it's allmost over, and it's all gone

[jmason]

Yikes, my busy few weeks turned into a few months.  The feta is gone (son sob's and wail's), caerphilly gone (it was delicious), caciotta gone (also good), in fact the only thing I have left are the 2 blues that took far longer than expected to do much, and one at least is getting pretty good.  Missed you guys, missed the makes, miss the cheese.

But wait, the weather is changing, the leaves on the trees begin to have the first hint of change, nights are cool, and there is a touch of autumn in the air.

TIME TO MAKE SOME CHEESE.

Hoping to ease back in this weekend with a simple batch of feta.  The greek yogurt production begins this evening.  Will probably do a caciotta since it is the fastest after feta at getting edible cheese in the fridge.  Haven't gotten past that yet but once I get started again I'm sure I'll get obsessive again and start needing a bigger cheese fridge.

Hope everyone is well and had a good summer.

John

[scasnerkay]

I find it a bit sad every time I polish off the last of a cheese... Then it is time to make another!!
Happy fall and happy cheesemaking!

[jmason]

A bit sad, perhaps.  I guess I really don't mind so much as I find the process of making cheese pretty relaxing.  It is nice to have my own cheeses to enjoy but I still find the process magic and it keeps me mentally active and challenged.  The only part I find a tad cumbersome is the cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, and I have developed a reasonably easy process that seems to work. 

I am looking forward to some new challenges.  Maybe increasing my lab work on doing cultures.  At least in the mold department.  I have in the fridge a rouqeforti culture I did a few months ago that should accelerate the process of making blues.  I may try doing a similar isolation of candida.  I might even have to haul out my scope and dust it off.  At the least it would be interesting for my son to be able to see the hyphal structures and sporulating structures.

I was having some issues with him going through puberty and demanded that he choose a physical activity to burn off some of that excess testosterone.  Well he didn't really choose anything and so I suggested nature walks, since it was an activity we could do together and where I could teach him a few things about identification.  He claimed to not be interested but anytime I would teach him about trees, plants or mushrooms he would almost involuntarily listen intently and plants and mushroom like things would be in his drawings a few days later.  Our walks have been a great bonding tool and he has learned a lot and now that we are coming into mushroom season a new dimension will open up. 

The other project on the horizon is to build a reasonable cheese press.  Not a thing to impose my will on the cheeses but just a simple press to give me a 50 lb press weight at the upper limit.  At this point I am leaning towards an off the wall press for simplicity and small size.

[Stinky]

Not a thing to impose my will on the cheeses but just a simple press to give me a 50 lb press weight at the upper limit. 

You get a cheese for that, sir.

[jmason]

Thanks Stinky,

I just don't quite see the need, cheeses knit and expel way all by themselves, a press I view as a tool to help form the cheese not to replace good practice.  I think we often overthink the process, over engineer it. 

[awakephd]

I just don't quite see the need, cheeses knit and expel way all by themselves, a press I view as a tool to help form the cheese not to replace good practice.  I think we often overthink the process, over engineer it.

I have no doubts that I routinely over-think things ... but that said, whether or not a cheese will knit on its own depends greatly on the cheese. A Cantal, for example, is not going to knit without a great deal of persuasion, while a blue or camembert doesn't need any pressing at all.

[jmason]

I really wasn't thinking of you when I posted any of that Andy.  Sorry if you thought I was picking on you and your he man macho press.  Now the non dairy creamer on the other hand, that I will pick on you about.

[awakephd]

I really wasn't thinking of you when I posted any of that Andy.  Sorry if you thought I was picking on you and your he man macho press.

No, I didn't take it as meant for me, nor did I take any offense. Just pointing out that there is a broad range of types of cheese, each with different needs as to press.

Now the non dairy creamer on the other hand, that I will pick on you about.

As you should, sir, as you should!