Whey - Non Cheese Making Uses

[Cheese Head]

The discussion in this thread reminded me that the once I tried making Ricotta with my whey, I  got vary little yield, thus ever since I've just poured my whey down the drain.

This seems like a waste. If I don't want to use it for some sort of cheese making due to small volumes and low yields, what are the other choices?

I've seen some posts on feeding it to farm animals, good idea but I have none of those, any other ideas? Would it work as garden fertilizer?

[cmharris6002]

I'm glad you started this thread John! Lately I have had people asking to buy whey from our farm after reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon,
I have not read it yet but apparently this book touts the virtue of consuming whey just about every way possible, adding whey to your drinking water, use for lacto fermented vegetables, use in place of water in baking bread and cooking, use to soak grains prior to cooking etc.

Christy

[MrsKK]

Yes, use it to fertilize your garden!  I mix mine about 1:10 with water to fertilize my house plants.

The house we live in is an old cheese factory and they used to spray the whey on the neighboring fields.  I hear that they had better production than anyone around.

[DeejayDebi]

I don't know how nourishing dried whey is but when my roomate was in the hospital in April, May and June they fed the patients a whey powder drink for building up their muscles again - like a liquid vitamin. It always amazes me how salty it tastes.

I like to use it in breads, soups, stews, chili anythings that uses water. I used several gallons to make a clam or corn chowder this summer and it was great stuff.

It's also good to get anything "pickled" going quickly saurkraut, and other cabbage family veggies especially! It replaces vinegar for a more natural flavor.

[pamaples]

And it is full of riboflavin, an essential nutrient for animals (including us). After I boil it and strain it through fine cotton gauze to get the ricotta, my chickens get the rest; they love it.

John, my first couple of attempts used 4 - 8 layers of cheese cloth and my yield was not good either. Now that I use dress-weight cotton gauze from the fabric store that I have boiled to decrease its weave even more, my yield more than doubled. Just a thought.

Pam

[goatherdess]

Also use it as the liquid in homemade noodles. One part meso (not thermo) whey to two parts milk, alowed to sit overnight, will make a soft cream cheese; it can be used as the starter that way. And also make Gjetost/Brunost with it.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Whey can be pretty acidic, so it's great for watering acid loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, etc. Our normally pink hydrangeas are the most beautiful blue we've ever had since we started watering with whey.

We also use it as a foliar spray to prevent molds and fungus on everything from tomatoes to rose bushes. This changes the pH on the leaves and the bad organisms simply can't grow. It's easy and beats the heck out of chemical fungicides. Of course too much acid is not a good thing either and can burn your plants, so we dilute ours with 25% water for more sensitive plants.

[DeejayDebi]

We also use it as a foliar spray to prevent molds and fungus on everything from tomatoes to rose bushes. This changes the pH on the leaves and the bad organisms simply can't grow.

I will have to try this we are getting hammered this year with some kind of mild spore that starts from grapes and moves through the air. Two of my pears, an apricot and one cherry are dropping leaves already but I just can not use pesticides. I've always tried dish soap olive oil, listerine and it worked bu not on this stuff. Maybe they whey can save them - other wise - it's smoke wood next spring.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Fungus really hammered our grapes and then our fruit trees last year.I'm with you, can't bear the thought of using chemicals.  The whey works really well but the trick is to start spraying early - before budding out, and then spray weekly, especially if the weather is wet and cool. We also spray lightly on the ground around plants. The idea is to kill off fungus but not change the overall pH of the soil. We generally mix in a little liquid Ivory soap, so we're spraying an insecticidal soap at the same time. The combination seems to really deter a lot of insect pests.

FYI, I also raise orchids (over 200) and the diluted whey spray has done wonders for them.

[Cheese Head]

All, thanks for ideas!

Sailor beautiful pictures, my family & I used to live in Brunei on Island of Borneo, they used to grow wild there in crooks of trees or people would set out coconut hulls to grow them in. My wife still misses them.

[DeejayDebi]

Oh the orchids are lovely! They are so healthy looking. I will try spraying my grapes and trees with whey - maybe it's not to late.

Thanks for the tip!

[Zoey]

My two cents...

In Finland the local market leader dairy is selling whey-juice in the stores. It consists of filtered whey (I think they use the form in which no ricotta curds are left) and different juice options.

I've had versions with peach and mixed fruits from the store, and made myself a version with raspberries.

These taste really nice, but home made versions don't keep the fresh taste for long, so I usually mix them just before drinking and use as fresh whey as possible (it's the taste that counts).

With raspberries, I've mixed the berries (1 liter per 1 liter whey) in a blender with whey and filtered the result. Add sugar to taste.

The rest I would make from juice, mixing with the desired ratio. I'd try 50/50 at first and then adjust to your liking.

Actually ice cool whey tastes really nice without even adding juice... just add ice and drink as an ice tea like beverage.

[Zoey]

Oh, I've also heard some people use it as a facial treatment (just wipe it on the skin and leave for a while, then wash). It's supposed to have a soothing effect. Never tried it. But I have noticed that my hands feel soft after working with cheese, so maybe there's some truth to it.

Maybe soak your sore feet in it, since you have loads so this wouldn't be a waste. Just don't think of the foot-soaking while eating the cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

Lately I have had people asking to buy whey from our farm after reading Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats by Sally Fallon,

Christy

Funny you should mention this book. I have looked at it a few times online and didn't buy it. Last week I was ordering some stuff from Amazon and figured what the heck and ordered it, "Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods" and a used book called "Irish Farmhouse Cheeses" by Jane Russell. Wild Fermentation cam ein today - I'll let you know what Sall has to say when it gets here ...

Wild Ferments came in a few minutes ago.

[cmharris6002]

I bought 'Nourishing Traditions' at Boarders last weekend. Some very interesting ideas in there. She calls for the use of whey as an aid to ferment veggies. 'Wild Fermentation' sounds like a good book!!

Christy