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GENERAL BOARDS => Australia => Geographic Type Posts => New South Wales => Topic started by: Crystal on December 06, 2011, 07:46:30 PM
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Hi, im new to cheesemaking and new to the forums! I have so far enjoyed making the few cheeses i have and cant wait to start chatting to you!
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Welcome to the forum Crystal.
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OK, ive been doing some homework and have found a home brew shop thats close that stocks cheese making supplies at very reasonable prices. So for anyone in Sydney Hills check here:
http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/pages/Thornleigh.html (http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/pages/Thornleigh.html)
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Just incase your wondering, Raw Cows Milk is available from http://www.abundantorganics.com.au (http://www.abundantorganics.com.au) who will home deliver in sydney. Also you can buy it at Dr Earths retail stores in Newtown and Bondi. They are the only two reliable sources i have found in Sydney for Cleopatras Bath Milk... (shame, but its the law!) I have been looking for a herd share/ cow share near me, none for love nor money! If anyone knows of one id be very interested in finding them!
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Hi I have just joined this forum and I live near Penrith(Orchard Hills to be exact) I have a nice little saanen goat and sometimes have more milk than I can use, if you want a few litres just message me and I can let you know if I have spare, also there are a few people around here with goats I am slowly finding them and they may have fresh milk available too or maybe a share like the one you mentioned with a cow. I have found our local country brewer supplies not the freshest, what is the thornleigh guy like, also Absolutehome brewer at st marys will prob do special orders with his suppliers he has offered to do them for me. :)
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Hi Keeza!
Nice to meet a Sydneysider! Penrith is a long way to go for milk lol! But on occasion we do head out that way so will definatly let you know if were coming!
I havent actually been to the thornleigh one yet, just found him on the net. But id assume the cheese supply business isnt all that booming and thats why its not always fresh! I will get there one day and let you know how it goes. i do actually need some cultures soon so it shouldnt be long.
What "special orders" will he do? just for cheese supplies?
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Hi Crystal, Where do you live, Penrith not too far these days with the motorways thank god, Pat(brewers shop) stocks all things alcoholic, brewing gear, distillation set ups, flavourings, fresh imported yeasts, hops etc. He is on the net under absolute home brew st marys nsw. I had a chat to him and his supplier also owns Mad Millies a cheesemaking supplier so he sent me a price list and said I could order some stuff through him, havent had the time but I plan to have a look at her website and mark down what i want, the country brewer is cheaper on some things but the guy at kingswood doesnt stock it all and what i did get was a bit old, and didnt work too well. cheeselinks has baskets cheap but i havent ordered as they dont quote freight until you order, have you dealt with them, have you found any aussie sights like this?
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Hi
My name is Nellie and I'm new to the site. Just thought I'd let you know
There is a cheesemaking shop opening at Northbridge Sydney in Feb.
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thanks nellie, do you live over that way? I get lost everytime i head over that direction, if you do and you go to the shop could post their name and cross fingers website, we may finally have somewhere to get supplies without sending to victoria, uk or god knows where country brewer gets their stuff. ;D
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Yes I do live near that but work at Blactown! Their website is thecheesemakingworkshop.com.au. I don't know if they will increase their product range when the shop opens.
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thanks, small world my husband came from blacktown and i grew up at seven hills, what kind of cheese do you make, I am very new to it, but i am giving it a go as I have a goat that i milk and want to make the best of the fresh produce.
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I did a couple of courses and have made Camembert, cheddar, haloumi, feta and haloumi. I also make yoghurt about three times a week. I'm really enjoying it.
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sounds delicious, wouldnt mind doing a course but at the moment the grandkids keep me pretty broke, I am basically self taught, got a book looked up a few things, I have made, basic soft cheese that I flavoured with herbs, also same type of cheese i have added honey spice and rum soaked dried fruit, went down well, ricottawhey ricotta from basil flavoured whey,feta, quark, gbejnet, and a couple of edible mistakes, one yesterday was trying to make gbenjet but it somehow turned into a type of mozarella, I make a lot of yogurt but still searching for the perfect thickness as goat milk is hard to get nice and thick. would love to have a go at hard cheese just trying to get the time as they do take a bit of fiddling from what i have read.
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crystal, what type of cheese are you into?
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Hi Keezawitch, I use UHT milk for my yoghurt so don't have experience with fresh cow or goat's milk but I use powdered milk mixed before I heat the yoghurt to help thicken.
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i used to use uht milk and extra powder too, but now i have my own milk i am using it, one lot used goat milk and powder milk it was way too thin so tossed in some greek yoghurt and popped it back on oven for another 9 hrs it turned out nice and thick, next one i used starter from this thinking it would add to thick ness, turned out thickish but not thick as i like, i am starting to think with goat milk needs to be cultured 8 hrs then add more natural yoghurt and culture again, thinking of getting a new yoghurt machine so can do it in 1 litre batches without putting it in little pots.
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I just love my yoghurt makers! It's the only way I have made yoghurt.
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i used to do it that way but now i have my own milk i am experimenting, got a good one the other day but was really fiddly, the first culture was way too thin so dumped some natural yogurt into it and reheated, kept warm another 9 hrs and it turned out great, tried to do it again using that one as starter but didnt turn out as thick so back to the drawing board
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Wow, i go away for a few days and the sydney thread gets some visitors!! Im in Castle hill, so no, its not that fart to penrith, but i have 6 kids and am always 'broke' so the petrol would be more than the milk is worth!
