First Colby in years

[MrsKK]

I made a Colby yesterday using 5 1/2 gallons of whole raw milk.  It was a bit light on cream, since the old girl is holding up against me in protest of my making her take on a couple of new foster calves, but the yield looked great.  I got a quart baggie of salted curds for fresh eating because there was too much to fit it all in the mold.

It knit beautifully, no sticking to the cheesecloth bag, everything seemed to be just right.

Of course, now that I think of it, I was supposed to brine it and dry it afterward.  So, after a bit of a sit-down I'll go make a batch of brine.  If everything went perfectly, it wouldn't be me!

[nccheesemike]

Sounds like a pretty smooth cheesy day. Well done. May your
cheese age well

[Danbo]

Do we get a picture when it is out of the brine? :-)

[smolt1]

MrsKK, I have been playing with your old moz recipe, but I substituted Kefir for the Yogurt and Buttermilk. It all seemed ok, but took almost 2 days to get to Ph 5.1, and then the stretch was not good( a little grainy ). It is an edible experiment, but needs work. I always try to follow the KISS( keep it simple stupid) rule. Thank you for your many years helping folks on this forum.

[MrsKK]

How about a picture when I cut into it?  Honestly, all of my cheeses look alike until they are cut into, just six inch wheels about 4-5 inches high.  I don't use any coloring in the cheese anymore, just let the natural richness of the raw milk come through.

Hey, Smolt, I always wondered if kefir would work.  I don't make or use it, though, so I've never had a reason to experiment with it.  If you can get it to work, please let us know.

Always glad to help!

[Gregore]

Smolt1  how much kefir per milk did you use ?