Karyna grew up in Spokane, born to parents she describes as “hippies.” “Everything was made from scratch,” she says. “It was almost to my irritation as a kid.” When she chose to stay home with her kids after a career in social work, she needed a challenge. Her family purchased milk from Spokane Family Farms, and they had a lot of it. Karyna decided to try her hand at making ricotta, hard cheeses and yogurt with the excess. She started selling her yogurt at local farmers’ markets, and her friend Mika Maloney, the visionary behind Batch Bakeshop, suggested that she take it to the next level. The Washington State Department of Agriculture doesn’t make it easy for a small yogurt maker. Even though Karyna uses all pasteurized milk, they require her to pasteurize it again. She ran a Kickstarter for a $10,000 pasteurizer and was successful. We all know that many things are better when made on a small scale with quality ingredients, but I’m sure you’re wondering what makes Flora’s yogurt special— something worth choosing over the store brands. Karyna tells me that it all comes down to the culture. As with seeds, there are heirloom cultures handed down through generations. These cultures are different depending on where you are in the world. Most store bought yogurt is Bulgarian (and 90% of the cultures in store-bought yogurts are not naturally occurring). Karyna developed relationships with other yogurt makers around the world. Soon, they were swapping dehydrated cultures so that she could see what she liked. What she liked eventually led to the five varieties Flora currently offers. All are plain flavor and ready to be used for anything: Bulgarian (which will be familiar in texture) Mediterranean Strained (or Greek yogurt) Cultured Buttermilk Filmjolk (from Sweden, thin bodied and sweet, it’s a customer favorite) Viili (from Finland, mild with a full texture. This one comes from a supplier on the west side whose parents brought the culture from Finland) You can pick up a quart for about $8 at Rocket Market, The Shop, Batch Bakery, Petunia’s Market or the South Perry Thursday Market. Look for Flora on several local menus as well. — Casey Reichl
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1216 S. Grand Blvd. Spokane 509.624.1301 • beaukflorist.net spokanecda.com • JULY • 2015
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