Author Topic: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?  (Read 2920 times)

chevre au lait

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Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« on: August 25, 2014, 10:49:07 PM »
I hope I have this in the right section--Rennet Coagulated [check] Hard [if allowed to dry, dry=hard, right?].

Reading in 200 Easy Homemade Cheeses, it says that dried Banon cheeses were wrapped in chestnut leaves before being rehydrated in ceramic jars.  I would like to make this cheese some time, but we don't have chestnut trees here.  I gather that a fairly tough leaf is desired, that will survive being wrapped and soaked, but beyond that, is it important what kind of leaves are used (besides poisonous ones)?  Do the leaves impart any flavour to the cheeses?  Does the tannin content matter?  Etc., etc.  Looking forward to hearing your opinions on this.  Thanks!

Spoons

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2014, 12:42:53 AM »
Tiarella makes cheeses with leaves as a finish. She might have some helpful insight on the matter.

My opinion on the matter, although I've never worked with leaves, is to work with what is local and see how it works for you.  ya know... Trial and error.

chevre au lait

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2014, 03:56:17 AM »
Agreed, about trial and error, though I am already sufficiently prone to error that I like to at least understand what properties one should be looking for, to mitigate milk waste and ruined cheese!  :-)  Larger, non-poisonous leaves include those from thimbleberry, which are soft and sort of lavender scented when bruised; young balsam poplar (tough, possibly balsamy); burdock (sour); hops (bland); but aside from those, not many large leaved plants to be found here that I'd recommend...cow parsnip leaves can cause skin blistering, though probably have a sweet celery flavour; dandelion leaves may grow to a foot long, but have the brittle center vein full of bitter milk to rub off onto the cheese; maybe rhubarb leaves (sour) could work, because you'd have to ingest the actual leaves, in quantity, to have any ill effect.  Hey...I wonder about using a birch bark mould/rehydrating container.  Tanniny, non-poisonous.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2014, 01:26:58 PM »
Hey...I wonder about using a birch bark mould/rehydrating container.  Tanniny, non-poisonous.
Tiarella has experience with birch bark as a rind wrap as well. PM her with your concerns.

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Offline awakephd

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2014, 06:16:29 PM »
I wonder if corn husks would work?
-- Andy

chevre au lait

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2014, 07:16:31 PM »
I bet cornhusks would work, awakephd.  Don't have any at present, but it's fresh corn season....  Corn husks do have that pleasant, grassy/tealike scent, and are tough, but bendable.  Who's going to be first to try?  You or me?  ;-)

Offline awakephd

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2014, 04:25:51 PM »
I'm afraid it will not be me, at least not any time soon. I had some corn in the garden, but it is pretty well gone. Plus I am slammed at the moment with work and a bathroom renovation in progress, so cheesemaking is on hold. :(

Don't you love it when someone says, "That sounds like a really good idea -- why don't YOU do that?" :)
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Offline Littlest Goat

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2014, 12:01:15 AM »
Hey
Happy to see this post.I played around with just drying my main chevre out extra days and then wrapping in leaves.I used cherry leaves from a bing type eating cherry tree.And grape leaves.I wrapped then put into a small covered ceramic crock and poured a little cherry liquior over it and held it for several months in my warmer than normal produce fridge.The result was sort of ok.One mistake was I used a  dyed green piece of raffia to tie the leaves around the cheese and the dye stained through and got the cheese.Also I think as I was just using my regular chevre make for the cheese it came out a little chaulky in texture.In 200 Cheeses she uses a bit different make for the cheese.My cheeses were small 5 oz logs dried down to maybe 3.5 oz .This looks like an interesting cheese and I have done some looking around online to see if anyone has more info.So I hope you go after it and post more.Than you

Rita_french

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Re: Does choice of leaves for Banon matter?
« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2014, 01:02:01 PM »
Hi,

I'm new to this forum and I must say im very admirative of all of your cheeses making.

To reply to the leaves questions, last summer i used some fig tree leaves on a blue cheese and it was awsome (in taste and aspect). Im not really sure about my english to describe the taste but it has a powerful aroma that matches the cheese perfectly. Also it has the adventages of keeping the cheese at a right level of humidity. You can use also some vine leaves. :-)

Best Regards,
Rita.