I got my original kit from greenlivingaustralia which i found to be the cheapest online. I have done farmhouse cheddar, whey ricotta, fetta, ive got a caerphilly in the cave. I have flavoured some farmhouses with chives and i whipped up a wicked American Neufchatel before christmas. I havent made yoghurt from scratch yet, i use a packet one. I did attempt it one night and got milk the next day, seeing as it started from milk i wasnt impressed! LOL!!
Perhaps with the brewers shop we can pull together and order a larger amount, get a bigger discount and share it out?
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crystal, castle hill isnt too far for me, as I said in the craft section will get back to you on coming over, man your good with the cheeses I am still a bit nervous and finding books here in australia on the subject seems to be alluding me, I have an american book so I am constantly converting and crossing fingers. The pooling Idea may be the go as a lot if the cultures come in amounts that do 250ltres by the time I will have used it the cultures would be a bit old so dividing them up would be sensible. 6 Kids hey, are they all singles or do you have a couple of multiples in there. I understand the broke thing, been doing that for yrs, first it was the kids and now its the grandkids, but life would be lonely and boring without them. One of the reasons we moved to the acreage is so kids can run free, and we can produce some food to suppliment all our pantries and the cost of renting here worked out better than a suburban place as one son has moved home and he pays half. Bet you had a mad morning if you kids all go to school, well take care
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I just love my yoghurt makers! It's the only way I have made yoghurt.
I like my yogurt makers too it is just that I make a large quantity at a time and it is such a hassle to pour into all the little pots then scoop them out and then pour again, I have 3 going at once and still need more so I have been looking for one that does 1 or more litres in one pot I think I may have more success with the texture that way
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I have a yoghurt maker from Aldi, makes 1 lt in a big tub that you can use to store in the fridge! I love it! Im ignorant on making real yoghurt tho, so do you guys wanna share how you make it?
Oh, you can just use a large tupperware container inside an esky. Fill esky 3/4 of the way up the container with boiling water. put the lid on and off you go! Yoghurt in the morning!
My library had ZERO books on cheese... sad huh! I get all my info here... plus a lot of the makes on here come with pix and you can ask questions and get feedback on how your going. I love it! if you have that pricelist from mad millies can you photocopy it and mail? or scan it and email as a pdf? So i can look at it and see what we could get?
Oh, i have two single boys then 2 sets of twins: so DS10, DS4, DD2, DS2, DS1, DS1!
had the oldest start school today, then DS4 had his best start appointment. Also had to do the shopping (imagine buying food for 8 for a fortnight!), Then had to get 5 of the kids off to the drs for a skin infecton that has spread to almost all of them!! Now im going to lay down for a bit!
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aldi hey, I will keep my eye out, dont get in there as often as i would like, I take my daughter in law grocery shopping and she prefers woolies, i love aldi but by the time we finish in woolies and I drop her off(after doing other shopping) I just cant face another grocery shop. No wonder you needed a lie down, thought my days were crazy. Lucked out at our library too, i will have to try and check out the recipes on here, I have gotten a couple from the girl I got my male goat off, also from a neighbour, the rest I have gotten off internet or from the book i have. I have used the oven and a large glass jar (holds 2 litre) for the yoghurt but temp control is iffy as my oven doesnt go low enough, looking forward to winter only because we have a fuel stove in kitchen as well as electric one, Hate the cold but cant wait to warm the room up and make yoghurt cheese and bread from the warmth it will generate. To make the yoghurt from scratch is sooooo easy, you can buy cultures from the brewer or online OR use a natural yoghurt from the supermarket, I use greek style as it is nice and thick, You add milk powder to milk bring it to the same temp you use for the packet stuff, think it is about 30-33%c add a small tub of yoghurt( i usually put yogurt into a jug and add a bit of warmed milk mix add milk mix do this till it is thin enough to pour, pour into warm milk mix well and put in yogurt machine, if you are happy with the result keep a couple of tablespoons aside in fridge and there is your starter for next batch, continue to get your starter this way. As for the mad millie site i am not good at adding attachments, actually i am hopeless, if i get my printer working i will print one off for you. Have you checked out cheeselinks.com they are aussie and cheaper than mad millie, if you have time and you havent collapsed with exhaustion give them a look and let me know what you think
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just got an email from the cheesemaking shop that is opening in sydney, they dont charge freight if we arrange the pick up, I might be able to organise cheap freight as my husband works in the transport(freight) industry. I have also asked if we pool resources would they find that viable, waiting for the reply
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Hi ladies been good reading the local thread! 6 kids wow!! Do they enjoy your cheeses? I had a great cheese weekend - made six different sorts and yoghurt. I am going to the opening of the cheesemaking shop at Northbridge tonight. I am happy to pick up orders and take them to work at Blacktown if that helps anyone.
