Homestead cheese

[sunflower]

I figured it would be nice to see a few pictures to go along with the recipe. First we with start with 2 gallons of unpasteurized (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unpasteurized) milk. Heat to 86 degrees F. Add rennett and hold for 45 minutes, or until you get a clean break. Cut the curds. Heat to 102 degrees F, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. The remainder will follow. I can only add one picture at a time. Please be patient. Sorry for the delay, I'm researching how to resize my photos.

[sunflower]

Hold for an hour, then pour off into a colander. Drain off the whey. Could possibly make 10 loaves of bread with this recipe, if you make whey bread that is! Hang for an hour in cheese cloth. Picture will follow (I hope!!)

[sunflower]

Here is the cheese hanging and draining for an hour.

[sunflower]

I'm having problems posting pictures. To be continued. There's got to be an easier way to post. :mad:

[Grizzy]

sunflower please don't give up.. am very interested in seeing your success! Thank You for trying so hard :).

Be Strong
~Grizzy~

[sissy]

Very interesting. I'm with Grizzy please keep trying. I've never made cheese before, I would like to learn. Thank you for doing this.
sissy

[Equilibrium]

My son found a free program for me called PhotoFiltre that lets me drag a photo into it and then there's a drop down that let's me resize it with one click. I don't know if that would help but here it is, http://photofiltre.en.softonic.com/. It's so easy to use even someone like me can resize and.... it's free. My son also taught me how to do screenshots so if you need help using it.... I could do a DIY "resize" a photo for you. Please do the rest of your cheese DIY if you can.... I'm totally loving your how to instructions and your photos!!!

[sunflower]

I am re-posting the photo of the curds in the colander. I tried to resize it.

[Equilibrium]

Great photo!!! Thank you so much!!! Silly question for you since I've never made cheese before.... where do you buy rennett?

[sunflower]

Here is the curds hanging for an hour.

[sunflower]

I mentioned earlier of how much whey that is produced, well here it is. Only pictures can describe it.

[sunflower]

After hanging for 1 hour, hand crumble the curds adding salt as much or as little as you like. A general rule for the salt is 1 tbsp. per pound, but we use less. Notice the curds are crumbled not as "solid" as the before picture.

[sunflower]

Put the curds along with the cheesecloth into the press. Apply 10lbs. for 15 minutes. I used a weight, but a brick would probably work better. As long as it weighs 10lbs.

[sunflower]

After 15 minutes you should probably have something that looks like this. Then flip the cheese in the press and apply 20lbs. for 12 hours. After 12 hours flip it again a apply 20lbs. for another 12 hours.
Notice the weights are a little awkward. We bought a cheap cheese press. Thought of going with a standard coffee can with holes drilled in the bottom of it. Decided against this because we found out that some coffee cans contain lead that can leach out into the cheese

[sunflower]

Great photo!!! Thank you so much!!! Silly question for you since I've never made cheese before.... where do you buy rennett?

We get our rennett from a local home brew supply company. But as for a I know you can check with your local pharmacy. They can usually order it for you. Also, cheesemaking supply websites have it.

[Grendal]

you can also make rennet at home. Both animal and vegtable rennet.

I saw in a book that I no longer own, The Encyclopedia of Country Living by carla emery. This book has the vegtable rennet, the animal rennet must be made from calf stomach.

There are steps for it here, http://www.ehow.com/how_5134833_make-rennet.html

Somewhere I got a couple of different recipes laying about for cheese.

[Grizzy]

... where do you buy rennett?

This might help..

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html


~Grizzy~

[Grizzy]

sunflower, thank you so much for taking the time to do this thread!

~Grizzy~

[sunflower]

Okay, After 24 hours of pressing at 20 lbs, it is time to unwrap and let the cheese dry for about 3 to 5 days. Once it is dry, we will move on to the waxing. Thanks for your patience.

