And the following images are from today. I started this yesterday - an 8-litre "batch" as I was getting tired of only getting a pound or so from all the hours of work!
I believe this is my 5th attempt, although I'd have to look at the labels on my bottles containing cheese that are aging. But to summarize:
1st Attempt - 4 litre Cow's Milk. Was confused as I had two sets of instructions from the same supplier which were different in some steps. Cheese turned out crumbly. But it tasted as good as any regular/economically priced feta at the grocery store.
2nd Attempt - 4 litre Goat's Milk. I felt more confident with the second batch and with some suggestions from Fritz here on this board. I have to give big Kudos to Fritz! I was very pleased with the texture. At first though - I was concerned as it seemed to taste bland. The first batch, while crumbly, had a feta taste developing 24 hours after starting. This one.... I was concerned I might have mishandled the culture. However, after about a week, I was very pleased with the taste - it does taste subtly different than the cow's milk, but it's not unpleasant to me. I suppose I should sample more goat's milk cheeses to see if I "get" or understand what people mean when they say a "goaty taste."
3rd Attempt - 4 litre Cow's Milk. Turned out, at least for me, well. It's aging in brine right now.
4th Attempt - 4 litre Cow's Milk, but with the Bulgarian Yogurt variation. Presently aging in whey brine.
5th Attempt - 8 litre Cow's Milk - started yesterday. Very pleased with taste and aroma so far. Also, with this one, I
really really really slowed down on the stirring. I was never really sure what "stir slowly" meant. But I think I get it now
The previous batches all seemed to have solid milk product in the whey after removing the curd; this most recent batch had much less.