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Hello ladies, been away for a while and just checked back in today. I buy all my supplies from cheeselinks. You can check the freight costs before committing, they have a calculator on the ordering page. It's not expensive, (standard Australia Post rates) but like all freight, its best to consolidate an order rather than order one item. I find them very reliable and fast, and the items are top quality and fresh. You can also ring them to place an order and they are very helpful. I prefer them to brewers supplies as they usually dont have any idea about cheese, whereas cheeselinks is a speciallty cheese supplier who supply not only home cheesemakers, but also some commercial operations. I'm not associated with them, just a happy customer.
I make cams, blue bries, fetta, halloumi and yoghurt and have not had a problem with any ingredient (just my technique!).
Nice to see more Aussies on the forum! Happy cheesemaking. :)
Bob
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hi Bob, thanks I have been looking at cheeselinks for a while now but hadnt ordered as I didnt know freight costs, they are by far the cheapest anf it is good to know thier products are good
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thanks bob ;)
what cheeses did you make nellie?
i'll not bother going to brewers then, keep ordering online or arrange with you to pool an order!
will have to check out that workshop place!
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i think i will go for cheeselinks if freight price is ok, I need baskets, moulds all that kind of thing i havent been able to find around here as well as some cultures etc. I keep urging hubbie to kill one of the goats so I can make my own rennet too, oh and eat the meat, mustn't forget that. He doesnt seem to enthusiastic though.
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Crystal, I've done a couple of courses and make Camembert, haloumi, Havarti, feta, cheddar, Romano and mozzarella. Just got hold of the Ricki Carroll book so I'm looking at some of those recipes. The cheese cave is full at the moment so I must be a bit patient.
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wow nellie, you really get into it huh?
My cheese cave has one cheese in it, as im busy and cheese isnt really economical when you buy milk i dont make all that much cheese really. I am experimenting with UHT milk though, and still waiting to hear how i can use fig leaves as rennet?
You can make your own baskets from plastic containers, just drill small holes from the inside out! cut the lid to size with a saw for the follower ;) or make a wooden one if the lid is flimsy plastic. Im going to make some baby cheeses and al looking at some containers i can put into action as moulds. Ive heard a few people use miffin tins for goats cheeses, drill holes and use cups filled with water as weights on the cheeses!
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oops, sorry forgot about the fig leaf thing, will look it up and let you know, muffin tins hey, does it matter if they are metal or do you think the new latex type would be good, I used a weight from and old exercise set, I wrap it in plastic and use in small ricotta basket,I do this for softer cheeses as i havent had a go at hard ones, still trying to get enough time to devote to them.
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ok here we go: USING FIG SAP TO CURDLE MILK FOR CHEESE OR JUNKET.
4-5 drops will set 1 gallon of milk.
1/ put on rubber gloves
2/ extract fig sap either by cutting a branch and collecting sap or pick large leaves and let the sap drip from cut spot into container
3/ transfer to prepared milk(warmed and cultured) by one of three methods.
a/ sqeeze a few drops into milk and stir through
b/rub sap onto sterile cloth and rinse in milk.
c/ stir milk with branch or cut end of leaves.
I beleive if you use too much it can be bitter, but worth a go as you have heaps of leaves and branches
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Crystal I know what you mean about the cost of milk. I'm getting some calcium chloride this weekend and will war some homogenised milk and see what sort of outcome I get. I've only used UHT for yoghurt. What are you thinking of using it for?
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wow nellie, you really get into it huh?
My cheese cave has one cheese in it, as im busy and cheese isnt really economical when you buy milk i dont make all that much cheese really. I am experimenting with UHT milk though, and still waiting to hear how i can use fig leaves as rennet?
You can make your own baskets from plastic containers, just drill small holes from the inside out! cut the lid to size with a saw for the follower ;) or make a wooden one if the lid is flimsy plastic. Im going to make some baby cheeses and al looking at some containers i can put into action as moulds. Ive heard a few people use miffin tins for goats cheeses, drill holes and use cups filled with water as weights on the cheeses!
crystal, do you drill the holes all over or just in the bottom? do you have any pictures so we can copy please?
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Hi again,
I make my yoghurt in an electric yoghurt maker I purchased from Cheeslinks for $55. It is brilliant. I use 1 litre of cheap UHT milk, add about 100g full cream milk powder to thicken the yoghurt, add a couple of table spoons of sugar (to taste) and add Cheeslinks type C thick yoghurt culture. Leave in the maker overnight and in the morning, a fabulous, beautiful thick natural yoghurt! :) :) Total cost is about $1.50 a litre.
Bob
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Thanks so much for the fig/rennet! Will certainly give that a go. Just want to double check that its possible to use it with pasturised and homoginised milk? or, should i just try?
Use a metal muffin tin, the silicone ones usually have ridged sides, and they collapse if you put too much weight. As goats cheese is quite moist it doesnt need much drainage, so holes in the bottom should be enough. I dont have pix as i havent done this. But i read it in a thread here a long while back.
Nellie, ive used UHT milk for neufchatel, cottage cheese and im doing a feta wih it tomorrow. I wouldnt try anything that requires a firm curd like a cheddar, as you wont get it. That said, the caerphilly i have in the cave now was made using 1/2 Organic un-homoginised milk and 1/2 Full cream UHT milk ;) We tasted the other night, and the texture is ok, the flavour is ok, i havent got all the scientific stuff to check moisture content and fat content or acidity, but i dont care! As long as it looks like cheese and tastes like cheese, its all good!!
