Making Cheese At Home

[undergroundnomore]

I am curious. Right now I'm reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. I loved her book the Poisonwood Bible. (turns out Hillary Clinton listed it as one of her favorite books too). I like her book The Bean Trees, not as much but still I did like the characters. I am absolutely head over heels with this book.

I relate with her so much as she talks about the joys of making meals from scratch. During the summer months and over the Christmas holidays when school is out I love cooking from scratch. It's not a chore but a joy.

We are working on growing our first kitchen garden and I can hardly wait to start actually fixing our own "organically grown" food. It gives me a real sense of oneness with the earth and how important it is to take care of it.

One thing Barbara (if I may be so bold as to call her by her first name) talks about is making cheese at home. She made it sound relatively easy. I have never done that. Have any of you ever done that? How difficult is it? Where can I find the best resources about how to do this?

[The empressof all]

1. I make Ricotta and Mozzarella regularly

I totally recommend getting a kit to start off with. It will give you all you need to make your first few batches.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

We've had several cheese making threads in this group over the years. The trick is finding the right milk. Raw milk is hard to find and illegal to purchase in some states. It will give you the best results. I've had success in using Organic whole milk that is not ultra pasteurized. This gives you a better curd development. I've had product failure with using milk that is ultra pasteurized and everything I have read cautions you against using this kind of milk.

[undergroundnomore]

2. Yes

kingsolver talks about that. Honestly I knew about BGH but I didn't know about UHP. Shows how dumb I am. I have been trying to get my school to stop using milk with BGH but they continue to use it because of the cost.

When I go to the store this weekend I will see if I can find that kind of milk. thanks for the link. I really appreciate it. I'm just really nervous that I'll mess it up big time.

[sazemisery]

3. empress said it all

Mozzarella is the easiest to make. You will not want to eat store bought after though.

[eridani]

4. I effed it up, though

I looked at their FAQ, and one common problem is "What if my mozzarella comes out more like ricotta? Answer--don't stir the curds too much after you slice them.

[wryter2000]

5. Cook's Illustrated sent me a recipe to test

It was a ricotta torta. I never made the torta, but their instructions for making ricotta couldn't have been easier.

Heat a bunch of milk almost to boiling. (You need to add some salt, too, but I don't remember how much). Add lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes to see if it curdles. If not, add some more lemon juice and wait another 5 minutes. Continue until it's curds and more or less clear liquid...not milky looking. Strain in cheese cloth.

IIRC, the original amounts were 6 quarts of milk to 3/4 cup lemon juice. It made sooooo much cheese! I've since done 1 quart of milk with 2 Tbs juice, but I had to add more juice.

[The empressof all]

6. And you can even go a step further with the ricotta

I put it in a cheese cloth lined colander..Wrap it and set a light weight on it. Stick it in the fridge with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. In a day or so you'll have ricotta insalata which is similar to a light feta cheese. It's great in salads, pita sandwiches or spread on toast. And don't throw away the whey...Put it in the blenda with some fresh berries or banana and a little sweetener and some ice for a frosty protein laden smoothie

[wryter2000]

7. Yum

Great idea. :)

[The empressof all]

8. Back home in NJ my grandmother made farmers cheese.

Basically your ricotta tied in a bag hung on the faucet and left to drip in the sink...Under a pot of course. She'd sometimes mix tiny blueberries, cut strawberries or different kind of herbs into the "ricotta" before she wrapped it and let it drip. I know I use to be able to buy something similar to it in the fancy cheese shops that were starting to crop up in the early Eighties. It cost a fortune back then. I haven't been able to find even plain farmers cheese out here in WA. They also don't carry pot cheese or dry curd cottage cheese which were all available in the local grocery store when I was growing up. I remember my mother made Pot Cheese and Noodles with little bits of bacon. Now that's comfort food to me.

[wryter2000]

9. You're right about pot cheese and farmers cheese

They used to have that at the supermarket. I haven't even looked for it for years, but I'm sure it's not there any longer.

[The empressof all]

11. For those wondering about what the heck we're talking about

Here's a link about Pot Cheese

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-pot-cheese.htm

They talk a bit about Quark in the article...Pay no attention to the Quark...It is nothing like Pot Cheese and IMO is not worth the money. Some may enjoy the tang but I'd rather make a yogurt cheese than eat the quark. Kefir though...I do enjoy.

[madmax]

10. Do you have G;ma's recipe

for Farmer's Cheese? Please post. I can't find Farmer's or the dry small curd cottage cheese here in NC. I'm originally from NJ. Been in NC 2 years. Love it :hi:

[The empressof all]

12. This link explains alot about how to do it

I use white vinegar rather than lemon juice...about a half a cup to the gallon of milk. It's also important that you use an organic milk that is not ultra pasturized. I don't let it drain over the sink---I always let it drain in the fridge. I weigh it down with canned tuna wrapped in foil. I let it drain far longer than this recipe but I go for a dry cheese. I also use more than a pinch of salt. At least half a tablespoon...sometimes a little more. I taste before I add the vinegar to get a sense. I like a saltier end product. I've done it with buttermilk and with goat milk. I prefer the plain whole cows milk. That's what I grew up with. My sister makes a non fat variety with skim milk and powdered skim milk.

It's really good with herbs. I love it with just chopped parsley or a little rosemary. It does not keep-- so be prepared to use it up the day after you make it.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Home-Made-Farmers-Cheese/Detail.aspx

[madmax]

13. Thanks empressof all

I bow before you ;) Looks like I'm going to be making this cheese everyday. It's part of a diet I must follow. The actual diet calls for Quark cheese. A German cheese that is pretty near impossible to find here in the U.S.

:hug: :hi:

On reading one of your earlier posts I see you've mentioned Quark cheese. I trying to get recipes for this diet:

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Budwig.html If you google Budwig there are several more links. I'm also interested in Vegan diets. I can't see me living on Cottage Cheese and Flax only. Two major items are forbidden on this diet - sugar and all fats, oils - even Olive oil. I just received a few books I ordered from Amazon. If you know any Vegans or have a good vegan recipe please post.

You deserve another :hug: thanks

[The empressof all]

14. Quark was really popular in the 70's and 80's

Then it all but disappeared except for the occasional health food store that had space to have a larger fridge section. I'm seeing it now again in the more "up scale" grocery stores. I know I've seen it at Whole Foods and I can get it at a local chain here called Central Market.

I just finished off a tub of quark last week---I will use it occasionally to replace sour cream in cheese cake. I just don't care for the tang when eaten plain. I also noticed in the store that they are now carrying a "Cultured Cottage Cheese" which looks like it may be made with the quark enzyme. I tried it but again--did not care for it.... YMMV I believe it was made by a company called "Nancy" which is distributed in quite a few stores in the PNW.

The diet you mention above would not be compatible with a strict vegan diet as Vegans don't use milk products at all. I followed a Macrobiotic diet for a few years when I was in my twenties then was vegan and vegetarian for a few more years. Now I just try to eat as cleanly as possible. I do use Flax Seed Daily though. I grind it in my little blender and add it to oatmeal. I'll be adding it to cottage cheese now as I think there's something to be said for food combining. Who knows.

Best of luck to you in your new dietary regime. You may want to ask your doctor for a referral to a naturopathic/dietitian who may be able to provide you with expert guidance