"Why don't you just BUY it?" they said. Aaagghh! So much for feeling really proud of my first chevre attempt this winter! Help me, I'm drowning here...it's just me and my cheese. Why do I always find these passions in life that cause people to look at me cross-eyed just before they fall off their chairs into a deep snore?!?!
I'm working on Camembert next - I'm sure the new molds I ordered are sitting at the post office right now. Want to share experiences? I'd be thrilled to have a network.
BTW, anyone else out there working their way through "Mastering Cheese"? I'm tasting my way through the book (well, ok, I backed off a little since New Year's resolution to drop a few cheesy pounds) and it would be fun to discuss. Virtual tastings with a glass of wine, anyone?
Cheers!
Deb
Hi Deb in Pennsylvania, welcome!
Fun intro, no question, way easier and cheaper just to buy mass produced cheese, but where's the fun in taking teh simple wayin life. Yep, I get strange looks when I mention making cheese or when going though grocery checkout with 9 gallons of milk.
On Cam's tonnes of posts in that board, you'll find lots of company, sorry never heard of that book.
Have fun!
Welcome, Deb. You'll find plenty of cheese networking here. Got a question, comment, or a problem, or do you just want to show your latest successes and/or failures? You've come to the right place.
-Boofer-
Nobody here snores when speaking cheese. I go to bed thinking of cheese. When I can't sleep I check out this site much to the chagrin of my wife who is only more upset when she sees me coming home with a bucket of milk. Not that she won't eat the cheese, just that I'll clink things around and wake the baby. You'll find the encouraging network of cheese friends you seek here.
Welcome, Deb! I second all that others have said here - I've learned so much here already.
I feel your pain ... "why don't you just BUY it?" I had a friend visiting at one point when I was planning to make some lasagna. But of course first I had to make the sausage, and the cheese, and the sauce, etc. He looked at me and quite solemnly informed me that there was this new thing called a "grocery store" ...
Quote from: smilingcalico on January 20, 2011, 10:52:32 AM
Nobody here snores when speaking cheese. I go to bed thinking of cheese. When I can't sleep I check out this site much to the chagrin of my wife who is only more upset when she sees me coming home with a bucket of milk. Not that she won't eat the cheese, just that I'll clink things around and wake the baby. You'll find the encouraging network of cheese friends you seek here.
I feel your pain...as I'm just chastised for typing this in the early a.m. Thankfully, I've a wife who loves good beer and cheese. Less fond of stainless steel, various converted refrigerators, casks and beer engines, propane tanks, and a motley assortment of lab equipment. ;D
Howdy, dadz, welcome. People here are incredibly skilled, and helpful. :)
Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome - I feel like a ripe Camembert inside!
Smilingcalico & Arnaud, I'll look for you on line during one of my 3 - 5 a.m. insomnia bouts - a good time to be contemplative about cheese. John, you might be envious to hear that I live next to Amish country with access to raw and organic milk at local farm markets. 9 gallons though – woo. I might need that much delivered! George - I hear you - haven't made the sausage or the noodles yet for my lasagna but, I've grown the tomatoes and made/canned the sauce and now I have the cheese. Don't your friends just love it when you give them a detailed ingredient pedigree for the meals you serve them? "Yes, and those are my potatoes and my carrots and I baked the bread this morning and ...where'd you go?" Arnaud – might have to catch up with you on the beer making later...we just inherited a kit, pre-owned, twice and has yet to make beer! DH is on that path.
It's his birthday today so we're celebrating with a cheese tasting later - I bought a piece of Valdeon Blue and Cambozola. Yummm. I can't wait to try my hand at that last one some time.
I'm inspired by all the pics and detailed processes posted. I'll do my best to document & post my first Camembert experiment beginning Sunday. I'm sure it will be highly entertaining ;D Looking forward to *feedback* and glad to have all you old and mature cheeses to help me along.
Cheers! Deb
Quote from: george on January 20, 2011, 11:13:11 AM
Welcome, Deb! I second all that others have said here - I've learned so much here already.
I feel your pain ... "why don't you just BUY it?" I had a friend visiting at one point when I was planning to make some lasagna. But of course first I had to make the sausage, and the cheese, and the sauce, etc. He looked at me and quite solemnly informed me that there was this new thing called a "grocery store" ...
please tell me you make the Pasta too!
LOL - sorry, no. Never a big pasta fan, lasagna's pretty much the only time I eat it, plus there are a few gluten-free friends and family members - so Tinkyada it is. :)
Deb, I spent lots of time (and money!) with a bunch of Amish farmers from your neck o' the woods when I was living in Virginia. Just got 30 lbs of miscellaneous cheese from my favorite one. (yes, I admit it - I need something to compare mine to, don't I?)
People start looking glassy-eyed when I talk about my cow, so I know where you are coming from. I blame my cow for my cheesemaking (what ELSE am I going to do with 5 gallons of milk a day now that the pigs are in freezer heaven?!).
Welcome to the CheeseForum. Always plenty of folks around to get cheesy with here.
Quote from: MrsKK on January 22, 2011, 02:56:16 PM
People start looking glassy-eyed when I talk about my cow, so I know where you are coming from. I blame my cow for my cheesemaking (what ELSE am I going to do with 5 gallons of milk a day now that the pigs are in freezer heaven?!).
Welcome to the CheeseForum. Always plenty of folks around to get cheesy with here.
I'd envy you your cow :) I'd love to have a few goats, too. Maybe someday. Thanks for the welcome. I'm about to document my first Cam experiment on the forum. Hope I can figure out the picture thing! I'm experimenting with the features of this forum since I'm new to doing this, too!
My first Camembert attempt is at day 5 in the refrigerator - no bloom yet but , I think it's coming...having a little trouble regulating the temp. I documented my process here https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6155.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6155.0.html) and would love some feedback!