Guys, if you are using both UHT and adding milk powder wouldnt it be more economical using normal milk for the yoghurt? As UHT is no cheaper than normal milk usually? And you might not have to add the powder?
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thanks crystal i will keep my eyes peeled for cheap muffin pans as they sound just the thing for the maltese cheese i do, As for the powder milk it doesnt matter what type of milk you use you will always need to add it or the yoghurt is very runny like a drinking yoghurt, I dont understand why, I have also added a bit of gelatine to help thicken it as i like mine to stick to the spoon. Cows milk definately thickness better than goat milk, it has something to do with the fat molecules being larger in cow milk. I found also that by using uht milk the yoghurt keeps better. today i am experimenting with ghejb cheese i have added, wild fennel flowers and garlic chive flowers to it, hope it works and has a mild flavour
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Way to go with the experiments!!
Right, well i'll use powder when i ever try this yoghurt making thing ;)
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experiment failure :(, what a disaster, the fennel flower and chive flower was a flop, first it didnt curd properly, think rennet i brought was old have ordered from new supplier, anyway put the soft curds into cheesecloth to drain, drained well, still too soft so put weight on it and drained some more, that was ok BUT when i tasted it, it way too bitter and the fennel dominated the whole thing, the chickens will eat well tomorrow used 8 litres of milk in it, oh well first real failure, the first experiment that i couldnt eat, live and learn and try something else next time. :)
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Oh well Keeza, better luck next time! It was wonderful to meet you today and THANK YOU for the milk. You wouldnt even be home yet and we have already polished off the first bottle! Kids loved it! So i guess i better work out what to do with the other 10L hey!! Hope your fig goes well, no problem if it doesnt, i'll just bring you a new one ;)
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Hi ladies, the reason you add milk powder to the milk for yoghurt is to add extra milk solids which make the yoghurt thicker. Milk powder is milk without the water, so it is concentrated solids, mostly proteins and fat. So adding extra soilds creates much thicker yoghurt. I use full cream mik because I like he creamy consistency and flavour, but you can use skim milk powder as well if you prefer.
UHT is perfect for yoghurt because you are not looking for a solid curd (as you would for cheesemaking). UHT milk is nearly sterile because of the high temperature processing so there are virtually no spoilage bacteria in the milk, so your yoghurt will last longer. UHT is usually the cheapest milk to buy, often only $1 a litre, although the supermarket milk wars have fresh milk nearly as cheap now.
Have fun, Bob
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Okie dokie bob! you have fun too hey!! Ive made got my first chevre going, using culture and rennet, dont want to risk something going wrong with the vinegar/lemon juice version. I might split it into 2 and flavour some with sundried tomato pesto and basil from the garden, and leave half plain!
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Thanks Crystal! Hope your chevre goes well. I'm personally not a fan of goats cheese....tried too many that taste like billy goats ha ha. But sounds like your flavours will make a lovely subtle creamy cheese so good luck!
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Oh well Keeza, better luck next time! It was wonderful to meet you today and THANK YOU for the milk. You wouldnt even be home yet and we have already polished off the first bottle! Kids loved it! So i guess i better work out what to do with the other 10L hey!! Hope your fig goes well, no problem if it doesnt, i'll just bring you a new one ;)
It was a joy to meet you, so glad the kids liked the milk, makes great frozen yoghurt pops too, i make some with cherries and strawberries and the grandkids polished them off real fast. The fig is in so fingers crossed. Look forward to seeing you again. p.s. we have a new addition to family, we have a 4day old black dorper lamb, thank god i have goat milk to feed it, the other stuff is way too expensive
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Thanks Crystal! Hope your chevre goes well. I'm personally not a fan of goats cheese....tried too many that taste like billy goats ha ha. But sounds like your flavours will make a lovely subtle creamy cheese so good luck!
sorry to hear you have had bad experience with goat milk cheese, whoever made it had left the buck with the nanny too long or it came from a nanny in rut,the rotten males rub their unique :P odour on the girls and sometimes it gets into the milk. So far i havent had that problem and hopefully my buck will do his job before getting too stinky and i can put him in different paddock. I am still trying for the full bodied thickness i like in my yoguty, goats milk tends to make a runnier yoghurt, I do add full cream powder but thinking of going 50/50 with goat and cow too
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Okie dokie bob! you have fun too hey!! Ive made got my first chevre going, using culture and rennet, dont want to risk something going wrong with the vinegar/lemon juice version. I might split it into 2 and flavour some with sundried tomato pesto and basil from the garden, and leave half plain!
crystal do use a special chevre culture?
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Ok, no special one, just the regular meso i have. I dont have any other cultures at the moment.
AWWWWW baby lambs!! Can you put up a pic Keeza? Man, i wish we could find a place like you have!
Im worried about my cheese, i tried to use a small amount of rennet, but i have the tablets... and i believe i have made goat milk JELLY!! Not an appetizing thought huh?
