Hi everyone!
I am retired and live near the beautiful beaches of the north Gulf of Mexico. I have lived and worked in many countries. I always enjoyed the cheeses wines, and cultures of my host countries.
I recently found the forum and have read many informative posts. I had to join and dig deeper into the craft.
I had always passed over cheese making because I thought that it was too involved. Three weeks ago I surfed upon a recipe for Lemon Cheese. It was so simple and I had all of the ingredients so I tried it. Mind you, I did change the recipe a bit. The results were beyond what I had expected. I enjoyed it so much that I started reading more.
I bought some citric acid, lipase, and liquid rennet from New England Cheese Supply. I made a batch of "30 Minute" Mozzarella. It was so easy and so good! Dinner at my home is getting cheezyer.
I am open to suggestions for easy cheeses to make and learn from before making the hard aged cheeses.
Help! I went to two stores today and all of thier creams were UP.
I am looking forward to inter acting with you all!
Other than finding a farm I could buy raw milk from I can not find cream here either that is not UHT. Whole Foods Market had one brand for a while but they stopped carrying it for some reason. No idea what you might find down there.
Quote from: DeejayDebi on April 17, 2010, 03:56:42 AM
Other than finding a farm I could buy raw milk from I can not find cream here either that is not UHT. Whole Foods Market had one brand for a while but they stopped carrying it for some reason. No idea what you might find down there.
Thank you Debi!
I appreciate your quick response. I will take your advise and search for a local raw source. There must be a small or hobby farmer in the area with milk. It is unfortunate that the local dairies are gone.
I use Dean's cream, but only the one in the purple quart container. It is the only one I have ever found to be simply pasteurized (even their other sizes say ultra-pasteurized). And while raw milk would be ideal, I have found that store-bought pasteurized/homogenized works just as well as long as:
- it is as fresh as you can find. 14 days seems to be the limit of shelf life, so if you find some that has a sell-by date close to 2 weeks, it will work well, and
- you use calcium chloride to restore the proper balance of Ca+ ions. Just follow the manufacturer's or retailer's recommendations.
Another simple cheese that I have made is paneer. It is much like lemon cheese, but a weight is put on it for a few hours to firm it up a little more. I didn't have any lemons, so I used grapefruit instead, and it came out great. Here is the thread. (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3506.msg27366.html#msg27366)
Welcome to the forum!
Quote from: MarkShelton on April 17, 2010, 04:53:41 AM
I use Dean's cream, but only the one in the purple quart container. It is the only one I have ever found to be simply pasteurized (even their other sizes say ultra-pasteurized). And while raw milk would be ideal, I have found that store-bought pasteurized/homogenized works just as well as long as:
- it is as fresh as you can find. 14 days seems to be the limit of shelf life, so if you find some that has a sell-by date close to 2 weeks, it will work well, and
- you use calcium chloride to restore the proper balance of Ca+ ions. Just follow the manufacturer's or retailer's recommendations.
Another simple cheese that I have made is paneer. It is much like lemon cheese, but a weight is put on it for a few hours to firm it up a little more. I didn't have any lemons, so I used grapefruit instead, and it came out great. Here is the thread. (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3506.msg27366.html#msg27366)
Welcome to the forum!
[
Hi Mark!
Thank you for your kind response. I also want to make wine (cab) for my consumption but first cheese.
I am not familiar with Dean's cream but will search for it. I am looking for usable cream to make sour cream , etc. I have found milk that will work well for cheese making.
I need to try making paneer and other soft cheeses to hone my skills and taste a variety. I appreciate your input.
Oh, I thought Dean's was a national brand. Maybe not down there by you :P Anyways, it's the name brand that the store brands imitate. Not the really expensive organic stuff (which lots of people have mixed opinions on also), but trusted better than the Kroger or Jewel or GreatValue (wal-mart) stuff.
Welcome to the forum gulfcoast. What part of the gulf are you near? Al, FL, MS? This is a great forum and a great place to learn. Very addictive. Good Luck.
Quote from: MarkShelton on April 17, 2010, 06:32:37 AM
Oh, I thought Dean's was a national brand. Maybe not down there by you :P Anyways, it's the name brand that the store brands imitate. Not the really expensive organic stuff (which lots of people have mixed opinions on also), but trusted better than the Kroger or Jewel or GreatValue (wal-mart) stuff.
