Making Cheese!
The last couple of days have been soooo busy!
I was able to get the fresh milk Wednesday. It was actually only a 21 mile drive, not 45 miles like I expected at first. So it wasn't quite so expensive to get out there. Not to mention, I bartered with the woman and gave her 3 bags of blueberries in exchange for 1 of the gallons of milk. She poured the milk into these used milk jugs...
That night, I took 2 gallons of the milk out, poured it into a sterilized stainless steel pot, and got it warmed up to room temperature, then put in 1 packet of mesophilic starter culture.
Covered it with a folded towel...and let it sit overnight.
In the morning, I checked the milk, and it had a thick layer of cream on the top. Very thick. I didn't know it at the time, but this was the "clean break" (or at least I think it must have been). The whey and curds had already separated, but I assumed that you're supposed to wait till it is hard enough to cut into squares. (mine were already like the consistency of scrambled eggs).
My friend Allison had come over to spend a few hours and help me make the cheese. Almost the entire time was spent trying to keep the milk at 90 degrees farenheit, so that we would get the "clean break", which I had already stirred back into the pot. (She helped me cut up and bag 12 bags of okra and also brought me some pineapple cheese casserole to eat while we were waiting).
A few hours after Alison left (we had already waited a few hours), I thought, "maybe it's ready now"..cause it really looked like the consistency that it is supposed to be when you're pouring the curds into the strainter (in the online tutorials I've been looking at).
So, I decided to ladel the whey away from the curds:
Then I got the PVC pipe, put it in a bowl, then put cheesecloth over that (4 layers), so that I could strain the curds.
Then, started dumping them in, little by little...
...till there was about this much...
I pulled up the corners and tied them with some more cheesecloth, and then hung it, to let it strain for a few hours.
After it was strained, it looked like this:
Then, I put about 2 tbsp of salt and maybe 2 tsp crushed red pepper, then mixed it all up.
Then, I got the cheesecloth ready again, and put the curds in there.
Then, I tied the bag up again...
Placed it on the bottom of a plate turned upside down, which was inside a large stainless steel bowl (so that any remaining water could drip down into the bowl):
Then, I added a 7 1/2 pound weight, which was outside so was rusty. I washed the weight and put it in a ziplock bag, so that none of it would touch the cheese.
Then, I put a washcloth over it...
then, a large, heavy rock... Yes, I know there are better ways, but this is what I had. lol
To ensure there would be enough pressure, I also used a bungee cord...
I let it sit, again, overnight. In the morning, this is what it looked like:
Oh and it actually tastes like cheese. Awesome!
Now, I have rubbed it with salt, and have wrapped it in a cloth (bandage), and put it in our fridge. Every day, I am supposed to remove the bandage, and replace it with a new one, and flip the cheese over until it forms a crust. Then, after that crust is formed, I'll be dipping the cheese in red wax, and then it'll be ready after another month.
******
Yesterday, I put 3/4 gallon of the milk into this container, and waited for the cream to rise to the top:
Then I scooped the cream off the top, put it in a jar, and shook it for a while. Bonnie even helped me out.
But then, I decided that was too much work, so I got my stick blender and blended away...
...till it started looking like this, and the butter began separating from the milk...
After that, I poured the butter/milk combination into the strainer, and poured water over the butter till the milk was gone. Then, added salt to it, and shaped it into a little ball and put it on a plate.
It tastes delicious!!
I was able to get the fresh milk Wednesday. It was actually only a 21 mile drive, not 45 miles like I expected at first. So it wasn't quite so expensive to get out there. Not to mention, I bartered with the woman and gave her 3 bags of blueberries in exchange for 1 of the gallons of milk. She poured the milk into these used milk jugs...
That night, I took 2 gallons of the milk out, poured it into a sterilized stainless steel pot, and got it warmed up to room temperature, then put in 1 packet of mesophilic starter culture.
Covered it with a folded towel...and let it sit overnight.
In the morning, I checked the milk, and it had a thick layer of cream on the top. Very thick. I didn't know it at the time, but this was the "clean break" (or at least I think it must have been). The whey and curds had already separated, but I assumed that you're supposed to wait till it is hard enough to cut into squares. (mine were already like the consistency of scrambled eggs).
My friend Allison had come over to spend a few hours and help me make the cheese. Almost the entire time was spent trying to keep the milk at 90 degrees farenheit, so that we would get the "clean break", which I had already stirred back into the pot. (She helped me cut up and bag 12 bags of okra and also brought me some pineapple cheese casserole to eat while we were waiting).
A few hours after Alison left (we had already waited a few hours), I thought, "maybe it's ready now"..cause it really looked like the consistency that it is supposed to be when you're pouring the curds into the strainter (in the online tutorials I've been looking at).
So, I decided to ladel the whey away from the curds:
Then I got the PVC pipe, put it in a bowl, then put cheesecloth over that (4 layers), so that I could strain the curds.
Then, started dumping them in, little by little...
