Uses for Expired Yogurt
Posted on January 4, 2008 by
Lauren e-mailed me last week with an interesting eco-friendly tip:
“I was looking around the internet today for a way to use VERY expired yogurt, and came across this great post at You Grow Girl: http://www.yougrowgirl.com/thedirt/2007/06/12/tomatoes-like-milk/. She explains how to use expired milk to feed your plants, AND in the comments section, someone offers their recipe for making ricotta from expired milk. Just thought it was kind of a cool idea. It sounds like a really cut down mixture could be used with expired yogurt as well, but do you have any great, green ideas for old yogurt to share?”
I’d never thought of things to do with expired yogurt, but I love that Lauren is even looking at expired yogurt as a recycling opportunity.
I poked around and found a few more interesting things to do with yogurt.
Reader’s Digest has a “recipe” for making moss paint out of expired yogurt and moss you have growing in your yard. Mix it up in a blender and paint it on terracotta flowerpots, the stones in your garden, between your walkway tiles, or anyplace you want moss to grow.
If the yogurt isn’t too far gone, but past the point where you want to eat it, Reader’s Digest also has recipes for facial treatments, finger paints and sunburn relief. Check out all the recipes here.
Also, check out some of the things yogurt can help you with before it goes bad — it can help your body fight everything from yeast infections to asthma attacks, diarrhea and possibly even cancer.
Thanks, Lauren!
Wow, that is such a cool idea with the moss. There are so many things that go bad in my fridge, and I try and salvage them, but I never know what to do. Any ideas for bad carrots and parsley?
The yogurt container is one thing, but I never thought much about recycling the yogurt itself. Actually, I’m a yogurt fiend, so I never have to throw any away. The container has proven problematic, though, as our local recycling center doesn’t accept #5 plastic.
I know, I love the idea of recycling expired food for non-food uses. I hadn’t really thought of it before. I’m so glad Lauren e-mailed.
Bad carrots and parsley? Leave them out for the bunnies? Or stick the carrot in some dirt and see if it grows? Compost? (We’ll be getting into that this spring, I think).
Mickey, you’ve inspired me. Tomorrow I’ll do a yogurt container tip.
Well, I meant Monday.
[...] Tuesday – Uses for Expired Yogurt [...]
Oooh, I use the old yogurt containers like tupperware. The big ones, anyway. The little ones would barely hold two mouthfuls of food!
School art departments can use the larger yogurt containers for painting.
I’ve started making my own yogurt and keep it in glass jars for the week (1 qt of milk makes just enough for the week and leaves enough to make a new batch). Cuts back on both yogurt waste and no more plastic cups to boot!
[...] has some uses for expired yogurt. I never thought there were [...]
[...] expire? Reader’s Digest has some great advice for using up old yogurt (via good human via allie’s answers). The post has instructions [...]