[Equilibrium]

sunflower> thanks for the rennet tip…. I’ll ask my pharmacist.
--
Grendal> here’s a link to a free pdf where you can download Emery’s whole book, http://www.downloadnow.net/search_files.html?url=aHR0cDovL3JhcGlkc2hhcmUuY29t L2ZpbGVzLzM4Nzg0MTMzMC9UaGVfRW5jeWNsb3BlZGlhX29mX0 NvdW50cnlfTGl2aW5nX19VcGRhdGVkXzl0aF9FZC5yYXI%3D&name=VGhlX0VuY3ljbG9wZWRpYV9vZl9Db3VudHJ5X0xpdmluZ 19fVXBkYXRlZF85dGhfRWQ%3D. If you liked her book…. Quick fast save it for your personal use since sometimes those links go ***poof***.

[sunflower]

Here it is after one day of drying. Notice the rind beginning to form around the edges. A work in process!;)

[Equilibrium]

Grizzy> I totally missed the links to more cheese making tutorials. They look great and I'll definitely check everything out at those web pages.
--
sunflower> Your last photos are really great too. Can you re-use the cloth for the next time you make cheese and how exactly do you wax a cheese that's the size of the wheel that goes on my wheel barrel?

[sunflower]

sunflower> Your last photos are really great too. Can you re-use the cloth for the next time you make cheese and how exactly do you wax a cheese that's the size of the wheel that goes on my wheel barrel?

The cheese cloth is definitely reusable. Real cheese cloth is at least 90 thread count. You may be thinking of the "cheese cloth" found at the local hardware store. That is not what you want to use. As for the size of the cheese brick; it is about 6 inches in diameter and weighs 2 pounds. A good rule of thumb is that 1 gallon makes approximately 1 pound. Getting to the waxing; we cut the disk into quarters and wax each individually. That way, as it ages, you can use smaller amounts as the cheese gets sharper. We will have to go a few more days with the air drying of this batch. You may be able to see that it still has quite a bit of moisture on the surface. It is always an executive decision as to when to wax. Too dry and the cheese is crumbly. Too moist and you may as well make mozzarella.

[Equilibrium]

I guess my visual scale was off when I was looking at your photos. That "wheel" looked to be about the size of my wheelbarrow wheel so thanks for reining me in by adding real life dimensions and weights. I recognize the cheesecloth in the upper right hand corner of your last post. That's all they sell around me. I take it the bottom photo is the "right" cheesecloth>>>>? If 90 thread count is all that's required.... couldn't we buy cheap 100 count pillow case fabric and use that or is that a no go?

[sunflower]

There's no reason why you couldn't use a low thread-count material. As for myself, I don't have that many sheets or pillowcases to spare. The second picture of cheesecloth is made of a muslim material and can be found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I bought mine from the same place I bought my cheese press which is our local home brew supply. I figured it was a small investment, and I rewash it each time it is used. To wash cheesecloth all I do is use hot soapy dish water and then line dry. But a pillowcase is a great idea! Why not! As for the other type of cheese cloth sold at the hardware store. Have you ever used it to strain your butter? What a mess!:eek:

Oh, I almost forgot. Here is a shot 4 days of air drying. It's starting to smell "cheesy".:yes4:

[oldtimer]

My computer's so slow, I didn't follow through the pics. I quickly skimmed over this, but I didn't see how long you age the cheese once you've waxed it before eating it?


Also, does anyone know where we can still get Chr. Hansen's rennet.

[sunflower]

Actually Oldtimer the cheese is a work in progress. I'm posting as I go with it, so I haven't waxed it yet. I will probably wax it tomorrow. It has been drying for 5 days. Once its waxed I'll probably age it for 6 months to a year. You need to age it for a minimum of 3 months, but the longer its aged the better, much like homemade wine.

[chris-wasan]

Sunflower, so glad you are taking the time to post this up. Very much appreciated by all it would seem. Excellent!

I read through the whole conversation and I just want to make sure that I get this right because all I've made was soft farmers cheese. And last year was my first year (just added salt and herbs and such and it never lasted long lol) and from two milk goats. This year I have three so have some more to play with.

Anyhoo...I digress...I just wanted to make sure that all you used was rennet. No cultures at all right? And doing it this way, is it taste wise the same principle as other fermentation process's, for instance the natural yeasts that show up in sourdough? Have you noticed any character that might show up specific to your area? Just curious :-)

I'm going to try this for sure. We were going to make our hard cheeses this year but I was waiting till a reasonable payday (what the heck are those right?) to buy some cultures for cheddar etc. Now I know I don't necessarily need to do that. Cool beans!

