Have made buttermilk each week! If you look close at the top of jug in the picture, you can see the cream at the top!New Update: My first order (& review of this product) was from a different seller than my second packets. The first came from Orange Casa and every batch came out perfect. Because I was able to reculture batches a few times before having to open a new packet, the first 5 packets lasted nearly 6 months with me making a new batch weekly. My reorder was from a seller called ToysNGamesEtc and I've yet to get a good batch of buttermilk from this order. The first batch went down the drain, totally unusable (and no reculturing from it). The second batch I'm still not sure about - not the same issue as the first, but it's off. My method for culturing the milk (and source of milk) has not changed. I store the packets in the freezer, per the instruction, so I can only conclude that it was perhaps DOA. Who knows how the resellers store it. I doubt that I will waste anymore time or milk on the remaining packets. I'll go straight to New England Cheese Making Supply for future orders. Seems like a roll of the dice... if you get a good live culture, it makes great buttermilk.