Hello from Grand Rapids, MI!

[shoelessone]

Hello all!  My name is Kevin, aka Kev aka shoeless (NOT to be confused with the baseball player - I know nothing about baseball, but sometimes people thing "shoeless" refers to "shoeless joe jackson" - it refers to the fact that ever since I was young I try to be barefoot as much as possible).

I'm 23, have a degree in computer science, love traveling more than anything in the world (Just got home from a 6 month post-graduation backpacking trip around South East Asia), and food is probably next in line for my love.  I suppose my girlfriend and family are alright too

I am a very new cheese maker, I've made a total of 5 batches of cheese, only 1.5 of which turned out.  That said, I'm quite "intense" you might say, and those 5 batches have taken place over the course of 1 week.  I've been taking fairly detailed notes on each of my cheeses, as well as photos, and my goal is to use my other nerd abilities to soon organize all of my trials for easier reference.

My first 3 cheeses were failures, however I am proud to say that they were not exactly my fault - after carefully repeating the same basic recipe with longer/shorter inoculation times, I determined that I had bad rennet!

My fourth cheese was a success - I'm not sure what it is yet, I wouldn't call it a swiss, or a colby, or anything of the sort, I'm just hoping in a month when I see what exactly my work created I have something that is edible

My firth cheese, which finished pressing this morning, was a total failure.  The cheese crumbled terrible even after being in the press, and I haven't determined the cause, which means I might never.  It may have not been inoculated long enough, or possibly I cooked it at too high of a temperature, or... I don't know.  I know it tastes good, but it's totally and completely crumbly.

I have a source of high quality, fresh, and raw goats milk one day a week (I get a gallon every week), so that's nice to have.  Other then that, I have a friend who's family has a very large dairy farm and I can probably get as much raw milk from them once a month or so.  I don't know her well, but she said she could get me as much raw milk as I had containers.

I also have a grocery store with "normal" pasteurized/homogenized milk for 2.19 a gallon (for now), so that's that!

I can't wait to really learn more about cheese making.

My GOAL, is to be able to make a decent:
Parmesan
Cheddar
something like a smoked Gouda
a goat cheese as found in the store (softer chease, like a chevre I think?)

So, hello all!

[Cheese Head]

Hello shoe-less-one (Kev) and welcome to the forum!

Great on making all those cheeses, lots of people doing similar here, me I'm spending my time making mostly soft cheese failures .

If you post your process in Cheese Board of whichever you were making or in Method Board if general, I suspect several members would be happy to help.

From your other post it sounds like you are now based in Michigan, I hear a great state and place to make cheese but economically not a great place to look for a job. Come South young man, still (reasonably) lots of good jobs in Houston!

[Zinger]

Whoa! From one Grand Rapidian to another, we have to talk about your source for milk - I'm jealous.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[shoelessone]

If you post your process in Cheese Board of whichever you were making or in Method Board if general, I suspect several members would be happy to help.

From your other post it sounds like you are now based in Michigan, I hear a great state and place to make cheese but economically not a great place to look for a job. Come South young man, still (reasonably) lots of good jobs in Houston!

I think maybe I will post to the method board - this is going to be a really great resource for me, I hope to provide plenty of detail/photos/etc to make my questions at least somewhat interesting

As far as jobs, Houston doesn't sound too bad!  I've got quite a few engineer friends from university who work in Houston at Dow Chemical (I think it's in Houston).  Myself, I'm sort of "stuck" in Grand Rapids for the next year, my girlfriend is doing her student teaching next semester, so I'm here until at LEAST next winter, probably until next summer.  Basically a year.  After that, I'm REALLY hoping to do some more traveling.  Actually, I'd really like to get a job somewhere in India, SE Asia, or Korea for a year or so. 

But if anybody has need for a computer programmer/web designer/photographer, let me know

[shoelessone]

Whoa! From one Grand Rapidian to another, we have to talk about your source for milk - I'm jealous.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the welcome!

Sadly, my "sources" for milk are actually sort of "source" - the girl who owns the dairy farm, I said she's my friend, technicall she's my girlfriend's brother's friend, and I haven't talked to her except through him.  So that's sort of touch and go.  To be honest, my plan is to not really use her as a source except maybe once, once I've gotten techniques/equipment down more, then I'll make one huge (for me at least) 5 pound wheel of cheese or something.


By the way, I went to school in Houghton (UP) so I've spent a lot of time up north, and I have a good friend from the Traverse area (I forget the name of the town, sort of hippy-ish place, and there's a music school by it somewhere).  My point being, I've spent time up north also

[kai]

Hello Kevin,Shoe less one.

It's nice to be barefoot. Walk on grass with barefoot will make you're relax and refresh..
When I graduated from a vet school,I travelling around before start work(after that always busy.).In Sri Lanka has a nice shop name Barefoot too.

[wharris]

That's one of my favorite cheap cabernet wines.

 
 
Coincidentally, I will be up in Grand Rapids tonight on business.  Perhaps I will go visit the Grand Rapids Cheese company again.  Met an older guy there that owned the place last time I was there.  Spoke with him for hours.  He used to make pecorino romano in Italy, then mozzarella here.  He opened his own company there in Grand Rapids called the Grand Rapids Cheese Company.  Really nice guy.
 

[MrsKK]

Hey, Kev, welcome to CFO!  sounds like you've caught the bug hard.  Not a bad thing in any way, shape or form.

I just wanted to give a piece of advice regarding the containers you use when you get your milk - make sure they are containers that you can reach all points of with a scrub brush.  Old milk jugs are not good, as the handle can hold all kinds of yuck in it and it is virtually impossible to scrub that area out.  I do use jugs that used to hold distilled or spring water for milk, but only one time.

You don't want to get that much milk, just to have the containers sabotage you!

Happy cheesemaking!

[Zinger]

Wayne,

I was not aware that Grand Rapids Company existed, I'll have to check it out.

[Cartierusm]

Shoe, welcome. As far as the crumbly stuff usually that is attributed to over ripening, too much acid. But as John said post a detail account and we'll help.

Hey Wayne when you're back in SloPids talk to that guy again about the stuff in back, he may give it to ya.

[DeejayDebi]

Hi Kev and welcome to the forum. Some fine folks here with alot of experience they get you going!

[wharris]

I'm back now, but will be back in GR next tuesday.  I will prolly stop by

[Wannie]

Howdy shoelessone from Michigan and welcome to the forum.

WOW! $2.19 per gallon for milk!  That is great...  It is about $4 USD here in Tennessee per gallon.  Anyways, welcome to the forum Kevin.  Lots of good people here willing to help out and good info.  The best resource I've found on the web for home cheese-making.