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I am not good with pictures, but if you can get over this way you are welcome to bring the tribe for a play and a pat, as for the cheese, the rennet tablets tend to give a very soft curd, and goat milk curds are softer than cow as the fat molicules are smaller, as long as you can put your finger in and the jel doesnt stick to your finger it is ok, if you like you can bring it back up to warm and set in warm place for a few more hours, or you can still scoop it into muslin lined moulds, or just cheesecloth and hang it with a large bowl under it, drain for say 12 hrs and it should be more like cream cheese, good luck. Have you made quark, the goat milk seems to make a good one I just add a little extra buttermilk, but thats is mainly because you dont know how old it is when you get it.
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I really need a cheese press, I have the fundermental knowlegde on how to make one but I can't seem to find a clamp to screw down as the pressure plate, anyone have and ideas where i might get one please
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sad to say the baby lamb didnt make it, very sad :(
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oh no Keeza!!! Poor lamb!!! Is your piggy ok? I may take up your invitation, mainly cos i want to see the piggy! The chevre was 'ok' im all outta goats milk now. We did a big batch of fetta and the kids drank the last of the milk and had some on their breakfast last week...
Keeza, i have a wind down press you can borrow, im not using it much. Also, if you have a basket type thing you can just press in the pot, all you need is weights. But milk bottles full of water work well as weights if you dont have anything else...
Wen i eventually get over your way i'll show you how to put up pix so we can all see your cheeses! Im slack with pix lately, usually i take photos of each step and post them in a thread for each make, except my phone camera is playing up and keeps ruining my pictures! So ive stopped taking them until DH buys a digital camera! Or, i do believe his aunt was sending me her old one, but hasnt done it yet...
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Hi Krystal, Peppa pig is doing really well and digging over my new vege patch, who needs a rotary hoe when you have a pig, bring the kids over they can help feed and run crazy. Thanks for the offer of a loan of press but lucky me my older son is going to make me one, just a simple one but i dont need anything else. Glad you like the milk, when we come over your way i will let you know the day before and if you like you can meet us and i will give whatever milk i have to spare, luv to see it getting used. I plan to wax the little cheddar tomorrow as I think the outside is dry enough and I dont want it to get too dry and hard. Bet your over this rain, I am. Catch you soon
Kerry
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krystal, i noticed you were asking about ribs, I cook a lot of different types of ribs but use the same method with them and since I started to do them this way they are really tender,I marinade them for at least a day, then tip them and marinade into a pot cover with cold water, bring to boil, turn off straight away, leave to cool, when cold take out put in a bowl and add more marinade, leave overnight or a few hpours and then cook, I do them in a slow oven or on the bbq. They cook faster on the day I want to eat them by doing therm this way also they have less fat in them. Every one likes them this way because the meat just falls off the bone. Enjoy. Kerry
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We've investigated the boil method for ribs, but i am not keen on losing the flavour. Feb is a busy month for us so we wont be getting there in the next few weeks... Oh, and then my nanny is away for 3 weeks from next week, so i wont be getting ANYWHERE for that time... :(
The rain is killing me, the kids, and my veggies... the pumpkins have white mould on the leaves and being an organic garden theres not much i can do about it. I have a million green tomatos that wont ripen cos theres no sun. The fig tree is losing leaves and the figs arent even ripe yet... Ive had a stupid ton of weird caterpillars eating my thyme, the chinese veg and a stack of lettuce that was growing nicely, then one day decided to shrivel up and die!
I havent made a cheese in two weeks, ive had a ton of work, the youngest twins turned one, DH bday is next week, his business has been really busy and while thats good in a way, its bad for family!
To top it all off, the rain has kept me inside with 4 kids all day, everyday and im going CRAZY...
How are you Keeza?
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oh dear you poor thing, i have been thinking of you cooped up with small children, INSANITY WILL RULE, no prob about getting over anytime is fine,for the rotten grubs make a mixture of fresh ground garlic, olive oil and water steep for a couple hours and spray the little buggers, or you could put raincoat ond gumboots on littlies and send them out hunting the one who gets the most gets to keep them :), not a lot can be done about the mould my pumpkins are going mouldy too, pick the tomatoes pop in fridge until u have a moment, hahaha, and either fry them with onion and a touch of sugar or make a green tom pickle/chutney. My vegpatch is becoming an overegrown wilderness i try to run out and dig it between rain, thinging of digging in the rain may be the only way to get it done. The poor fig tree doesnt know whats happening, if the fruit is softish to touch you could pick them and pop in paper bags for a few days they may ripen, underripe fruit is perfect for jam. GOOD LUCK
Kerry
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Ive been known to garden in the rain.... Beetroot seeds are perfect for planting in the rain, they need soaking before planting anyway lol! I sprayed buggys the other day, usually we let the kids squash them with a cricket bat... I will be jamming the figs so i suppose i should start picking them hey. And yes, had already thought of doing a green tomato chutney... will see a few more weeks and if they ripen were good, the rest may need to become chutney!
Im having a weedy old time trying to keep the weeds down, worst thing is, they like to grow between the seedlings, which makes them hard to pull out!!
Will climb up the fig and check some fruit out. I was bored anyway!
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I garden in the rain all the time so relieved that someone else does it too, your not climbing the fig to pick your doing it to hide ;D. I am over the weeds i dig over the garden it rains and next day more goddamn weeds. My beetroots didnt get very big, they made up above ground, thinking i didnt put the seeds in deep enough, the okra did ok and is still growing, so are some tomatoes but like you they arent ripening, might pull everything out next week and refertilise the patch, one bed is empty and i have tossed manure onto it.