One more thing on cans. I have a local little bittie pizzeria that gives me all the cans I can use every week. All are enamled because had olives or tomatoes and fun stuff like that. I presume they hold no lead due to the contents but will have to see if I can research that.

Thanks again for such awesome pictures and updates!!

[cubcadet]

so, how does it taste? Can you hang it and let it get a green mold? I like strong cheese. Thanks

[Equilibrium]

sunflower> I've got some pillow cases from when I was 1st married.... that was a looooong time ago. Let's just say they've... seen better days and I didn't throw them out because I figured someday a use for them would pop up. ;) I've never really used cheesecloth for anything but spices for hot apple cider, herbs for soups, straining seeds when making jelly and craft projects when the boys were little so I'll take your word using it to strain butter would be a mess!!! The rennet is not available from my pharmacy so I'll have to go on an internet hunt for it. I did start thinking about the store bought cheese weights so here comes another question.... can I weight the cheese with the weights from my son's weight lifting station? He wrestles and is into weight lifting and I'm looking at his weights and he's got a whole bunch of round thingies that look like they'd work. Not the free weights.... the barbell weights that come in 2.5, 5, and 10 pound on up weights like this, http://www.americanfitness.net/USAOlympicPlateGray2.5.aspx.
--
chris-wasan> "One more thing on cans. I have a local little bittie pizzeria that gives me all the cans I can use every week. All are enamled because had olives or tomatoes and fun stuff like that. I presume they hold no lead due to the contents but will have to see if I can research that." No lead but... the epoxies used to line cans are laced with BPA just like our Ball canning lids are. Check out Bisphenol-A.... it's an endocrine disruptor and I think what you learn might not make you a happy camper... it's why I use glass mason jars and have been replacing all my lids with tattler brand non-bpa lids slowly but surely as finances allow. If you can't find recent information, I'd be happy to mail you PDFs of recent research so you can make up your own mind whether or not you want to take the pizzeria's cans.

[sunflower]

chris-wasan>"is it taste wise the same principle as other fermentation process's, for instance the natural yeasts that show up in sourdough?"

Depending on the area of the country, your cheese may in fact taste different. I haven't been making cheese long enough to say if my cheese is different in flavor than any other. But yes, I use raw milk; no homogenization; and only rennet, no culture. I guess you could use a culture to help the curdling process and get a more stabilized flavor.


cubcadet>"Can you hang it and let it get a green mold?"

I don't know about hanging the cheese. I reckon you can hang it, if the temperature was around 45 degrees. Here in Texas, we have to age in the refrigerator. Carla Emery refers to someone who hangs her cheese in a tree. I believe Grendal referred to to MS. Emery's book "the Encyclopedia of Country Living" in an earlier post. As for the taste, everything homemade tastes better than store-bought. That's only my .02 cents. Oh, and by the way, I''m not a big fan of Blue cheese, but i'm sure if you hang it un-waxed for an extended period of time, it will definitely grow mold. But beware the exterior rind will be as tough as a brick.


Equilibrium>"can I weight the cheese with the weights from my son's weight lifting station"

Of course you can, i just mentioned to my DH yesterday, that it may be better to replace the two 10 pound weights with one weight of around twenty pounds. It seems, when the two weights are stacked, the cheese always comes out a little lopsided.:man_in_love:

Here are few shots of wax being double boiled. And the finished product. As mentioned earlier, this is still a work in progress.


This is a fun thread. Maybe Mozzarella will be next?:D

[Equilibrium]

"This is a fun thread. Maybe Mozzarella will be next?" Go for it!!! I'd love it!!! I'm actually saving your thread and all the photos and comments so I can do this myself!!! Very professional looking end wedges you've got there. What kind of wax did you use please? Lemme guess.... there's a special cheese wax we have to use out there. ;)

[Cavediver]

I figured it would be nice to see a few pictures to go along with the recipe. First we with start with 2 gallons of unpasteurized milk.

DOH!

I'm going to have to see if there is a way to do this with pasteurized milk. I don't think my neighbors approve of goats or cows in our yard, and I'm positive my wife wouldn't approve of livestock in the basement...

