Reblochon

[velward]

Well, my goats have begun to freshen, I have 14 babies on the ground and We are 14 days into the lactation of the first doe...Time for cheese : ) I have become enamored with trying a Reblochon and the recipe I have is for Cow's milk. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me on changes I might have to make for goat's milk?

[iratherfly]

Yep! I can certainly help and that's a cheese style I do a lot of. Goats Reblochon is called Chevrotin. It is better when the goat milk is in season of course. Have you done these supple Trappist style washed rind cheeses before? They are wonderful.

Let me try and help you. Can you tell me if you are pasteurizing or not?

Also, not related but just curious: I have been getting some weird goats milk in the past couple of weeks from 3 unrelated farms: do you know the current pH level of your goat milk? What breeds do you have? Just trying to make sense of this strange milk I've been getting so far this spring.

[linuxboy]

Check their kidding schedule and doe age. We're on the cusp of the winter to spring change, many farms are just finishing kidding. Younger moms tend to take a few weeks to stabilize.

[steffb503]

Yoav,You know my milk is fantastic, real creamy this time of year!!

Some farms might be milking too early in lactation and getting too much colostrum in the milk. I have a few does who stop producing it by day three and a few others who go on producing a significant amount well after a week.
I typically taste each does milk every day as I milk to be sure.

[velward]

I have registered LaMancha and MiniMancha Dairy goats. I have not tested ph yet as I haven't used the milk for my consumption yet. I'm just anticipating, LOL Yes the older does do tend to stabilize sooner than the new young moms. Also, the colostrum levels are certainly different for each doe. I am actually waiting for new grass before I start cheese, it seems to help the milk stabilize as well as add a spring freshness to the milk. I found that the quality of feed and the health of the herd has as much as anything to do with the taste and quality of the milk in my goats. I only feed the best quality alfalfa and timothy, good grains, and my pasture is virtually weed free, so there is not much chance of off tasting milk. The health of the goat is usually the reason for off tasting milk. proper mineral and clean water is vital. There is , however a subtle difference in the taste of each breed, as well as different balances of Milk fat, protein, etc...

[velward]

Also, not related but just curious: I have been getting some weird goats milk in the past couple of weeks from 3 unrelated farms: do you know the current pH level of your goat milk? What breeds do you have? Just trying to make sense of this strange milk I've been getting so far this spring.

What do you mean by strange? No I do not pasteurize

[Frotte La Tomme]

Milk should be around 6.7, neutral.  Any increase is due to high cell counts, i.e. masatitis, end of lactation, or old does.  Food rations come into equation as well.

[iratherfly]

Sorry for not responding you guys, taxes, Jewish holiday and then family visiting from overseas! - A triple threat

I have been getting a 6.6, even 6.57 milk fresh from not one but 3 farms. The coagulation issue with the first two was that I got this runny Kefir-like substance that was too runny to be drained. Good culture and rennet, proper CaCl2, no whey floating on top even at 48 hours and lots of curdling without coagulation. This is like trying to do a Chèvre with Ultra-Pasteurized milk.  The third milk was even weirder; Lots of butterfat to begin with. When I tried coagulating it normally, I got a huge layer of bubbles on top formed this spongy fluffy curd that was floating on the whey (not the other way). Eventually it was firm enough to be ladled. After pre-draining this I got very dry curd. Tried making normal chèvre with it but the result was dry and crumbly. Getting the 21 day Crottin hardness within about 3 days. Not un-tasty, it's slightly less tangy than expected for that drain pH (4.3 I think) and has some different characteristic that leads me to believe that was all colostrum. The yield by the way, was totally normal in terms of % volume/weight.  Must be the early season milk.