Better start thinking about the winter crop, what are you thinking of planting. Peppas plot is going nicely think I can move her in a week or two and then mould up the beds and plant, she has done the hard work of digging it up :)
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I really need a cheese press, I have the fundermental knowlegde on how to make one but I can't seem to find a clamp to screw down as the pressure plate, anyone have and ideas where i might get one please
Might a large G-clamp work for this? I have seen ultra-simple cheese presses which were basically a mold-with-follower sitting on a board, then clamped with a big G-clamp (I think they'd used a little block of wood on top of the follower). Of course drainage might be a problem, and there would be some guesswork involved in converting "pounds/kilos of weight" into "cm of screw turned", but I thought it was a neat idea. Here's something like it (although this one seems to use a second follower rather than a board on the bottom): Improvised cheese press (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookipedia/3515809644/#)
I am still trying for the full bodied thickness i like in my yoguty, goats milk tends to make a runnier yoghurt, I do add full cream powder but thinking of going 50/50 with goat and cow too
You can add agar or other vegetable gums to make a thicker, more manageable yoghurt. I like runny yoghurt, so I've never tried doing this, but this webpage ( http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/yogurt.htm (http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/yogurt.htm) ) has all sorts of tips & tricks for making goat yoghurt. I find I get a nicer set if I use a goat-yoghurt as starter - I guess the cultures would be slightly different. You can also just strain it if you don't mind breaking up the"pot-set" curd. And Caprilac sells powdered goat milk, though it is quite pricey.
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Hi Tinysar, thanks for the g clamp idea but my darling son made me a cheesepress the other day, doesnt have a pressure thingy but i dont really care it works fine, I pressed a farmers cheddar the other day, went well looking forward to eating I waxed it yesterday. I will check out the site you have put in about yoghurt, I have tried gelatine, works well with cow milk but not with goatmilk, I have my own goat and I milk her thats why I make the goatmilk yoghurt, I have decided to do a fifty fifty next time I will use a litre of goat and a litre of uht cow milk and still add the powdered milk. The cultures you use are the same for both kinds of milk and that goes for cheese making also.
Keeza
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Sorry, i wandered off for a bit there! Life got in the way of cheese and such! Ah! I made a grand failure the other day! UHT milk cant be used for fetta... I kinda knew that but wanted to give it a go the other day anyway! I do believe my rennet is losing its touch... even with the goats milk fetta i made it wasnt quite as powerful and ive only had it 6 months... So i guess it was older to begin with. Well, i have plenty of fig sap! I think that it doesnt get a firm set though so perhaps its only good for soft cheeses like cream cheese, etc... Guess i better look for more rennet! Im not game now to try that brewers shop, incase they are old too!
I was doing a new fetta on saturday, but DH DRANK MY MILK!! ROTFL!!
Did i tell you my caerphilly was terrible? Its so hard and dry and i use it in cooking. Muffins were great ;)
I really want to get some more farmhouses into the cave. They are one thing ive not had trouble with so im going back to what i know! I also have to do a neufchatel this week, DS11 wasnts a passionfruit cheesecake ;) Oh, and i want to make cheesecake brownies!!
So thats my plans for the week!
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My nuef was a dismissal failure, i got an infection in it and it when spongey and holey, peppa pig enjoyed it. I think the buttermilk wasnt quite up to standard, even with the use by dates I am finding the buttermilk just doesnt keep. Fig tree is still alive. I ordered my rennet through cheeselinks and it is working well, the prob with them is it is $11 freight so if get some(it is only about $9) it is more economical to buy a few things that is what i did, i need more baskets but I will wait until I need a few more things before ordering. I want to make a cheesecake with the ricotta I made the other day but i want a really simple recipe have you got one. P.S is nanny back from holidays yet?
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Sorry Keeza, with all the rain ive had internet issues.
Yours sounds like a yeast infection. You cant make bread and cheese at the same time! Its one or the other ;)
Yep, i use greenlivingaustralia, their stuff is cheaper.
Nope, my nanny isnt back for another week and a half, then i have to reapply to get her for another 3 months!
I also dont have a ricotta cheesecake recipe. Ive never made a ricotta one either... Sorry!!
Well, again, my cheese didnt happen... Its getting insane! I just have to DO IT i guess... and work around it in the kitchen lol!
I did make fudge though. And im selling it online, i know im meant to have an inspected kitchen, but until they say something bad luck. My kitchen's clean, im qualified and i have done my HACCAP... its good enough for my family so i reckon its good enough for other people!
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Oh, i forgot to tell you, my tomatos ripened finally!! Yay, but, plenty of them dropped before they were fully ready! Then, i accidently put them too close to the back of the fridge and some froze and went really soft!! Im getting bout 20 romas to a bush, but only 2 or 3 grosse lisse... so i think i will stick to the romas next year!
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Oh yeah!! I forgot another thing! DH says his new business should be running a bit smoother this week so he might be home a little more, That will give me the chance to come out and see you, but i'll txt you and check! probably tuesday, DH is away thurs thru sun too...
