It's the rainy season here, and I had the first moment of free time in a long time. So I decided to surf for new cheese info--I re-found this forum. It looks like I join over a year ago, but never remembered to do anything else. Until today.
Let me say GRACIAS for the forum. Living here is like a return to 1960's America--I love that--most of the time. But being able to connect with and learn with other cheesemakers is not something that is readily available.
There are only TWO cheeses readily available in Costa Rica, and they are both local fresh cow's milk cheeses. In fact, when several of my neighbors learned I was not eating the cheese I made right away, but rather waiting sometimes months before eating it, they came to me quite concerned and told me, "It's dangerous to eat old cheese!" They had never heard of aged cheeses.
A good friend and I both raise La Mancha goats and we are basically self-taught via various books, websites, etc. Of course, making cheese from raw goat's milk with standard (usually cow milk) recipes has had a bit of a learning curve as to the adjustments that must be made. Luckily, having had a fantastic cheese shop around the corner in Dallas, along with years of eating delectable cheeses of all sorts from around the world, has given a leg up.
I've come to have good success, but I'm always looking to improve. So I think this forum will be a boon. I've come to be known as the "Cheese Man of Cachí" because the Gringo expats here can't wait to buy any of my excess cheese since there is no real availability of cheese--aged, bloomy rind, blue, or otherwise.
Getting anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 gallons of milk per day means there are always 10-20 different cheeses aging in the "caves."
Maybe the best way to get to know fellow cheesemakers is through their cheeses, so I'll attach a few pics of some of my recent cheeses.
Looking forward to future conversations with you all
Pura Vida