Hi Mark!
Thank you for the response. I did a quick visit today at three stores and found a Dean's product in one of them. Unfortunatley it was not cream. I refueled at a convience store and found Kroger half and half that was not UP.
I have a couple of leads for farm fresh milk which I will persue.
I have read more today and am surprised at the variety of soft cheeses that are easily made.
Quote from: FarmerJd on April 17, 2010, 12:27:26 PM
Welcome to the forum gulfcoast. What part of the gulf are you near? Al, FL, MS? This is a great forum and a great place to learn. Very addictive. Good Luck.
Hi Farmer!
I am near Destin, Florida. Within a short drive there are many places to buy imported wines and cheeses but no specialized supplies to make your own.
I have learned a lot from the forum in a short time. I realize that there is much to learn. I appreciate your welcome to the forum.
You can find a list of raw milk sellers in Florida here (http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html#fl)
Yes, it's a pretty specialized market for cheesemaking equipment and supplies. Probably your best bet locally would be a homebrew shop, but even then it's doubtful that they would have an adequate selection of products.
I buy all my stuff online from merchants like cheesemaking.com (http://www.cheesemaking.com) and thecheesemaker.com (http://www.thecheesemaker.com), but there are plenty of other retailers here (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Links/Stores_Cheese_Making_Supplies.htm).
I am about 2 hours north of you. We come to Destin about once a year. What are the laws about selling raw milk in FL? Anybody know?
Welcome "Gulf Coast", nice hat! Destin Florida, tough location ;)!
Most members without access to raw milk including myself quite happily use store bought cow's milk for making cheese. Another idea for you is to make Light Cream Cheese, sold in stores in US as American style Neufchatel (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3495.msg27244.html#msg27244). It takes two days to make and is a lactic acid coagulated cheese that sometimes uses just a little rennet. If you are using store bought pasteurized milk then you need a low temp (mesophilic) starter culture to goose the milk as it is largely biologically dead. I see from your OP that you didn't buy any in which case you can use store bought buttermilk, but be sure to age it (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Recipes/Recipe_Mesophilic_Culture.htm) first before adding to milk to up it's microorganism count.
On cow's cream, I'm same as you, can only find highly biologically dead UP cream in stores, thus I don't make much Cream Cheese or double or triple cream cheeses, that said, full fat/whole cow's milk makes a high enough fat content cheese for me anyway ::).
Have fun!
Quote from: FarmerJd on April 18, 2010, 01:12:28 PM
What are the laws about selling raw milk in FL? Anybody know?
Raw milk sales are illegal in FL according to the reference section in Tim Smith's book. You might be able to find a farmer willing to bend the law for the right price, but it's doubtful. If I were a farmer, I wouldn't risk it.
Quote from: DeejayDebi on April 18, 2010, 03:54:41 AM
You can find a list of raw milk sellers in Florida here (http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html#fl)
Hi Debi!
Thank you! Your link has a long list of sources for farm fresh milk. Three of the Florida sources are a short drive. The legal key to selling fresh milk in Florida is to include the statment that it is for animal consumption.
My dog is hungry!
Quote from: MarkShelton on April 18, 2010, 05:46:25 AM
Yes, it's a pretty specialized market for cheesemaking equipment and supplies. Probably your best bet locally would be a homebrew shop, but even then it's doubtful that they would have an adequate selection of products.
I buy all my stuff online from merchants like cheesemaking.com (http://www.cheesemaking.com) and thecheesemaker.com (http://www.thecheesemaker.com), but there are plenty of other retailers here (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Links/Stores_Cheese_Making_Supplies.htm).
Hi Mark!
Thank you for the great link. I have only found one home brew shop within 70 miles. The Shady Lady is located on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. She does sell the same items that the New England Cheese supply does as well as wine and beer brewing supplies. I bought some sour cream starter from her and should have some ready in a few hours.
I am amazed that there are not more DIY wine and cheese shops in this area. There are a lot of wineauxes!
