Here's my latest. A 3-1/2 pound Cotswold with the normal French Herbs - Chives, Parsley, Basil, Tarragon, Rosemary & Marjoram. And the secret ingredient of the day
....... "drum roll" .......
HEMPSEED ::) ;D :o
No, not marijuana. HEMP Seed. From Canada because this wonderful food is illegal to grow in the USA. But it's in every organic food store. Go figure.
If you haven't "discovered" hempseed, the flavor is amazing. AND it's really good for you.
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html (http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html)
Second photo is a Havarti that I made with the same blend.
1/4 cup herbs and 1/4 cup of hempseed for a 3.5 gallon batch.
They look really nice Sailor. How long are you going to age them for?
Looks awsome Sailor. I love cotswold. Haven't made big ones yet. Just 1 pounders.
Never heard of Hemp seed though. Is it tiny like an herb or big like a sunflower?
Oh wow Deb. Can't believe you haven't tried it. Tiny with big flavor. The stuff is outrageously good on salads, in soups, in cheese (I hope). Some regular groceries carry it in their natural foods section.
Well I will make a point to look extra hard. I spend alot of time in the natural food sections too.
Sailor, those look really good. I never thought of hempseed in a cheese. I had hempseed pretzels once. They were delicious. I bet those cheeses will be too. Great idea! :)
Well I checked out several health food stores and no one has ever heard of hempseeds - Not even in Wisconsin! One old guy asked me if I was joking and said they were probably illegal and asked me to leave the store. :-[
They aren't illegal. But they can be hard to find. Our local health food store sold hempseed baked goods, but not the seeds themselves. I saw them once in another store but didn't buy and I don't remember where - it was years ago. Maybe the Internet would be the best way to get them.
I get my hempseed at Whole Foods or Fresh Market. Really tasty. We use them on lots of things - salads, bread, soups...
There are lots of sources on the internet. Here is a link to a 5 pound bag of
Hempseed from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GAT6MM/ref=asc_df_B000GAT6MM941158?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000GAT6MM)
Pretty good price with free shipping.
Here's a slightly better deal from a company in Canada: http://hempoil.tng-secure.com/categories.php?category=Toasted-Hemp-Seeds (http://hempoil.tng-secure.com/categories.php?category=Toasted-Hemp-Seeds)
That is definitely a better deal, especially the bigger sizes.
Be sure to use the unsalted for cheese.
Ah thanks guys! I will order some. Now you've got me really curious.
I ordered a 5 lbs pail unsalted from Canada. $20 for shipping but still cheaper than Amazon. They look like sunflower seeds.
Much, much smaller than sunflower seeds.
That's pretty small.
Brain fert. They are about the size of unshelled sunflower. :P
Those wheels look very attractive. Nice job! I'm going to have to try the hemp seeds. I'll bet THAT will get my (grown) kids to try my cheeses! ;)
Ooh, those look really good! I have had hemp seed, and it is really delicious. I am experimenting with cashew milk cheeses now, and am having a lot of luck. I have made a cashew milk camembert which is really yummy, and pretty authentic, surprisingly.
Great idea on hemp seed, Kelley, also very much lik your idea on cashew but flavoured cheese, can you start a new thread on how you did that? Probably best in STANDARD METHODS - Making Cheese Board (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,144.0.html).
WOW. Cashew milk is right up there with hemp seeds. How the HECK do you milk cashews? :D ;D ;)
Throw them in the blender with water and hit the 'high' button, then strain out the pulp and call the white liquid 'milk'. I am trying the cashew milk cheese to see if it is possible to make a non-dairy cheese that actually resembles cheese, as most of the ones in the stores don't really come close. I use raw cashews. I really am still in the experimental stage, but if I come up with any thing worth sharing I will.
I tried some "Almond Cheese" from the fancy schmancy health food store in town and it tasted great! So, OK...I can make that, I thought.
:::sigh:::
What a mess that turned out to be. LMK when you come up with a good recipe. I've looked all over for a nut based cheese recipe to no avail.
If you throw the nuts in with milk then you can use the pulp and all might be interesting to try.