Can I make a starter from raw cow's milk?

[ConnieG]

Thank  you DeeJayDebi!

Do you really use the junket tablet?  I've never had much luck with them.  And again the amount calls for 1 gal of milk - Is this all you use or it is the base recipe from which you multiply?

I've been making a word file of all the interesting recipes that are on here.   I think I'mm going to need another cow to keep up!

[DeejayDebi]

I used junket tablets, buttermilk and yogurt for about 27 years to make cheese because that all I could get locally. I can't say I have ever had a failure with them. Keep in mind most recipes are not designed for using them so you need to use (as with all ingredients) the manifacturers recommendations when using the product.

I have been experimenting for the last few years with commercial cultures, molds and rennets to attemp to replicate every cheese I can find any good info on. Most are pretty easy with a bit a research on the areas natural bacterial strains. The hard part sometimes is finding the cheese itself for comparison.

The recipe I posted was just for home styled ingredients and was one of the first cheeses I ever made.

[susanky]

Here's a Parmesan recipe I've used for many years from a book I bought in 1976. It uses buttermilk as the thermophilic starter culture. .

Now this is a recipe I can work with!  Our local grocery carries Junket.  Does it age OK in the (regular) refrigerator?  My mold is about 4".  Will that be too thick?  (it is really just a piece of thick clear plastic with holes).  But I thought buttermilk was a mesophilic starter, no?
Susan

[DeejayDebi]

Opps sorry Susan I meant to say yogurt therophilic I was thinking ahead of my typing again.

Junket will keep at room temperature for about 2 years from the date manufactured. There is a date on the box. As for aging in a regular refrigerator it does not age well. It will need to be sealed or it will dry up and it will be painfully slow. I don't know where you are but it's getting cold here - I often used the back wall of a closet or the basement to age cheeses during the cooler seasons back in the day.