Hello everyone! This intro might take a while...
The obvious part: I'm here to learn how to make cheese. Sure, I've read some books, but there's a lot of leg work I want to do before I actually start making cheese. I'll need to start off small and easy, as I do not have some key equipment (a cheesepress, or a separate small fridge for the proper temperature).
The long part: I love to travel -- especially in France and Spain -- which has spurred my love of regional and preserved foods. I'll never forget the first time I had jamon serrano in Spain, or some of the "illegal" cheeses in France. I love the history, town and unique flavors behind these foods.
So I began to wonder...why don't we make any of these foods in the US? I considered charcuterie, and I've dabbled in that, but there's no way in the world that my wife -- or cats -- are going to let me hang up processed meats to cure in the house. Sure, I can cure some salmon in the fridge or preserve lemons, but that's limited. And fish just doesn't taste as good as ham or cheese :)
I began to look for these local artisanal products, but when it comes to cheese in Atlanta, I could only find one (Sweet Grass in southern Georgia; there are a few other smaller ones, too). After some more research, I was stunned to find out about the lack of producers thoughout the southeast. At least Alabama (eg Belle Chevre) has a few, but Georgia is lacking. There's no reason that great cheese cannot be made in the south, just as it is in Vermont and California and France.
My long-term goal is to turn this into more than a hobby (as I'm sure it is for many of you). I think there are many different opportunities and ways of going about this, but learning the basics of cheesemaking is the beginning. In the short-term, I'm doing all of the research I can, and creating a database of knowledge to catalog my attempts and tastings. That's the techie side of me ;)
One last thing -- Delice de Pommard, which I'm using as my icon, is the best cheese in the world. On my honeymoon in the Loire valley, I had it with dinner; it was so good that I had to go back the next night to the same restaurant just to have it again.
The worst cheese that I've ever had? As part of a dinner on that honeymoon, I had Banon, which obviously was the very-very-aged kind. Imagine a bleu cheese, but 20 times more intense. And, of course, I had to eat it all, because you don't want to offend the French and their food!
Welcome, Tom! I'm a newbie too and just joined. I'm with you in that I have fantasies about turning cheesemaking into "more than a hobby" someday... but I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I've just finally mastered the 30-minute mozzarella (after four disappointing failures) and am excited to try a few more "easy" cheeses before I start getting into the harder, pressed and/or aged cheeses.
You live in a beautiful part of the world! I used to live in Tennessee, many years ago, and I'd love to visit the South again.
By the way, since you were mentioning favourites and least favourites, I think my fave cheeses are Ste. Andre and Oka. My absolute least favourite is Gjetost... although the last time I tried it I think I was 11 years old. Maybe I'd like it now, but I'm still very frightened of it! :P
Welcome Tom, nice intro, you mentioned some cheeses I've never heard of, sad to hear so little locally produced cheeses, maybe in time you can change that. Meanwhile, like here in Houston there are cheeses imported from all over the USA and rest of world.
Good luck with your new hobby . . . success!
Welcome aboard Tom. ALways nice to have another obsessed cheesemaker in the family! I am also an addicted sausage maker but make fermented sausages mainly in the cooler months.
Hello Tom "
Nice to see another southerner here :) I'm new to cheese making too and have the start small thoughts running through my head too. One small thing I accomplished this week toward a cheese cave was to purchase a 7 x 10 refrigerated box from a wrecked truck. The cooling unit was bad but replaceable. The box has 4" of form insulation in the walls, the inside is stainless steel and the outside is covered in aluminum.
Yea it's a redneck version of a cheese cave :)
CFF/Hayne, love to see some of the pictures of your before and after Red Neck Cheese Cave in the Equiment - Aging Board some time ;D.
CFF, way to get it done, cheaply.
I'm thinking that I will start off with either ricotta, mozzarella, or feta. Those seem to be the easiest, given that I
1) don't want to age (I don't have the equipment)
2) don't want to press (I don't have the equipment)
2) don't want to use molds (the bacteria kind)
I really want to get to pressed cheeses, but I've done so much research into the presssing and aging equipment that my head is spinning. I just need to get a few of the simpler ones done as a "proof of concept". That proof, of course, is more for my wife than for me :)
Now that I've mastered mozzarella, and my cream cheese was successful, I want to try new cheeses.
I need your input, though. Since I don't have a spare fridge, are there any that I can successfully age around room temp (70?). I know that 40 is too low (current fridge temp).
I'm open to pressed cheeses; I'll need to buy some equipment, but after my initial successes, my wife is open to more experimentation/costs ;)
Hi Tom,
Glad to see you are successfull with your trials.
How about a feta cheese for next. It needs to be kept in the normal refrigerator in brine solution and you can hang it in the cheesecloth to drain for a day.
Hey, y'all! So glad to've found this site!
After many years of yogurt and lebani cheese making, I've begun tackling "real" cheese using fresh cow's and goat's milk from local farms here in the mountains of north GA. Thus far I've successfully made mascarpone, ricotta, and chevre. The feta I made from cow's milk never got solid, although it was really quite delicious if runny. Right now I'm exploring Camembert, have acquired a dorm fridge that I've fitted with an exterior thermostat and a very small wine cooler (8 bottles).
There are several people in the Canton/Jasper/Ellijay/Blue Ridge area who make cheese. I'd like to see them join this site, will get the word out to all.
PS--Spell check doesn't like mascarpone or chevre--what's up with that?!
Hi Soozletew, welcome!
Just FYI, we have printable business cards (https://cheeseforum.org/About/About.htm#Business_Cards), and yes the software's spelling checker is a bit of a pain as it is not highly expansive and you cannot edit it to add special words (like Soozletew :)). I'm two fumble finger typist, so use it often, glad you and others also use it, makes posts much more legible.
Again welcome, John (admin)!
Welcome to the forum. North Georgia is one of my family's favorite camping spots. We go once a year to Ellijay for camping and apples. Along Hwy 52 there are several small dairies that I am always envious of. I have a couple of friends who work at Mack Aaron's apple house as well. I look forward to your input.
Hey, y'all! Since some of you come north once in awhile, I'd like for you to know about Mountain Valley Farm near Ellijay. Suzy Wright's family has had the 400 acre place since the 1860's or earlier, and I buy free range pork, grass fed beef, wonderful eggs, and raw milk (for pets according to GA law) at her little farm store. Her prices are competitive with the super markets for the meat products, and everything's really quite delicious. PM me for her phone number, et cetera.
Today I scored a coup: a brand new Rival 22 qt. turkey roaster for 20 bucks on craigslist. Happy happy joy joy! I'll test to see how low do she go, then use a rheostat if necessary to keep temps in hand.
My newest cheeses are: more camembert, a cow cheddar, goat cheddar, colloumiers, and, today, the dreaded blue cheese. I'm looking around my little farmhouse to see where the temp is most stable at around 50 degrees F for the blue--it'll likely be the storeroom where I keep the dorm fridge and wine cooler.
Speaking of which: I wonder how many folks find themselves facing the delightful dilemma of buying yet another refrigerator as their cheese collection grows?!! 8)
Welcome to the forum Soozletew,
I've made all my cheese in a roaster (Hamilton Beach) I find it very easy to use. Hope yours works out well for you.
Regards: john
Quote from: Soozletew on December 06, 2010, 08:48:14 PM
Today I scored a coup: a brand new Rival 22 qt. turkey roaster for 20 bucks on craigslist. Happy happy joy joy! I'll test to see how low do she go, then use a rheostat if necessary to keep temps in hand.