Cutting the cheese...

I've really been picking up on the cheese making.  Due to different laws in Oregon, we are not able to sell cheeses at the farmers market.  It''s turned into a really enjoyable (and edible) hobby.  I've recently made Feta, Guoda, Cheddar, Romano, and Pepper Jack.  I've acquired a "wine refrigerator" to use as a cheese cave.  That is, a place to age my cheeses that I can hold them around 55 degrees and at around 80% humidity. 

I'm so proud of my beautiful cheeses.

We've been settling into our new place.  We had a housewarming potluck after which two of the boys had friends over to sleep over.  We had three 10 year olds and two 12 year olds in the house.  Not to mention our teenager just for good measure.  it was a pretty hectic evening.  I have trouble with "social phobia" so I was pretty burnt out by the time all the kids finally went to sleep. 

We sold two of the goat kids, so now we are going to be swimming in goat's milk.  We will be trying to figure out the new milk laws in Oregon.  It was so great to live in Idaho where I could sell raw milk at the food co-op. 

We've been up in the mountains cutting firewood for next winter.  We will be going back tomorrow and the next day as well.  Hard work, but it is a good family activity.  Joel Salatin writes that there is nothing so good for working out teenage energy as woodcutting.  Getting the kids away from the television and out into the woods is a fantastic way for them to channel their teenage angst.

I'll try to come up with some photographs today of our excursion into the mountains.

Working hard in a natural setting is good for all of us.  It really reminds me of the magic of God's good earth.  We are so truly blessed.

Making goat cheese

I made some Feta cheese with the goat's milk over the weekend and it turned out perfectly. Excellent flavor, excellent texture, not too salty. I am pleased.

The goats are doing great. I just hung a rope mesh hanging feeder. I'm a little nervous because the kids were playing with it like a pinata. I don't want them to get tangled. The original feeder was made of hog wire and it was getting twisted and developing sharp edges. If the hanging feeder doesn't work, I'll buy a cattle panel and cut and bend it into a feeder.

I'm getting about a quart and a half to two quarts of milk every morning. Then I'm letting the kids feed on mama. The kids are eating hay and grain too. They will probably be starting to wean fairly soon.

I took care of goat, chicken, and dog chores this morning. I took a brief siesta and then went out and weeded the garden. There is lots of weeding to do and I just am not motivated to do it all. I will be trying various methods, including a cover crop, to try to decrease the weeds before next year.

Well, a few more hours around the farm and then I'll be going into town to deliver some eggs and meet with some friends. The big truck is broken in a parking lot in town and I need to tow it with a friends truck over to the shop. If the repair is too much I might just junk it. We'll see. Either way, I feel blessed to have a second vehicle. In fact, I feel blessed in so many ways I just want to share it with all the world. Life is good.

Cheese tasting

We got to taste our homemade cheddar cheese the other day. I would say it was a success. It turned out as a sort of medium-sharp cheddar. Its texture is good and it holds together, but it is not the sort of thing you'd melt onto a grilled cheese sandwich. We had it on crackers with salmon, on crackers with salami, and I had some in an omelet. It was good all around. At present it is not a money saver. It is mostly just a hobby. At some point I'd like to barter for bulk milk, and later we'd like to have our own dairy goats. Idaho's food safety laws make it impossible for small dairy farmers to operate, so our milk supply is controlled by a few large dairy operations. We would love to support a small local dairy farmer with our business, but that is not possible. That said, it may be legal to barter or to trade labor with a local milk producer for some goat's milk until we get our own goats.

ugly cheese

Cheese making mistakes result in ugly, but hopefully tasty, cheeses. The cheese one the right is a cheddar that the cheese cloth got bunched up under in the press. This caused a slight dent in the cheese. The cheese on the right is a Muenster that the cheese press was uneven causing the slanted top. I also forgot to add calcium chloride, an optional ingredient that helps create firmer curds. This caused the curds to separate when I stirred in the salt. Live and learn. I'm sure they will both taste just fine.

Cheese - waxed and ready to age

Our cheddar cheese is all waxed and ready to age. Can't wait to try it, but I think we'll wait about 4-6 weeks. Give the little bacterial cultures a month to work their magic.

Homemade cheese press

Rather than buy a $200 cheese press, I made a simple one for less than $20. At the moment it is kind of rough cut as I have not been able to find my file and other tools to make it pretty. Materials:
2X6 board
12 inch carriage bolts, nuts, washers
Length of dowling
Cheese mold

Cut your 2X6 into lengths that will fit your cheese mold. On my small molds I can put 2 side by side. Drill holes for your carriage bolts. On the bottom piece I used a wide bit to drill a recess for the bottom of the carriage bolt so it doesn't stick out and the board sits flat. Cut your dowling to the correct length. Rough cut a "follower" (the circular piece used to press the cheese evenly). as you tighten the bolts, it will apply pressure to the cheese and squeeze out the whey. I plan on tidying up the whole thing, but it works efficiently at the moment.

A round of cheddar cheese

I started making this cheddar on Halloween morning without realizing that it was an all day process. Not that it demanded your attention all day, but that you had to be around the house to take various steps involving keeping the cheese at various temperatures. Draining and pressing at specific times. We used the book, "And That's How You Make Cheese." It was a very concise step by step recipe. Unfortunately, it will be another 6 weeks before we can taste it. But, it looks like cheddar (without the annato coloring), smells like cheddar, and feels like cheddar. We can't wait to try it.