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figured out the cheese problem, chlor infection, i think the buttermilk was infected. I dont make bread or beer at the same time as cheese, god i am good but not that good, i need to concentrate on one thing at a time. I ended up picking my romas green and made a couple jars chitney with them. I am usually home in afternoon on tues if that suits. Hope you get nanny back you really need all the help you can get with 4 tiny ones and 2 others tossed in. Glad you are selling the fudge and I agree stuff the beurocracy, I know i spelled that one wrong, I am trying to dig over garden for winter crop but i feel like i am battling against it, even digging in rain. Cant move the pig, too wet, and i want to use that patch for veges too, ah well will get there.
Kerry
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Hey kerry, been a long time since i was here hey! Srry about that! Isnt it funny that were always complaining about the rain? We were flooded this week up to the back door. Thought i was gonna have to start sand bagging! On the plus side, i planted seeds last week for winter veg and havent had to water them yet. THey are sprouting already which is good. I started throwing scraps in an empty bed just to compost for next spring and now have pumpkins and potatoes and some vine i dont recognise growing in there. Ill let the pots keep going but the pumpkin will die soon im sure.
Ah, what else... oh, i made delicious maple and butter pecan icecream the other week, ive been working with a lot of chocolate thru easter and managed a few eggs, truffles and rocky roads for kids and fam. Sadly, no cheese lately, but i need to do some soon before it gets too cold. Oh, i got a mince grinder so have been playing with that a lot. Going to do sausages this week hopefully. Ive got 3 i want to try. Breakfast, plain beef and chorizo! My nannys father is spanish and she just went to spain so we want to try a fresh chorizo. I was trying to find a recipe for the smoked kind but cant.
So, thats where im at. Hope peppa is doing good, and again, ill get there to see her before you eat her im sure!
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Hi Crystal,
The postage is a bit stiff if you are only buying a sachet of culture. Don't know where you are in Sydney, but the Cheesemakingworkshop now has a Sydney outlet -
Susan (02) 9958 0909 292 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge, Sydney.
Margaret
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well hello, its been so quiet here i had almost given up, I havent had time lately to do any cheese either >:( really gotta get my act together, crystal get onto country brewers they stock a lot of sausage making things and are usually really great if you chat with them and can give you recipes or try this forum, aussiehomebrewers.com the guys on there are into all sorts of homemade stuff they make great cheese, fantastic sausages and breads and will tell you how to do things they even have instructions with photos to make a smoker out of 44gallon drum, gotta get son into this when we eat peppas family, we now have a boy pig, porky chop so hopefully in about 10mths we will have little chops available ;) I will ring you if I am coming over your way and I have extra milk for you ok.
Margaret, I think I will try them next time for my supplies as the freight is stiff from cheeselinks if you only need something small, would be great if a cheesemaking shop opened up this way though, unfortunately the country brewers rennet and cultures are just not right.
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Your right, postage from cheeselinks is always high. I get mine from greenlivingaustralia they are cheaper ;-) there is a brewer in thornleigh, which is ten mins from here so i might need to take a trip there. I did snags with DH, its a manual grinder, and he was on grinding ;-) our american farm snags are too salty, and i only use half the salt, so ill need to cut that back. Our breakfast i felt didnt have enough pepper. But when i got to the bottom of the bowl i found all ghe pepper... DH mixed that batch! Our italian (couldnt get pork cheap so couldnt do chorizo) they are delicious!! I cut back tthe chilli, incase it was too hot for the kids, but its not hot at all... so more chilli next time! Ive got chicken to do thks week. Smoking is definatly on my to-do list... eventually... lol!! Id like to try to use the bbq, but i think the burner will be too hot on its lowest setting. Im thinking of putting an elec hot plate in there and doing it that way, but ill probably burn the house down. Ive got plenty of space for an inground smoker, and a detailed build plan in a book i have so it mau be better. I know i can get smoking chips at bunnings. Hmm... so much to do!
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hi, I made a farmhouse cheddar today, one came out good the other one bloody well stuck to the cloth sleeve and it is an ugly lump, oh well will wax and age it anyway. Definately get onto the aussiebrewer site they will tell you all about smokers and what work well, the ugly drum smoker would be good in your yard as it does not take up alot of room it just isnt pretty, country brewer should also have chips for smoking too, ask them about plans for smokers, I had a look at manual grinders and I think when I start sausage making I will get an electric, give me a few months and we should have pork, that is if porky chops does his job ;D although david keeps getting attached to the food and wont let me eat them ;D ;D the sausages sound nice and fun to experiment with, gerty isnt giving as much milk as she was, hope thats a sign that she is pregnant. Have fun
kerry
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Silly men, dont they know its dinner, not a pet??
Im sure my kids will feel the same way when we get animals...
Shame about the cheese kerry, im sure it will work ouy fine though, but watch for bacteria in the rough parts... mould will love it!
Ill head ove to the aussie brewer now.
