Author Topic: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA  (Read 1329 times)

Noel

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Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« on: May 19, 2015, 12:04:43 AM »
Hi, all!  For the past few years, my partner and I have been keeping Kinder goats (50:50 Nubian:Pygmy).  Lately, our trusty old milker Harriet is giving 3 pints a day, and with only two of us using her milk, our consumption doesn't keep pace with her production.  (We used to give the surplus to our heritage pigs, but we no longer keep pigs.)  To complicate matters, four other does will be kidding soon, and once their kids are weaned, we'll be awash in milk. 

Meanwhile, I'm getting a little bored with making ice cream, butter, yogurt, mozzarella, ricotta, and the odd fresh cheese.  They're great, and of course I'll keep making them, but it seems silly to be buying colby, cheddar, pepper jack, and parmesan if there's a reasonable chance of making them myself for next to no cost. 

That brings me to why I'm here.  I'm cash poor but milk rich, and while I'm no cheese connoisseur, I'd like to try using our delicious goat milk to make some of the hard cheeses, and maybe even an occasional brie or camembert, using as little in the way of expensive equipment as possible.  This means no pricey imported cream separators, cheese presses, seamless stainless steel molds, pH meters, or top-of-the-line wine storage coolers with digital temperature and humidity indicators.  But maybe I'm being unrealistic.   

For example, I was considering using a 6"-diameter metal coffee can, with both ends cut out, for a cheese mold for parmesan...until I discovered that, with a surface area of about 28 inches, the weight required to exert 20 psi would be 560 lbs:o Not to mention that I can't tie up our spare fridge for 2 years straight, just for the sake of a parmesan that, in the end, may turn out to be total piece of crap.  Okay, maybe parmesan isn't going to happen after all.

Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye out for tried and true cheese recipes that call for goat milk, as well as economical ways of getting the job done.  And though I've read a lot on both sides of the issue, I'm also interested in what folks might have to say about making cheeses from raw vs pasteurized milk.       

PS--I do understand that, due to their proprietary nature, I could never make real camembert or parmesan, but--well, you know what I mean. 
 

Stinky

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2015, 03:08:35 AM »
There are cheeses like Jack that you can make pressed between two plain boards, you can build a mold from wood or a good-quality plastic thingy, you can build your own press or use exercise weights and a stick and some paint cans  ;) or whatnot.

qdog1955

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2015, 07:52:02 AM »
They've been making cheese for over 2000 years----so I'm pretty sure it can be done using primitive equipment---lot of people here don't use fancy equipment--- stay away from plain steel ---it rusts to easily, but lots of food safe plastic that can work. No aluminum.
  As far as raw milk----as long as I'm  sure of it's quality, I'd take it in a heartbeat over the store bought stuff-----I often mix the two, up to fifty %----to keep the cost down-----when I can get both raw goat and cow, I'll mix those too.
Qdog 

Offline awakephd

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2015, 03:07:43 AM »
Welcome, Noel! You definitely do not need to spend a fortune to make some good cheese ... and with fresh milk straight from the goats, some great cheese!

For a mold, look at the plastic containers you have in the kitchen. Maybe an old pitcher that you really don't need? (I'm thinking the old Rubbermaid pitchers with straight sides.) Drill drainage holes, cut a follower from a cheap plastic cutting board, and voila, you have a mold. Want to make camembert? Drill holes in some recycled margarine tubs and go for it. (That is precisely what I used to make my most recent cams!)

If you have any carpentry skills, a basic dutch press is very easy to make; plans abound on the internet, including on this forum. If not, think bricks, blocks of granite, weight-machine weights, you-name-it. You can also make a mold from wood -- look at some of Stinky's posts.

Don't rule out Parmesan; you do not need 20 psi -- not even close. No cheese that you make at home is going to need more than a few psi at the very most. My experience is that Parmesan actually needs less than some others -- the fact that the curds are relatively "hot" (120° or so) means that they are already pretty dry, and very ready to knit together. Just be prepared to wait at least a year to get satisfactory results!
-- Andy

Sweet Leaves Farm

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2015, 10:53:08 AM »
I used fresh goat milk to make a Parmesan 18 months ago. It was very smooth and creamy, because I vacuum sealed it, but it was so yummy. I also had to open it and let it dry a little and reseal it every few months. Hopefully in a few years I'll have a real aging cave and I can do some more. Jack cheese works well with goat milk. Doesn't take a ton of pressure, I use pieces of PVC pipe and cutting boards for followers. Real cheesecloth is necessary, to properly drain the whey and I love my pH meter. You get really nice consistent results, even though the milk changes during the seasons. John@PC  http://www.perfect-cheese.com/ph-meters  has the best and most cost effective meters. Good luck in your endeavors and let us know how it goes!

Noel

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2015, 08:23:11 PM »
Thanks for all of the encouragement and suggestions!  I'm expecting some cultures and animal rennet in the mail today and am looking forward to getting started.  (I'm a little surprised at how few cheesemaking essentials are locally available in a city of >100,000 with multiple "natural foods/health foods" groceries, a major university, a couple of farmer's markets, and a sizable population of well-to-do, health-conscious, locavore slow-foodies.)     

Anyway, I've been reading The Science of Cheese by Michael H. Tunick, which I'm finding helpful so far, though I'm embarrassed to admit that most of the microbiology and organic chemistry details are over my head.   Still, between the book and the many informative posts here, it will be easier to distinguish between needs and wants when it comes to investing in cheesemaking paraphernalia.  Sweet Leaves, I'm guessing you have used and recommend the Extech PH100?  It certainly looks like a bargain and appears to be a legitimate instrument, unlike some I've encountered online. 

Awakephd, in just the past couple of days, I've found some wonderful posts here about effective, affordable presses, including one manufactured in Oregon by one of the forum members.  When I get sick and tired of piling up cast iron cookware and freeweights to fashion a makeshift press, I'll know who to order from. 

It's good to hear that homemade parmesan isn't hopeless and that a very nice Jack can be produced with rudimentary equipment!  Y'all will be the first to know when I have something to show for my labors.   

guerrillacheese

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Re: Greetings from Central Missouri, USA
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2015, 01:52:16 PM »
Hiya Noel;

No need to be unrealistic about your expectations to make cheese as naturally and as simply as you please.  I make cheese in a way that I think you'd be very attracted to - without purchased starters, store-bought cheese forms and pH meters, and with home grown fungi, jury-rigged cheese caves, and improvised presses.  Just wrote a book on the subject - due out in July, hopefully in time for your does freshening.  great recipes for specific goat milk cheeses inside too.

David

PS you can make much better camembert than you can buy in the store!  Parmesan's a much bigger challenge to duplicate.

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