Quote from: FarmerJd on April 18, 2010, 01:12:28 PM
I am about 2 hours north of you. We come to Destin about once a year. What are the laws about selling raw milk in FL? Anybody know?
Hi Farmer!
I guess I should say hi neighbor. Two hours north puts you somewhere in Central Alabama or South Alabama depending upon your speed.
The law is new to me. You can sell raw milk in the State of Florida only for the consumption of animals. Farmers sell milk, cream, and butter for the consumption of animals.
I had a long talk with my dog. He told me that he wanted cheese. He smiled wagged his tail and said do not forget the gervais.
Quote from: John (CH) on April 18, 2010, 02:58:55 PM
Welcome "Gulf Coast", nice hat! Destin Florida, tough location ;)!
Most members without access to raw milk including myself quite happily use store bought cow's milk for making cheese. Another idea for you is to make Light Cream Cheese, sold in stores in US as American style Neufchatel (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3495.msg27244.html#msg27244). It takes two days to make and is a lactic acid coagulated cheese that sometimes uses just a little rennet. If you are using store bought pasteurized milk then you need a low temp (mesophilic) starter culture to goose the milk as it is largely biologically dead. I see from your OP that you didn't buy any in which case you can use store bought buttermilk, but be sure to age it (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Recipes/Recipe_Mesophilic_Culture.htm) first before adding to milk to up it's microorganism count.
On cow's cream, I'm same as you, can only find highly biologically dead UP cream in stores, thus I don't make much Cream Cheese or double or triple cream cheeses, that said, full fat/whole cow's milk makes a high enough fat content cheese for me anyway ::).
Have fun!
Hi John,
Thank you for the kind welcome. The hat is from villagehatshop.com They have a great variety. Destin is tough but someone has to live here. Between Pensacola and Panama City there are still some pristine beaches with snow white sand but now the best are in National and State Parks.
I am hot on the trail of some warm whole fresh milk. I grew up with Neufchatel and it is on my list to make. Next week I will be visiting the nearest source and buying mesophillic starter and some other supplies.
Thank you for the help.
Maybe some day I can help your dog. ;) I'll holler on my next trip south.
Welcome!
You can also check out this site if you are looking for raw goat milk: www.dairygoatinfo.com (http://www.dairygoatinfo.com)
Start a post in the Cheese & Dairy Section to find out if any of the members are near you.
Quote from: FarmerJd on April 20, 2010, 03:04:55 AM
Maybe some day I can help your dog. ;) I'll holler on my next trip south.
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Hi Farmer!
I made a connection today with a fellow animal lover. It was incredible. A few miles from where I live a friend from my High School days has goats and makes wine. The last time I saw him dinosaurs walked the earth.
Let me know when you are coming down, perhaps we can get together.
Quote from: MiaBella Farm on April 20, 2010, 07:38:15 PM
Welcome!
You can also check out this site if you are looking for raw goat milk: www.dairygoatinfo.com (http://www.dairygoatinfo.com)
Start a post in the Cheese & Dairy Section to find out if any of the members are near you.
Hi Bella!
Thank you for the link and information. You and the other forum members have been so very helpfull. I appreciate your kind response.
Hi Farmer, I'm down in the Tampa Bay area. One suggestion for finding sources for raw milk is to try Craigslist. I see there are lists for both Panama City and Pensacola.
I have had luck finding both raw goat and cow milk through the Tampa list. If you don't see any ads offering for sale try posting your own request to buy - and of course include that you are intending its use for pet consumption.
Quote from: marksto on April 22, 2010, 03:41:23 PM
Hi Farmer, I'm down in the Tampa Bay area. One suggestion for finding sources for raw milk is to try Craigslist. I see there are lists for both Panama City and Pensacola.
I have had luck finding both raw goat and cow milk through the Tampa list. If you don't see any ads offering for sale try posting your own request to buy - and of course include that you are intending its use for pet consumption.
Hi Marksto!
I have not been in the Tampa area for several years. I would like to visit and see an MLB game. Your area and Central Florida seem to have many dairy connections.
I have made a couple of goat connections in my area and surely some cow / cream connections will follow. It is like the bamboo telegraph. Zen happens!
Thank you for your response and suggestion. I would not have thought of Craig's List.