First cheese

[Sedona]

I made my first 2 lb caraway cheddar today, yeah. And i even got a clean break, huhhhh.  I'm so proud of myself & thanks to you all for the help.
The cheese is still in the mold until tomorrow.
I will post a picture tomorrow.
Sedona 

[MrsKK]

Now comes the tough part - waiting for it to age to see the results of your labor.  My best coping mechanism is to keep making cheese often enough that I somehow forget one or two and quit obsessing about the wait.

Congratulations!  Looking forward to pictures.

[Sedona]

Thanks Karen, yup now i have to wait. So your are making soap too, that's fantastic. I been making soap for almost 20 yrs. and use fresh goats milk.
Ok here are the pictures of my first hard cheese, and my cheese press i really like.
I made this caraway cheddar with pasteurized cow milk and it almost took most of the day to make, huhhh.  I just had to pick a recipe that took that long, lol. But i enjoyed every minute making it. I hope it taste good.
I also had a problem with taking the cheese cloth of, the cheese stuck on the cloth.
What you all think about the cheddar?
Sedona

[Sedona]

Caraway Cheddar

[Sedona]

Caraway Cheddar ---- hmm i'm wondering why all pictures didn't go thru?  Had to go back and post them again.

[MrsKK]

That looks really good, Sedona!

I'm still adding just a bit of coloring to my cheddar, as my family has a hard time with the visuals...adding less and less as time goes on, in the hopes to wean them off of it.

I just put a 5 lb cheddar on the drying mat.  I started culturing the milk on Saturday afternoon.  Yes, it took a long time, but it is my "busy-weekend" cheddar.  Longer times in the setting of the curd and leaving it in the whey, then in a hot-water bath for cheddaring.  I made it this way by accident last fall and ended up with my best cheese ever, so am trying to replicate it.  The fresh curds are wonderful, so I'm hoping this will end up being my stock cheddar recipe.

[Sedona]

Wow Karen you made a 5 lb cheddar.
I bet you been making cheese for awhile. What kind of milk are you using, fresh or pasteurized, goats, cow?
My next one will be a monterey jack with cream and hot peppers.
In the grocery store you see only ultra-pasteurized heavy cream (whipping cream). I assume that's alright to use.
Sedona

[DeejayDebi]

Nice looking cheese Sedona. I have never tried caraway seed in cheedar - I will have to try this.

[MrsKK]

Sedona,
I use raw cow's milk, as I have my own cow.  She's currently giving me 3 gallons a day, so when I make cheese, I make the biggest batches I can fit in my SS kettle.

I've been making cheese for about a year and a half now.