Cheesemaking

For my birthday this year, I decided to learn the art of cheesemaking. I think spending time with relatives in Scotland must have inspired me. They had a very nice dairy farm and I was impressed with the storeroom full of blocks of cheese. All were in various stages of ripeness. All the blocks of cheese lined up and dated waiting for the right moment to be taken down and enjoyed. Something about the process fascinated me. Milking cows, goats, and sheep is definitely not my thing. I am quite scared of sheep, and I have no idea why. Thankfully, I can buy milk at the local grocery and skip that step in the process.

I found a nice website (New England Cheesemaking Supply) that sells beginner cheesemaking kits. I purchased the 30-minute Mozzarella kit and didn’t have to wait long before it arrived. My first batch of mozzarella was delightful both to make and eat. I knew, after the first bite, store bought mozzarella was a thing of the past. I had no idea freshly made cheese was so good. After making four more batches in just less than 2 weeks I decided to move on to hard cheeses. The hard cheese kit arrived and I already had the milk waiting in the fridge.

My first hard cheese was Monterey Jack. It takes several hours to make cheese. I found it to be a test of my patience. It’s sitting in my fridge right now, coated in red wax with a nice handwritten label. The label has all the necessary information - the type of cheese, the date it was made, and when I can eat it. I smile every time I see that cute little block of cheese.

Since then I have made Feta, Farmhouse Cheddar, Ricotta, and a few more batches of Mozzarella. I’ll be working on some Parmesan soon.

Filed under Cheesemaking |