MAKING CHEESE

The first step in cheese making is to coagulate milk into a curd. This process can be aided by adding a small amount vinegar to milk that you have allowed to warm to room temperature. The acid in the vinegar causes an enzyme called rennet to form that coagulates warm milk and causes the cheese curds to form. You can speed up this process by "cooking" the curds in a large kettle of hot water, controlling the process by controlling the water temperature.

The milk is allowed to set undisturbed until a solid curd is formed. A curd is considered "set" when a finger can be inserted into it, and the curd breaks cleanly all around as you lift slightly. Then the curd is cut or handled according to the directions for the cheese you're making.

The curd must be drained through a clean rep cloth to remove all the whey. The cheese can then be molded and shaped for storage, salting can be done at this time as well. Wrap the cheese in another clean cloth and hung in a cool, dry place to age. Most cheeses take approximately 60 days to age properly.

Another type of cheese that is fairly easy to make is cottage cheese.

Warm a gallon of bosk milk to about 95 degrees. Stir in one cup of buttermilk (saved from the last time butter was made) and allow to set at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. The milk will become thick.

Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes and let rest for 10 minutes. Place the pot into a double boiler type arrangement of pots and heat at a very low temperature until the curd reaches 115 degrees F. Stir often to keep the curds from matting together. This will take an hour or more.

The curd is ready when it is somewhat firm on the interior of the cheese. Cook longer if necessary. Some whey will rise to the top. Let the curds settle to the bottom of the pot, drain off the whey and place the curds in a cloth-lined colander to drain. Be gentle, as the curds are rather fragile.

Allow the cheese to drain until it stops dripping. Place in a bowl and add salt to taste. Use about one teaspoon salt per pound. Stir in about half a cup of cream per pound if you want an extra creamy cottage cheese.

CHURNING BUTTER

Step 1: Collecting the cream:
You must first get the cream. You do this by letting the raw whole milk sit for several hours. The cream will naturally float to the top. You can skim this off the top of the milk. Use a 'cream ladle' which is a large spoon shaped utensil with holes in it. The milk runs out the holes but the cream won't. Collect the cream in large bowl or pitcher. Note: the colder the milk the thicker the cream.

Step 2: Souring the cream:
The cream must be sour in order for the butter to churn and separate properly. In summer this is not a problem as leaving cream sitting out for a few hours properly covered to keep it clean will do the trick. In winter, however, use a few drops of wine vinegar in the cream and it should sour nicely.

Step 3: Get the cream temperature right:
The butter will not separate from the cream if it is too hot or too cold. Room temperature is best - say 50-68 degrees. It should not be even close to the melting point of butter. If your cream has been sitting out on the counter you can ignore this step. If in winter, you will need to very, very carefully heat the milk a bit.

Step 4: Churn your cream:
Put the cream in a butter churn. Do not fill it over half full. Churn the butter in a steady and methodical motion. Raise the paddle all the way up and push it all the way down in one second cycles. Gradually turn the plunger as you do this. Separating the butter from the 'butter milk' is not a fast process. Depending on conditions it could take you from 1/2 hour to forever! When one hand gets tired, switch! A different feel is one of the indications that it is getting done. It gets thicker, then shortly thereafter the butter separated out. You can also take a look inside and see what progress you are making.

Step 5: Separate the butter from the buttermilk:
The butter paddle resembles a large wooden spoon 3 inches in diameter, only almost flat. Carefully scoop the floating butter off the top of the buttermilk and place it in a bowl.

Step 6: Remove all the remaining buttermilk from the butter:
Using the butter paddle, work the butter back and fourth on the sides of the bowl. As the buttermilk comes to the surface pour it out of the bowl.

Step 7: Wash the butter:
Pour a small amount of very cold water into the bowl and work the butter like you did before. As the water becomes discolored, pour it out and pour in more cold water and continue to work it. Continue this process until the water remains clear. Note: It is important to work all the buttermilk out of the butter as it will go rancid if you don't. And it will ooze and run, not very appetizing when this happens.

Step 8: Add salt:
Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of butter and mix it in. Then taste it. If it is too salty for your taste, you can put in more cold water and work it through the butter as you did before. The salt will gradually migrate into the water.

Step 9: Put in molds:
Butter molds have false bottoms for pushing the molded butter out of the mold. Pack the butter into the mold, being sure to get rid of any air bubbles. This way, if you sell it, people won't think you are cheating them when they cut into one of them. Then push it out of the mold and wrap in a thin cloth or clean leaves. Place in the cooling pit for usage