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seems to be drying in the fridge well but its gunna be a bugger to wax, think i will need a bigger bowl more wax and just toss it in and let it sink so maybe the carcks will fill up.
keeza
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It would be best that way... i think i need to make some fetta next week! Im so out of touch with cheese and i just finished a big order in my shop so i decided i wanted a 'special blanket'. All my kids have what i call a 'grandma blanket'. Some were made by actual grandmas, others by other grandmas, two were by a lady who cant wait to be a grandma! So all the kids have beautiful grandma blankets and i dont. Since i dont have any grandmas i figured id make my own. So im crocheting a blanket for my double bed :-) its 1.5 by 2m and will be purple, magenta and light grey! It will be 77squares, thats 25 balls of yarn. And will take over 60 hours to complete... @ 3squares a day it will be over a montg before its done! Ive never done such a big project before and hope i dont give up on this one!
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good luck with the blanket if you stitch together as you go you will have a lap rug to use until it is finished ;D what do you sell in your shop crystal and where is it luv, how are the kiddies, bet it is hectic getting the older ones off to school. I am a bit out of touch with the cheese too, time flys, we have got just about all the winter vege crop in and peppa and porky are working on the spring patch , chooks off the lay, lazy buggers and i am trying to rear meat chicks, have had a disaster with first batch but have more ordered so cross fingers. when your life calms down, yes i hear you laughing, bring the littlies over for a visit my grandkids would to see them again and they can all run wild hopefully exhaust themselves and then you and dh can have a quiet evening hahahahah.
keeza
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Yeah, i think i will start stitchibg as i go, otherwise it will be daunting and frustrating to wait to the end!
Oh, ive got two online shops:
Www.worldofmine.etsy.com (http://Www.worldofmine.etsy.com)
Which is crochet toys and homemade beauty stuff plus some sewing stuff.
Www.sydneysweetshop.etsy.com (http://Www.sydneysweetshop.etsy.com)
Its for the goodies!!
Yes, the school thing is hard. Today i have to volunteer a the school for a few hrs and dh needs to do slme work, so all the kids need to be dressed and ready but the nanny doesnt get here till 9am so we'll all be out and she'll be here alone!! Lets make a date to come over for the arvo! A sat or sun and well bring some goodies for arvo tea? You pick the date and ill organise the crowd, instant party!
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will work out a date, thinking a sunday less insane on sundays :o, i will have a look at your sites too.
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checked out your sites, goodies look yummy, the crocheted toys etc are great, do you make them all. Maybe i should look into putting my rag dolls and cupie dolls on there, I havent had time to take them to markets. I will let my neice know about your site he she has a 1yr old and friends with littlies the toys would be perfect for.
kerry
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Hey kerry, sundays are fine for us!
Yes, i make all of them, and my kids love them. The baby twins are 1yo now and have a weird obsession with 'teddy'. They steal them all the time! I use saftey eyes on all of them so even though they say their not recommended for children under 2, they are pretty safe.
Thanks for the nice feedback too. You should definatly look into putting your things up there! Its great fun and the teams on there have some great communities.
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good for you in making them, good god you have some energy, the next three sundays are booked out got husband checking out what shows are coming up and then i will have some idea.
keeza
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Hi all,
New guy from South Coast (Nowra). Just made the cheese-making workshop. We took home fetta and camembert. Fetta is in the brine ripening, smelling and looking good. Camembert developed nice mold and is maturing in the cave nicely.
I wanted to make my own cheese for long time, but by watching various youtube videos and reading about the stuff online sounded a bit complicated. I'm quite busy with other homemade projects ( I make my own cold smoked sausages, bacon, salamis, lonzinos, do a lot of vegetable pickling, growing mushrooms, fermenting sauerkraut, kimchi, gherkins etc.). Then my wife bought me a voucher for cheese making course and I'm so glad because this course lifted a bit of mystery for me.
So I think I'll give it a go. My favourite cheeses are any cheese made from sheep's milk, fetta, blue vein, jarlsberg, havarti (the best for making smoked cheese) and any cheese that is smelly (german harzkasse).
I need to buy a bit more equipment. Although I have a lot of meat processing and pickling gear, I'd like to keep milk and meat separate. Cheese gone bad might ruin my day, but fermented and air dried meat product might land me in hospital bed....
Cheese cave was the easiest gear to acquire, I'm running my homemade meat curing chamber, fully electronically controlled temperature (+ 0.5C) and humidity (+ 2%.
I would kill to get my hand on raw sheep's milk, but unfortunately this looks impossible in Australia (of all countries, with the highest ratio of sheep per capita!).
Anyway, just saying hello to fellow Aussie cheese hobbyists.
Cheers.
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why dont you give goat milk a go, I have my own goat and make cheese with her milk, you can probably make the same cheeses as you would using sheep milk. I use a bar fridge turned to the lowest setting as my cheese cave works for me. You can use goat milk in the cheese you have mentioned, I make a maltese cheese, cottage, cheddar, gouda, chevre, and a few experiments, havent killed anyone yet. Good luck
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Hi keeza!
I think we chatted cheese on AHB a few months ago - go to see that you're on these boards too!
Anyways, who do I talk to about getting a 'Western Australia' child board set up? Not sure who the mods are here...
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Hi, Kaiser, I dont know who to talk to, I dont come here very often, just drop in now and then. I mainly use the aussiegoatforum now as they are based in aus and have lots of chat on the cheesemaking and soapmaking and great advice on my goats too. I have converted to using rennet in a tablet form as the liquid I was getting just didnt keep. The tablet form come from Qld and are fantastic to use.
Keeza