The raw milk is from Friday morning's milking and has been kept in the fridge. Is it too old to make feta today?
Probably it's OK. I always taste the milk first. If it doesn't have off flavors, it should be OK. 3 days is about the limit for me.
Pam
I've had mozzarella fall apart on me when the milk was five days old. I normally have some of my milk at least 3 days old when I make cheese, but not usually all of the milk.
5 day old milk is going to have a higher concentration of natural lactic bacteria and the pH is probably a little lower than when it was fresh. The bacteria are certainly awake and active and will acidify quicker so you just need to watch your times. That's probably why your Moz "fell apart". You may need to back off a little on your starter bacteria or citric acid for Moz. A pH meter really helps you see what's going on.
Does anyone have a feel for the age of the milk on our store shelves? Being a farm boy from Illinois, I'd say at least 5 days from dairy to table.
As most don't have access to raw milk and most recipes use store bought what's it age and success rate?
How do we adjust for this age difference?
Steampwr8,
Age of store-bought milk is not real critical as it is pasteurized. The naturally occurring lactic bacteria that might acidify the milk have been killed. But it is always best to get the freshest milk so look for expiration dates that are far out.
Many here have much success with cheese making using store milk. Just don't use ultra-pasteurized. And you may need to add calcium chloride.
Kristin