Author Topic: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.  (Read 3560 times)

Offline Chetty

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New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« on: February 13, 2013, 11:18:34 PM »
Hello, My name is Chet.  I have been making cheese for three years.  I started when I was 13 or 14.  I bought a goat to start with, then sold it for a cow.  Now I have the makings of a small cheese factory just for a hobby not for selling cheese. 

     The largest batch of cheese I have ever made is 80 gallons of Mozarella (that was hard on the hands)

I have always read the cheeseforum for all the great information. It is the best. 

Offline Tiarella

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2013, 12:03:56 AM »
Hi Chet!  Oh my gosh that's a big batch of Moz!!!!  What kind of cow do you have?  I bought a 3 day old Jersey heifer calf when I was 13 and we were best friends for ages!  She gave some very rich milk and some prize winning calves.  Back then I only made a simple soft cheese, sometimes with herbs, sometimes pressed into bricks.  I'm 52 now and have a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats.  (and sheep, meat rabbits, chickens, etc) You can see some photos of my place if you're curious by looking at my blog although I admit I don't post often. 

Www.foxmountainfarm.blogspot.com

I DO hope you'll post some photos of your cow, Cheesemaking place, cheeses, etc!!  I love to see what other people are doing.  I'm glad you introduced yourself!   :D

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2013, 05:18:27 AM »
Here are some pictures of my cow and a 10 gallon batch of mozarella

Offline Tiarella

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2013, 12:21:07 PM »
Your cheesemaking setup looks great.....enough to make me jealous.    :D  Your cow is Holstein?  Any udder photos?  How old is she?  Did you get her as a young heifer or a grown cow?  What other cheeses are you making?  and eating? 

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2013, 03:25:16 PM »
My cow is a Holstein cross jersey.  She is really small.  She gives from three to five gallons a milking at her best. 

I make a couple of different types of cheese.  My favorites are mozzarella, and cheddar (If they make it into the press, my family likes the fresh curds).  I also make baby Swiss, Jack (Monterrey and pepper), Provolone ( I made a twenty gallon batch last week that turned out pretty good).  I am hoping to make Gouda this weekend.

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2013, 04:59:36 PM »
I'd love to see more photos of your cheesemaking set up.  How are you making such large batches of cheese?  What are you heating the milk in, etc.  How did you create or get lucky to have such a great set up, etc.

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2013, 06:22:27 PM »
I am lucky to have a good friend with a diary.  He ran into some trouble and had to sell his cows.  When he started over he didn't have enough milk to sell but he had more then he could use.  My vat is large and takes a long time to get to the right temperatures.  I can't make cheese that go much over 100 degrees.  (a picture is worth a thousand words)

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2013, 06:27:47 PM »
Do you ever think about going commercial?  If you had somewhere to age cheese you could do some very cool natural rind Tommes, being over 60 days aged it'd be okay that they were made with raw milk.  I know, there's a lot of hoops to jump through to go commercial but it might be worth it at some point.  Have you ever made Caerphilly?  It's a nice quick cheddar like cheese that ages well in 3-6 weeks although you can take it longer. 

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2013, 07:25:46 PM »
I have thought about going big but due to limited funds and space I don't have the means to jump through there hoops.  If I could get an inspecter to come and look to see what I would have to change I might consider it.  When I was making my cheese room I tryed to keep going comercial inmind.  Most everything is stainless steel and or so it wont rust.  the flours are sealed so they can be cleaned easily.  I have read through some of the regulations but It was to much for me. 

Offline Tiarella

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2013, 07:39:47 PM »
Hmmm. I don't know about the inspectors there but here they really suggest to get them there long before you do much so that they can tell you the least you can do to meet regs.  My inspector was very helpful in helping me figure out what I'd have to do to comply to grade A dairy standards.  I should have talked to her before I designed and built my barn because I didn't realize I needed separate rooms for milk processing and cheesemaking.  Now I have to divide the room in half and I'd still have to figure out where to have the cheese aging and how to legally take it from the make room to the aging place.  The room certainly isn't big enough to have a large cooler in it.  sigh.   :(

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2013, 07:54:27 PM »
I know that I should have talked to an inspector, but The setup that I have wasn't ment for commercial.  It was built just for a hobby/cheese for the family.  Now that it is build I decided that I would like to go commercial I think that the inspecter would make me change the whole thing.  Most of the equipment and things was stuff that was laying around the farm so we would not be out much.  It is all for the experience. 

The one thing I can't figure out is to be a on the farm cheese maker is there any sort of schooling you have to go to? Or do you just have to know what you are doing and come out with a product that is safe to eat and alot of people like. 

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2013, 08:48:19 PM »
I think it is different state by state.  In one state you have to work a year as a cheesemaker for someone else and I think there's a test or something.  In our state you just have to be doing it in an inspected place and following all safety procedures.  I bet it might be a good time to talk to the local dairy inspector and have a list of questions for him or her.  Even if you might not do it for years it's still nice to know and then little steps can be taken or you can jump in when you want.  Let us know what you find out.  Or maybe you could start a forum thread asking if anyone knows the requirements for your state? 

Offline Chetty

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2013, 02:49:33 AM »
Thank you for all the great comments it has been nice talking to you :)

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Re: New to the forum, But not to Cheese.
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2013, 03:15:48 AM »
You're welcome.  It's been great fun talking with you also!  Look forward to seeing posts you make of cheeses and inspector visits or whatever is happening in your cheesemaking world!   ;D