A couple weeks back, during one of the cooler and blustery days, we decided that it would be cheesemaking day! When we got up we pulled 2 gallons of milk out of the freezer, but it took a really long time to melt. So we employed a combination of oven exhaust, microwave, and hot water to help speed up the process.
Next, all the milk went into a giant pot and started heating. Once up to temperature, the rennet and mesophilic bacteria were added and the heat was steadied.
After about an hour, the curds had formed. It was really interesting; they formed a solid block right below the surface and half-float in the whey. The next step was to cut the curds into 1/2-inch squares, which you can see below if you look closely.
Next we had to maintain a constant temperature of 98° and stir to keep the cubes from molding together, stir stir stir!
Then we drain the whey and keep the curds. This is what they look like going into the cheesecloth:
It is wild that the curds stay in the cheesecloth, since the cheesecloth is basically just a large piece of gauze. So, gather the curds and wrap them up. Then, you have to squish it. Normally you would use a cheese press, but there was no way we were going to invest in one. So we used our shipping scale to weigh books, and stacked the right weight on top of the cookie tray. Low-tech but effective!
Several hours (and more weight) later we were done! Look! Cheese!
Nate wanted to try a cheese that he could compare with something that we'd recognize, so we made a cheddar. Unfortunately, the cheddar has to age 4-12 weeks before its appropriate to be eaten. We did try it "young," and it was sort of tasteless and squeaky, like chewing rubber. We're hopeful that a month from now it'll be gourmet!
In the meanwhile, things are great around the farm. Here are a few photos:
Dolce's baby has been named Gucci, and is growing like a weed!
The chickies are growing too! I'm sensing eggs in our future!
We wanted to include a photo of Pato in the pond, he's a part of the barn team.
Love to everyone! Go out and kill some mosquitoes for us!
-N&J
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