Author Topic: Seeking Colby advice  (Read 6888 times)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2009, 03:59:52 AM »
Karen maybe you could replace the siding board with a cheap cuttting board from the dollar store - they don't warp.

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2009, 11:56:52 AM »
The situation's been taken care of.  From now on I will check that it is free moving before walking away.

I really like my set-up, as these are 1 inch thick (true measurement) oak.  If my grandson ever decides to become a cheesemaker, he could probably use it someday when I'm no longer making cheese.

Yeah, right.  When they pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2009, 04:05:40 PM »
That would be a nice thing to hand down someday.

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #18 on: November 29, 2009, 10:06:55 PM »
I like the thought of teaching my grandson my homesteading skills such as milking a cow and making cheese from her milk.  He is just 3 1/2 and hasn't had a chance to visit Grandma's farm yet, though, living so far away.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2009, 11:29:45 PM »
Those are skills he's going to need someday to survive IMHO. You teach him all you know Karen and he will do fine!

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #20 on: November 30, 2009, 08:09:29 AM »
I'm big on survival skills.  Never know when you'll need them.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2009, 02:01:57 AM »
My kind of Gal! I am too (probably could tell huh?)!  :D

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2009, 02:12:40 PM »
Oh, just a little bit, Debi!

My latest venture will be candlemaking.  I've got access to all kinds of free beef tallow - I just have to render it.  This week's experiment will be adding a bit of carnauba wax (just because I have some) to see if it helps stablize the tallow.  If I don't have to buy beeswax for this, it would be all the better.

Tea

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2009, 07:39:03 PM »
MrsK, let us know how you find the tallow candles.  I was threatening to make some here some time back, but as I had just rendered down a heap for soap making, the family just about had a fit at the thought of more rendering.  Have made bees wax candle a number of times, but the tallow interests me.  Maybe a little olive oil, might soften it a bit too.

On the Grandson thought, I was punching down the cap on a mead the other day, and my GD who is two wanted to have a look and help.  So I showed her what I was doing, and of course she wanted to take over, so I let her stir.  Well next day my youngest son wants to get in the action too.  Can't miss out on all the fun. Well Lydia would have none of him helping, gripping the stirrer while pushing John out of the way, she yells at him, "I make. I make, not you!"  lol
Not sure what she is going to do when she find out she can't have any.  ::)

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #24 on: December 02, 2009, 01:39:10 PM »
"Not sure what she is going to do when she find out she can't have any.  "

I love it! 

The year my grandson was born, I made a couple of batches of raspberry-rhubarb wine.  It turned out pretty good, so I have a jar set aside with a label:  "Connor's wine.  Only to be opened after August 1, 2027 and has to be shared with Grandma."

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2009, 02:01:32 AM »
Karen I don't know know where you'd find it but back in the mid 1970's ... 75? 76? Fall sometime Mother Earth News had a great spread on candle making.  don't know if they keep achives or whatever they do but maybe they can direct you to it.

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #26 on: December 03, 2009, 11:44:47 AM »
Thanks for the tip, Debi.  I know someone on the KFC forum just recently posted an article on house cow ownership that had been published by MEN in the mid-seventies, so I will go out to their website and see if I can search for candlemaking.

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #27 on: December 03, 2009, 02:22:18 PM »
I just cut into my Colby from 11/09/09, and am pleased with the results so far.

It has holes in it like FarmerJD's pictures of his Colby, so I'm thinking that might be fairly normal in a Colby, especially at such a young age (six days short of a month).

The curd is not wet, nor is it acidic.  I did try just a bit of it to see what I thought, but will now let it breathe for an hour to be able to appreciate it's true flavor.

Most of the wheel will be re-larded and put back into the cabinet to age some more.

FarmerJd

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #28 on: December 03, 2009, 07:47:35 PM »
Karen I would love to see pics of the larding process sometime.

MrsKK

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Re: Seeking Colby advice
« Reply #29 on: December 04, 2009, 08:21:51 AM »
Nothing special, JD.  I just use a spatula to put a coat of lard on the wheel of cheese once it has dried.

As mine are six inches wide, I put them on a paper plate, then have another one on top of the cheese so I can flip them over without getting lard all over my hands.