Hello all! I'd like to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Chris and I'm not an experienced cheese maker... yet. I took a stab at a couple of cheeses a while back when I first discovered the forum. Tried and failed at a couple of Goudas - three to be exact. The first two were disasters, but by the third I was starting to figure things out. That last "Gouda" was rubbery and too salty, but edible. It was cheese - my cheese, and the results reminded me of my first all grain home brew. It was not a total success, but my feet were wet. I hoped to get back on the horse and try again the next weekend. That was two years ago. Life and everything that goes with it got in the way of my quest to make my own delicious cheese at home. But the truth is I never left the forum. Popping in on a regular basis, I lived vicariously through all of you, paying close attention to detail on every success and failure since. This online cheese community is really something special, and truly important to so many - including myself. I'd really like to be a part of it because, well... let's face it, our friends, family, and most people in general aren't passionate about cheese. But you all are, and so am I. (I got nowhere else to go!
) Anyways, sometime last month I bit the bullet and decided it was time to make it happen. I spent the last few weeks preparing, buying equipment and supplies, and now I'm ready to dive back in! The wife saw the cheese making books out and the wild look in my eye and knew what I was thinking without me having to say it, "Looks like homemade cheese is back on the menu babe!"
2 gal milk (1 gal raw whole, 1 gal 2% pasteurized non homogenized (Not local, but from San Jaquin Valley - so regionally local I guess. The next cow I see in San Diego will be the first.)
1/4 tsp MA4001
1/16 PLA
1/16 Mycodore
Calf rennet
Heated milk and added cultures. Hydrated 5 mins then stirred.
As soon as I got a pH drop stirred in rennet (Approx 20 mins).
Flocculation at 13 minutes.
Cut curd at 39 minutes from rennet (3x)
Healed, stirred, and washed according to Linuxboy's recipe.
Pressed in pot with whey (5 lbs for 5 mins per side)
Finished in the press with 10 lbs at 15 mins, 30 mins, 1 hr, overnight
Brined with 20% for 3 hours per side
After drying (3 days), moved to the cave (56 deg F, 87% rh as of last night)
Thanks again for all the knowledge and inspiration you guys! Glad to be back in the game!
-Chris