Gina's Intro

[Gina]

Hi all, time for an intro, though I'd rather just stay quietly seated in the back row of the class.

I'm just a beginner, but have wanted to make cheese for some time. The last I looked for information was a number of years ago and there either wasnt any, or I didnt find it. I do remember reading 'you cant make cheese from supermarket milk', and that was that.... But here I am again, trying to pass through the veil of curds.

I love doing everything from scratch from growing my own veggies, canning and dehydrating, making sodas, vinegar, and if I liked beer, that too. As a child, I crushed grapes with my feet for my father's wine, so I started young. Cheese making is a natural addition to the list, and I wouldnt be surprised if curing meat might be in the future.

In the past 2 months since finding this forum, I've made a suspect parmesan, 2 manchegos, stilton, colby, cotswald, queso fresco, dilly Monterey jack, and the latest is a roquefort type blue cheese which is just bluing up today. Might as well practice with cheese I like. Other than the queso fresco (which I was pleased with), I'm still waiting to see how these have turned out after aging. I would assume (hope?) both some successes and failures.

I really enjoy reading this forum - so much information contained. I've gotten more reading here than the couple books I've purchased.  It's also cool seeing so many people with their own animals as well as cheese businesses. I've also learned that cheese-making is far more than simply following a recipe. There are many variables, including a wide range of instructions for making specific cheeses. It's enough to make one's head spin. Ack. That said, it's one of the most fun things I've done lately. Thanks to this board I'm now the proud owner of a smallish cheese cave with external thermostat stocked with enough cheese for a few months - assuming some of it is edible, lol.

Over the past several weeks, my personal goal has evolved into wanting to make small cheeses (2-3 gallon sizes) that are well-made and tasty using grocery milk and a simple home set-up.

So, thanks for all the great information, it's been very helpful. Very glad to have found you all.

Gina in California. 

[Cheese Head]

Hi Gina, welcome, glad all the posts and pictures have helped!

Great intro, welcome officially to the group!

[MarkShelton]

Welcome to the forum!
That's quite a list of cheese for only 2 months! I think I have made that many in the last 6!
It's ok to sit in the back of class just raise your hand if you want to ask a question.
And pay attention, there will be a pop quiz later jk

[FarmerJd]

Glad you're here. That it is quite a run of cheeses. You will be doing it blindfolded in no time.

[iratherfly]

Welcome Gina!

Living in NYC, I obviously have limited space so after a few big cheeses that took away my entire aging space I figured I will modify everything so that I can age many cheeses at once without running out of space (and saving 25% of the aging period too!). The solution was to make small wheels.  (for example instead of 7.5" Tomme I make it a 5" Petit-Tomme, or focuse on small cheese such as Crottin). I then discovered that until I figure out the techniques for some of them, it makes no sense to invest in expensive milk for these tests so for some initial versions I purchased organic supermarket milk that's not as expensive as the stuff from those farmers. I find that supermarket milk does work but produce little character as it is so depleted of enzymes and have gone through a violent pasteurization process. These cows usually don't get the best feed too and it shows. I did however find that by using some interesting flavor/aroma cultures and by building interesting rinds or aging in an interesting manner you can really bring out the character - even in supermarket milk.

Good luck! Put up some photos of your cheese!

[Gina]

Thanks for the nice welcome. (pop quiz? :eek: )

It may seem like a number of cheeses for a beginner to have made in a short time, but I do consider that they have been mostly practice. I think it was Sailor who recently said he had 50 cheeses under his belt (so to speak) till he achieved consistency. At the moment, I'm aiming for 'edible', but eventually hoping for a bit better than 'good'.

It was after reading here and seeing all the lovely photos of smaller cheeses that I realized they were a better goal for my limited cave space, current utensils, and expertise. I've also decided to not make more than one/week, and even then this small family might not consume that much. Eventually the right balance will come.

So, supermarket milk it is. While we have lots of lemon and avocado trees locally, I havent seen a cow in years. I did see some raw cow's milk at a health food store, but it was $5 for a half gallon. I doubt I'll ever go that route.

IRF, what you are doing sounds like what I should strive for in my circumstances too. The more I read, the more I want to try different cultures, and techniques. I have already begun to toss a wee bit of lipase into almost all my cheeses, and in a few, dried herbs such as onion, cayenne, dill. Even though I'm starting with bland milk, I dont want to end up with bland cheese.

The other day I went to a potluck and decided to bring a cheese platter. Not my own of course (yet), but it was fun going to the store (Trader Joes) and buying a number cheeses I've heard about and wanted to taste, and perhaps make some day.

It's new adventure.

[Gina]

 (Let's see if this works....)

The first cheeses are Roquefort style small ones, just starting to turn blue. They are about 3 1/2 - 4 inches across. The molds were odd tupperware things

The second is a wax-dipped manchego. All my waxed cheeses look alike. 

[iratherfly]

Oh very nice! Seriously, it looks like you are on your way. Really great!Have you pierced your blue yet?

$5 per half galon is what I pay for non-homogenized organic milk from grass-fed cows in whole foods. I pay the same for raw milk. Both make way better cheese. Frankly, really good artisanal cheeses will run you easily $20-$50/lb in the store. You are still making an expensive cheese rather cheaply. When you do feel more comfortable about your cheese I suggest you do go the expensive milk route. Unlike putting it in your cereal and coffee, it would make a huge difference when making the cheese. Moreover so over a couple of months of maturation. You would eventually reach a point where milk that is overly homogenized, violently pasteurized, week old, vitamins A+D + calcium removed accidentally then added artificially, made from badly treated non-grazing cows with corn and silage diet and growth hormones galore, from a mix of a doezen herds from all over the country and of mystery breeds... that just wouldn't cut it and would be an insult to your talent, time, hard work and palate. It's a bit like designing a magnificent dream house and then filling it with Ikea furniture. Liveable - not enjoyable 

As for additives - take it slow... They don't always work well together. Lipase could produce terrible bitterness when misused. Herbs can break down their essential oils during aging and can totally funk up on an otherwise perfect cheese. Start with the classic model, then add stuff to the second batch. Take good logs of everything you do. These become priceless whenever you try to mimic previous successs and trace back and avoid disasters in the future.