Nice thread sunflower, thank you for sharing!

[sunflower]

Sorry so late getting back to you all.

Equilibrium > "special cheese wax we have to use out there."

The wax used is indeed a "special" cheese wax, although I have heard mentioned that lard could be used to coat the cheese. I haven't done much homework on this method yet. The "cheese" wax is softer than other types of waxes, and melts at lower temperatures. The soft wax will not crack, and allow air to contact the cheese. Another thing with the cheese wax, is that it can be brought up to higher temperatures (200 Degrees), which sterilizes the wax before application to the cheese. Other waxes may actually flare-up at the higher temperatures. The darker colors such as red, black are used to prevent the sunlight from penetrating. I will attach a link, It has very good information about cheese waxing.

http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/settling-the-cheese-wax-controversy/

Cavediver > "I'm going to have to see if there is a way to do this with pasteurized milk."

You can use store bought homogenized milk. The recipe is basically the same, but 1/4 teaspoon of calcium chloride (mixed in a 1/4 cup of water) should be added to the milk just prior to adding the rennet. And you should use a starter culture (Mesophilic Direct Set). It is also recommended to use skim or 1% milk. Use 2 gallons reserving 1 pint, then use heavy cream to replace the reserved pint. If the milk takes a fairly long time to set, use more calcium chloride next time. Hope this helps!!:wink:

[Cavediver]

Cavediver > "I'm going to have to see if there is a way to do this with pasteurized milk."

You can use store bought homogenized milk. The recipe is basically the same, but 1/4 teaspoon of calcium chloride (mixed in a 1/4 cup of water) should be added to the milk just prior to adding the rennet. And you should use a starter culture (Mesophilic Direct Set). It is also recommended to use skim or 1% milk. Use 2 gallons reserving 1 pint, then use heavy cream to replace the reserved pint. If the milk takes a fairly long time to set, use more calcium chloride next time. Hope this helps!!:wink:


Nice! I was thinking about it again this morning. I'm going to have to try and talk my wife into a science experiment :) I have a feeling that won't be difficult since she was talking about making yogurt.

[Equilibrium]

Can that special wax that probably costs an arm and a leg be re-used? Just curious.

[LoiDreams]

Yes, everything I have read indicates that the wax can be reused. Maybe that is why it has such a high heat tolerance, so that it can be sterilized before reuse.

LoiDreams

[sunflower]

FYI, it does NOT cost an "arm and a leg". Please do your research before assuming. Do it right with the right ingredients the first time or do it half way with half way ingredients and see for yourself which one comes out better. All the cheese making items that you have inquired about can be purchused at a very reasonable price and can be used over and over and over and over and over and over and over..... Exception would be the rennet of course.

[chris-wasan]

Your cheese looks lovely. I'm really into trying the longer term and waxing. Just have to get a few more things...but in the meantime I am hanging my cheese for a couple of days longer (than my standard one) until a little rind developes. It actually has a nice tang to it so I'm tickled with my results. Have been playing with herbs and spices and garlic too. Mmm mmm mmm! And it isn't sticking around long enough to do much more than what I'm doing so far, my husband and daughter love it! Thank goodness. My dad is too afraid of it to try it, LOL!

My only issue is the doggone cheese cloth. When I let it go for a few more days the rind is a little tough to get out by hand. I am washing all the cheesecloths by hand in hot soapy water and giving it a tiny bit of a bleaching after that and then line dry (when the freaking SUN actually shows it's head around here!!! grrrr)

Has or does anyone wash their cheesecloth in a washing machine? Or is that too rough on them? Just wondering before I give up and try that. It's taking a few days soaking and rewashing to get all the "stuff" out.

:confused:

[sunflower]

I have always washed mine by hand as well. Never tried the washer, it maybe alittle to rough for it. Just my opinion.

[chris-wasan]

I figured it probably would be too hard on it as well, but I hold out hope. LOL -- I may just take one of my pieces and throw it in with some towels on a gentle cycle just to see if it works. If I do I'll post the results. It is a pretty fine mesh stuff...soooo....we shall see. :unsure:

[opsrto]

place the cheese cloth inside a large sock then put it in the washer..
Sunflower
You said a minimum of 3 months? Well we are about there. Taste Test?