I had the chance to read Max McCalman's "Mastering Cheese" over the holiday and was struck by a quote that he made. He attributes this to Allison Hooper, former President of the American Cheese Society – "In artisanal cheesemaking, to maintain quality, you do not alter your raw materials; rather you adjust your recipe. In industrial cheesemaking, the opposite is true: Raw materials are altered – with various treatments and additives – in order to conform to the recipe."
I suspect that most people on this forum use standard store bought milk for making cheese so maybe there isn't a need to adjust the recipe. But I have noted that many are also using raw milk so my question is - do any of you make adjustments to your receipe or production methods to account for seasonal variation in your milk? If so, what are they? I know it may vary by cheese type but do you alter any of the following?
1) Flocculation method
2) Use of calcium chloride
3) Use of starter
4) Curd handling
5) Use of salt
I realize that this is a broad subject but I'm trying to get a general sense of the adjustments I should be considering throughout the year. I primarily use raw goat milk I obtain weekly and mostly make crottin, valencay, stirred curd "cheddar" and just started on some blues.
Thanks
Chris
I don't alter my recipes throughout the year, but I also don't fret about seasonal differences in my cheeses, or from make to make. I actually enjoy the different nuances from cheese to cheese (even of the same recipe).
I can see wanting to make alterations if you are commerically producing cheese, though
Hi Chris;
I do tend to use CaCl2 more in the winter. I get Jersey milk all winter from 3 different suppliers whose cows are in different stages of lactation, and all on winter feed. I only get goat and sheep's milk from March to maybe November.
The floc method is great for letting me know about the changes in the milk. I may use more or less rennet to maintain similar floc times. I also keep track of my yields by weight for particular cheeses to know what is going on.
I don't ever change my starters or salt. As far as curd handling changes, not exactly, but I do notice big differences in curd firmness and yield seasonally.
That being said, I agree with Karen. I don't care if my cheeses are exactly the same every time, but I do want them to be successful. I also like the idea of "terrior" in my cheeses so I want the local milk to come through in the cheese.
Do you get goat milk all winter? Everyone I know here has trouble keeping goats fresh this time of year. (Plus, I think they want some time off from milking!)
Pam
Karen and Pam - thank you for the comments
Pam - I am still getting milk from a farm close to Greeley. She has been drying off some of her herd so I suspect maybe another week or two before I switch to store milk and try some different recipe styles.