Whey

Whey is the liquid dairy byproduct from the process of curdling dairy. It is full of lactic acid bacteria, making it perfect a perfect starter for creating cultured dairy and lacto-ferments.

How to Make Whey

This is not an in-depth or comprehensive recipe as there are many ways to create whey. If you’re looking to cultivate large amounts of whey, please check out this guide on how to culture lactobacillus for horticultural use from The Nutrient Company.

To make whey, you need to take uncultured dairy and add acid to cause the milk to curdle and then strain the milk curds out of the whey. You can also take cultured dairy like yogurt or buttermilk and strain through a material like muslin or cheesecloth to make a thicker cultured dairy and some whey.

Uses for Whey

Gardening

• Use whey to ferment grain bran to create bokashi bran for bokashi composting.

Cooking

• Use hot whey instead of hot water for the final heating before stretching mozzarella cheese
• Add whey to a sweet liquid and let ferment to create a fizzy beverage

Food Preservation

• Use whey as a starter culture for Lactofermentation

Preserving Whey

Whey can be refrigerated in a covered container for several months. For longer storage, whey can be frozen.