Ever made your own cheese?

[Pruni]

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[PrettyCandles]

Have you ever read 'Little House in the Big Woods'? It's the first book in the Little House on the Prairie series. Laura's mother makes cheese every year, and there's a very good description of the process! Not that I've ever done it myself, but I've always been tempted to because of that book.

[gingerbear]

Oh lordy, I thought you meant breastmilk cheese lol!

[Pruni]

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[handlemecarefully]

Yes - in another life!

Blimey though Pruni - lot of effort isn't it?

[Heathcliffscathy]

i had to click on this thread, i just had to.

i would make cheese if i could.

actually maybe that is what i should be doing with my life, an epiphany on mn. or not!

i hope someone answers you pruni.

also what is labneh and how do you make it (is it sort of like curds...sort of a paneer type thing?

[sweetkitty]

I think it would be quite difficualt ordering starter cultures, the rennet etc then theres keeping the vat at temperature, following the recipe, maturation what kind of cheese are you thinking of soft or hard like cheddar this can take 18 months to mature.

Saying that it is possible used to love going to little farms producing cheese recipes closely guarded passed down from master cheesemaker to cheesemaker.

[Pruni]

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[PrettyCandles]

I just remembere that I have a cookbook from the 1940s which gives instructions on how to make cheese. If you would like me to scan and email them to you, CAT me. I may not have access to a scanner for a couple of weeks, but I could do it afterwards.

[moondog]

Pruni..I've made yoghurt which I've then strained until thick and added herbs-sort of cottage cheesy thing (Even milked the bloody goats myself actually! Not my own however.)

Here in Turkey they make cheese in a huge cow hide-just scoop it out for you in the market. Loads of ace cheeses. The speciality here in Van is otlu peynir which is sort of fermented. Not sure how but I know they bury it underground for ages. It's full of herbs from the mountain pastures around here. Absolutely delicious.

[beep]

when i lived in france ihad a job as agoats cheese maker for my neighbours.Inthe high season we made3or 4 thousand a week1

[CountessDracula]

I seem to remember making cheese at nursery school/kindergarten by leaving bottles of milk next to a radiator for a few days and then eating the skunge that formed on the top

ffs!!!

[moondog]

That sounds interesting beep. More please!

[suzywong]

that is one of the funniest things I have ever head CD! what a lazy teacher you had

[CountessDracula]

No it was great, we were all very excited by it!
Remember having to bring biscuits in from home to eat it on!

[fuzzywuzzy]

CD your teacher made you eat it???

[Nickyfen]

making cheese is a v. long process (the actual manufacture - not just maturation - that takes even longer), you need a lot of milk for a small amount of cheese and you do need special equipment if you want to make certain cheeses - such as chedder type cheese. The most difficult part is keeping a constant temp for the starter culture, as that is what alters the acidity, normally the acidity is checked in a lab before the rennet is added and then again before cutting the curds and draining off the whey. You then need a press of some description and refridgeration. Personally I don't think it's worth the effort - go to saino's!

[Nickyfen]

I knew that degree in dairy science would come in handy one day- at last I feel useful!

[JoolsToo]

why????????????????????????

[MrsDoolittle]

How about this?

[PrettyCandles]

Oh CD, I remember doing that at home with my mum! If we had a bottle too much of doorstep milk (rmember those? with the foil caps) we sometimes left it on the windowsill with a cloth over it so that it would be warm but dark, and after a few days it would turn into the most disgusting-looking but rather tasty yogurty cheesy stuff.

[cod]

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[Pruni]

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[Twiglett]

life's too short, isn't it?

[serah]

pmsl at loving the "idea of cheese". You really are blessed Pruni

[WigWamBam]

I can't stand cheese. Food of the devil.


And I have just realised that my hatred of this vile stuff probably comes from making cheese from sour milk at school just as others have said - but having to keep the skanky, manky bottle in our desks for about a fortnight until the teacher was ready to strain it for us. The stench every time anyone opened up a desk ... blech.