...till there was about this much...
I pulled up the corners and tied them with some more cheesecloth, and then hung it, to let it strain for a few hours.
After it was strained, it looked like this:
Then, I put about 2 tbsp of salt and maybe 2 tsp crushed red pepper, then mixed it all up.
Then, I got the cheesecloth ready again, and put the curds in there.
Then, I tied the bag up again...
Placed it on the bottom of a plate turned upside down, which was inside a large stainless steel bowl (so that any remaining water could drip down into the bowl):
Then, I added a 7 1/2 pound weight, which was outside so was rusty. I washed the weight and put it in a ziplock bag, so that none of it would touch the cheese.
Then, I put a washcloth over it...
then, a large, heavy rock... Yes, I know there are better ways, but this is what I had. lol
To ensure there would be enough pressure, I also used a bungee cord...
I let it sit, again, overnight. In the morning, this is what it looked like:
Oh and it actually tastes like cheese. Awesome!
Now, I have rubbed it with salt, and have wrapped it in a cloth (bandage), and put it in our fridge. Every day, I am supposed to remove the bandage, and replace it with a new one, and flip the cheese over until it forms a crust. Then, after that crust is formed, I'll be dipping the cheese in red wax, and then it'll be ready after another month.
******
Yesterday, I put 3/4 gallon of the milk into this container, and waited for the cream to rise to the top:
Then I scooped the cream off the top, put it in a jar, and shook it for a while. Bonnie even helped me out.
But then, I decided that was too much work, so I got my stick blender and blended away...
...till it started looking like this, and the butter began separating from the milk...
After that, I poured the butter/milk combination into the strainer, and poured water over the butter till the milk was gone. Then, added salt to it, and shaped it into a little ball and put it on a plate.
It tastes delicious!!
My Grannie always loved making her own cheese and butter from milk bought from a local dairy. Much much better than what we buy at the store (maybe because the milk comes from less stressed cows?).
I got tickled at the rock picture, but with knowing I'd do the same thing, too!
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Oh my goodness, how fun to make cheese! My girls love cheese and would love to do this I'm sure. We get fresh raw milk from an organic co-op every couple weeks so next time I will have to be sure to buy extra so we can try this. Do you have a specific recipe as to how much milk to use and how much of the starter? Where did you buy the starter? I am really excited to try this! Thanks for sharing!
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OK. YOU ARE AMAZING!! =) *Hugs*
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Now that's what I call resourcefulness!
I love the photo with the rock, weight, and bungee cord : )
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Your industry is so amazing. Everything looks delicious.
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WOW!!
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Have you tried making mozzarella or ricotta? It is so easy and talk about the difference in taste. Okay, so ours doesn't always come out quite right but we've never had to give it to the chickens. We use the "mistakes" like you would queso fresco in enchiladas. I try to make my own tortillas for the enchiladas but the boys eat them almost quicker than we can cook them! It seems like all they do is eat but then that is to be expected from 3 active boys between the ages of 9 and 14!
By the way, I just love your blog! I was looking for a recipe and stumbled across Tammy's blog which in turn lead me to yours! Both you and Tammy are so very sweet.
Peggy
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Wow..how cool making your own cheese. I would love to that..I am still trying to find a raw milk source around here. Someday I want to have my own cow then I can just go get it from my own back yard
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I have two things to say...first a complaint : ) I wish I had high speed internet because every time I try to visit your site...it takes forever to down load & I rarely get to see many of your pictures : (
Secondly....not a complaint : ) What do you not know how to do? : ) Everytime I come here you are in the middle of some new ,exciting, and big project.
Would you like to come to my house & help me get some things done ? LOL!
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While time consuming the whole process looks a little easier than I thought.
Let me know when it's ready and we'll be over for lunch LOL
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Karolan, haha I'm glad the rock picture could make you laugh! It made me laugh too. lol
Michele, I posted a new topic here">http://bethany.preciousinfants.com/2008/08/23/cheese-making-links.aspx">here which should help answer your questions!
Rose, Aww hugs to you!!!
Meredith, lol!
Lily,
Robin,
Thanks!!
Peggy, unfortunately, I did try the ricotta with the whey, and failed when I let it get too hot. I'm going to try again with my next batch and see what happens! Your enchiladas sound delicious!!
Amity, this link:
http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html
has a list of different places where you can buy raw milk, in every state. Maybe you can find somewhere close to you that way!
HisTenderMercies, I'm so sorry that the pictures take so long to load. Would it make it easier if long posts like that were put on a separate page? I can try that if you think it might help people with dial up.
As for knowing how to do all this stuff- I don't! I am just trying to learn something new each day. I find most of the information on how to do these things from books at garage sales, and the internet!
Sandcastle momma, you are welcome here anytime, as long as I can come to your house for one of those crab feasts!
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I don't think I'll complain about the price of cheese any more. That looks like a *lot* of time & work! Great job, though. I'm sure it'll be worth it in a month.
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