Cheesemaking class September 12th

A new class of soft cheese making will be September 12 at 1 pm. We will make Mozzarella and probably some yogurt. It's very satisfying to to teach other people to make their own food. I like giving the power back to the individual instead of big profit Agriculture when making cheese is very easy and much more tasty when you make it yourself.
While cheese making is theoretically a science, it is also an art! The skills and the understanding it takes to turn milk and rennet into a lovely cheese can be taught but really must be developed with time and experience.



Here are some pictures of the cheddar cheese I made this week:



The milk is heated, culture added, then the rennet and left alone to set



The curd is cut into smaller pieces to allow the whey to drain








Depending on what you are making, the curds are cooked








Curds are drained








Salt is added to curds and
packed into the cheese press







10 lbs for 30 min....then 40 lbs pressure for 12 hours.
Then the curd is flipped and 40 more lbs for 12 hours.







Here is the cheese being undone and flipped








The cheese will dry for a few days and then be waxed to age until you decide it's done. Mild cheddar is done sooner, a sharp cheddar is done much later like 4-6 months down the road.