[Gina]

Thanks for the kind words.   Yes, I pierced the little blue cheeses the day after I took the photo.

I agree about milk quality, but at this point in the learning curve, I'm not willing to buy the expensive stuff. With respect to taste, I dont drink milk, but know how much better good butter, cream, and cheeses taste compared to the cheapest generic store brand items. Night and day in terms of depth of flavor.

Keeping accurate logs will be a challenge for me since I resist doing that sort of thing, but I can see the benefits so I must start writing down more than a few notes.

[BigCheese]

$5 for 1/2 gallon of raw milk from a store? You have got yourself a pretty good deal actually. Where in CA are you? With all the research I have done (a fair bit) I was under the impression that the only 2 raw milks in stores were $17-20 per gallon. And the cheaper one has very little cream and has been known to curdle when heated... I don't know much about the more expensive one.

[Gina]

I saw it at a Lassen's in SoCal. I didnt look very carefully at it after seeing the price. Next time I'm in there (could be a while), I'll take a closer look at brand and other specifics.

[iratherfly]

Gina - I too am a guy who can't keep an organizer or diary. My best solution is simplified checklists. Just a single page listing roughly a few items I must remember. I use it like a recipe card during cheesemaking and cross out each done item so nothing goes amiss (full proof!). I then add any comments for items that may affect the quality of the cheese and be of interest to me in the future. For example:

HEAT 1 gal milk to 88F  (oops, I overshot it at 90F, used XYZ whole milk, really fresh!)
ADD 1/8 tsp Meso (used MM100)
WAIT 90 min
ADD 1/4 tsp CalCl2
ADD 1/8 tsp Rennet
WAIT 60 min, check clean break (perfect firm curd! warm room, temp only dropped to 88F)
CUT curd 1/4"
WAIT 5 min
STIR lightly and rest 5 more min
LADLE into 3 molds in rotation.

You get the idea... If you are too lazy, just do this on paper then shove all of these into some box or shelf. Then when you taste it and it's too chalky, not salty enough or just right, you can find all the copies of notes taken in previous batches and identify the item that was different on this one which made it such a success. Unlike cooking, you can't possibly trust that 4 months from now with 20 cheeses aging you'll remember exactly each one of the 25 steps you took and what was your milk's response to it at the time.  Having lists also means you won't forget any step. It's easier to trust a list than try to remember all the time. I put them all on the computer so it's easy to modify and print new copies every time I need to make the same cheese again.

Regarding the milk - I totally understand you. I agree with Nitai too, this is a great deal and be sure to take advantage of it when you feel that your cheese is ready for it.

Nitai - what's the status of raw milk in CA? Can you just buy it? Is it state-supervised? Or is it forbidden or limited to sales on farms?

[Gina]

IRF, thanks, what a great idea - I'll be able to handle something like that. I have a science background and know the importance of good record keeping, but my kitchen has always been a sanctuary from precision.

[BigCheese]

Nitai - what's the status of raw milk in CA? Can you just buy it? Is it state-supervised? Or is it forbidden or limited to sales on farms?

Raw milk can be sold in CA stores after passing all the regulations that it needs to. As far as I know, the only 2 dairies that are in stores are Organic Pastures (400 or so Holsteins based in Fresno) and Claravale (Jersey cows, organic but not certified). Recently Whole Foods and Trader Joes stopped carrying both out of fears about liability. They are still available through buying groups and smaller stores. I do not know much about claravale, but Organic pastures costs $7.99-8.99 per half gallon, with a smidge of cream on the top. They sell 1 pint of cream for a whopping $12.99. They also sell colostrum (and some colostrum mixed with milk packaged with a misleading label that makes you think it is all colostrum, and therefore costs a lot), butter, cheddar cheese, and maybe some other stuff.

Otherwise, cow shares are legal here. That is what we do. There is no required testing or certification because the costumers own part of the cow. They pay a monthly herd maintenance fee to us for taking care of our communal cow, and they are naturally entitle to some of the milk from their own cow. It works great. We have been doing it over one year and have about 75 shares (gallons) per week right now. Occasionally someone's milk goes a little sour quicker than it should, but thats the extent of our issues.

[Boofer]

Gina, you say your waxed cheeses all look the same. You're labeling them, right?

When I lived in California (Port Hueneme) a couple years ago, I frequented Lassens quite often. They carry Organic Pastures products (http://www.organicpastures.com/shop.html). It has been a struggle to keep raw milk in California. Over the past several years, the FDA and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have attempted to choke the life out of the only two raw dairies, Organic Pastures & Claravale. California SB 201 The Fresh Raw Milk Act of 2008 would have eased the threat, but Governor Schwarzenegger bowed to FDA and CDFA pressure and vetoed it. At present raw milk exists in California and hangs on by its fingernails.

It seems amazing to me that there is still so much effort to deny raw milk when you have reports of illness from e-coli tainted spinach, tomatoes, and even pasteurized milk. The FDA is not our friend and the CDFA is not California's friend.

If you live in California, Organic Pastures can ship its products to you for next day UPS delivery.

-Boofer-