Hello from Kennewick, Washington

[MamaGriz]

Hi,

I have an opportunity to get my first milk cow.  She would be a Jersey, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a little Brown Swiss mixed in.  My plan is to make cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan. My hope is to also make yogurt, cottage cheese and butter.  The cow is 5 years old, very gentle, and milks about 3 gals a day.  I don't need a tremendous amount of milk, just enough to keep us in cheese, butter, and yogurt with some for me to drink. I have milked and made soft cheese before from goats and it didn't work out too well.  It was still good.... I believe my technique was off.  What do you think about the cow?  Does this look like a good investment? I have heard that making cheese from cow's milk is easier than goat's milk.

MamaGriz

[bbracken677]

While I cannot answer your question regarding whether it is a good investment or not...I can say that regarding cheese making you will find lots of help and information on this forum.

Welcome to the CheeseForum!

[sigurdur]

Welcome to the forum.

Hopefully someone experienced with their own animals will chime in.

[H-K-J]

I would buy the cow if the milk ain't free
(Kind-of uh cheesy joke I know)
Honest, Welcome to the forum, if I had the ways and means of keeping a milk cow I would probably jump on it (no pun intended)

[MamaGriz]

Hey thanks guys,

I really appreciate the welcome.  Can anyone recommend a good book on making cheese?  How many gallons of milk does it take to make a pound of cheddar? Sorry, I forgot how many pounds a gallon of milk weighs.

All the best,
MamaGriz

[bbracken677]

A 2 gallon make should turn out about 2 lbs. of cheese +/- depending on type of milk, fat content etc...

A great book on cheesemaking would be "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking" by Gianaclis Caldwell. Another good one is "200 easy homemade cheese recipes" by Debra Boyes.

[MamaGriz]

Thank you!
Found it at the library to start out with....

MamaGriz