# whey uses?



## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

I searched, but didn't find a thread addressing this...
I just made a small, quick batch of vinegar cheese (first time using home-raised milk! ), but am not sure what to do with the vinegar-whey. In winter, I've used whey to make gjetost while I have the woodstove going anyhow, but in summer, long simmering means using bottled gas $$. How do people here use whey, besides offering it to the chickens? If it wasn't for the vinegar content, I'd bake with it. Might anyhow, just to find out how bad it is or is not....


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

I havn't made cheese, but I've heard you can pour it on your plants...just mix it with water first 

16 Ways to Use Your Whey: 
(from http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html)

1. Substitute it in any baking recipe that calls for water (or even milk). I love making fresh breads and rolls with my leftover whey. Also try it in cornbread, pancakes, waffles, muffins, biscuits, homemade tortillas, and more!

2. Use it to lacto-ferment vegetables, condiments, sauerkraut, chutneys, jams, etc. This is an area that I have yet to really explore, but it's on my list! This is an incredibly healthful form of preservation that increases the nutritional value of so many things. Check out the book Nourishing Traditions for more info on this topic. (It is important to use raw whey when you lacto-ferment- not acid whey or cooked whey.)

3. Use it to soak grains, Nourishing Traditions style. Depending on your recipe, several tablespoons or more can be added to your grain and legume preparations to make them more digestible.

4. Freeze it for later. If you anticipate a milk-less time of year (perhaps when your animals are dried up), you can easily freeze whey for future use. Try putting it in ice cube trays or small cups to make the proper portion sizes. Then pop out the frozen cubes and store in a baggie.

5. Use it to cook your pastas, potatoes, oatmeal, or rice. Boiling the whey will cause it to lose its raw properties. However, if you feel like you are drowning in whey, this is a wonderful way to use it up and add extra flavor to the foods.

6. Add it to soups and stews. Perhaps it could take the place of some of your homemade stock or broth?

7. Add it to homemade fruit smoothies or milkshakes. The sky is the limit when it comes to all the flavor combos you can make.

8. Use it as a hair product. Now, I personally have not yet tried this, so proceed with caution! But I have seen several sources recommend it as a shampoo substitute, hair rinse, or even as hair gel! Not sure if I'll be trying this, but let me know if YOU do!

9. Feed it to the dogs. Our dogs love it when I pour a little whey on their dry food and make it into a cereal. It's quite the treat.

10. Make Whey Lemonade. I've seen several delicious-sounding recipes for lemonade-type drinks using whey. It's on my list of things to try this summer! Check out this recipe from Food Renegade.

11. Use it to water your plants. Dilute it with a good amount of water (straight whey will "burn" your plants- I learned this the hard way&#8230 and pour on your veggies or flowers (avoid using acid whey here). Think how much your container garden would love that!

12. Feed it to the farm critters. Our chickens love it and so did our pigs.

13. Make ricotta. Ricotta cheese is traditionally made from whey. And it's so incredibly easy! However, this will require the whey to be heated to 200 degrees, so all the raw enzymes will be lost. Fias Co Farms has an excellent ricotta tutorial. I like to make ricotta when I have gallons of extra whey, and then I freeze it for making lasagna later.

14. Pour it in your compost bin. I have yet to do this, but it would be better than dumping it down the drain.

15. Make a marinade. Add your favorite spices and seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper, maybe some rosemary&#8230;Yum!) to the whey and allow it to marinate your steaks, chicken, fish, or pork chops. The enzymes in the whey help to break down the meat and add flavor.

16. Use it to stretch your mozzarella. If you've ever made mozzarella before, you know that you must stretch the curds at the end of the process. Some recipes say to use the microwave (no thanks!), while others use a pot of hot, salted water. The last several times, I've used hot, salted whey to heat my curds before stretching. It has worked great! Check out my mozzarella tutorial here. - See more at: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html#sthash.md8qJGo2.dpuf


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

Marinade! Acid whey marinade! Brilliant! Chicken dinner coming up, with a "retired" chicken in marinade.
And the other fifteen suggestions I'll tuck away for later. No, whey never goes down the drain, but the vinegar makes it a little harder to use successfully. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all this out. I'm sure many others will find this useful as well.

BTW, sort of related, my former neighbour would use sour milk that the store couldn't sell in his leaf pile, to activate decomposition. Specifically milk, specifically leaves. And since he grew the biggest pumpkin I have ever seen--it had to be loaded through the side door of a maxivan--who am I to doubt him?


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

I actually didn't write it , I got it from http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html


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