I notice at my local there is a sign up for learning how to make your own cheese with there fresh milk from their farm ? It costs $75 - Im just wondering if thats a fair price and if its easy/worth doing it and if its practical enough? TIA
uli,
Jul 7, 4:08pm
You have to ask the people doing the course what exactly you are going to learn.
If it is just fresh cheese, then all you need is milk and rennet (and if wanted a starter culture) and you can do it all at home and use the 75 bucks to buy milk LOL :)
Often you won't learn hard cheeses as you need a press for those and that is often beyond the means of the occasional home cheese maker.
Ring them and ask - and also ask how long the course is. I have seen 2 hour demos advertised for 100 bucks ...
tinker6,
Jul 7, 5:21pm
I went on a cheese making course. I learnt how to make, cottage cheese, feta, yoghurt, yoghurt soft cheese, mascapone, panir, how to make butter. You buy the milk from their farm. There is another course you can do and you learn how to make all the hard cheeses. In the course that I did, I got to take home feta, mascapone and panir. I loved doing it.
buzzy110,
Jul 7, 5:38pm
I recently did a Kathryn Mowbray Cheesemaking course and it was brilliant. I have been collecting together all the equipment but haven't gotten around to making any yet. I must get a move on though or I'll have to do another course to refresh.
She made it look so easy and her knowledge of all things cheese is encyclopaedic.
uli,
Jul 7, 5:44pm
Kathryn Mowbray is very good - she also demonstrates hard cheeses. The one tinker6 went to is very basic and only fresh cheeses by the looks, you could buy a book and do that one at home I guess. The only way to find out is to ring them seez1, as we wouldn't know which course you talk about and with whom.
marywea,
Jul 7, 6:28pm
I googled Haloumi-? sp- and got very good and easy directions though I haven't done it. Seemed to be popular at barbecues last summer but it didn't really appeal to me.
seez1,
Jul 7, 7:35pm
Thanks - will get the number next time in that shop, thanks anyway im creating many things out of cheese and thought this would be the best way to go. Cheers.
teddies4,
Jul 8, 6:23pm
I have made ricotta a few times and Haloumi once. I made the brine a bit too salty but still it was good. I am currently trying to find a supply of milk in Dunedin. If anyone knows of anyone, I would love to here? I have approached a couple but they aren't interested in supplying milk. How much would you pay for farm fresh? Looking forward to making cambert and gouda.
ashanti,
Jul 8, 8:20pm
I make my own cheeses, $75. 00 is very good value, you will have a lot of fun and it will give you the confidence to go ahead and start making your own cheeses- it is addictive, once you start it is hard to stop! Teddies4 unfortunately there are rules about how much milk a farmer is allowed to sell, when I have excessI sell it on TM, I am not milking at the moment, but needed to buy some milk a few days ago as I had a journalist from a ladies magazine coming to do my mozzarella making workshop, (writing about family things to do in our area) I paid $2. 00 a litre, you have to keep in mind for a lot of dairy farmers some one wanting milk is just a nuisance for them, so be prepared to offer a premium. I usually charge $1. 00 a litre, but will be raising that this year as the poor weather has meant I have to buy in feed for my house cows.
ashanti,
Jul 8, 8:24pm
Here is a recipe for Mizithra, a greek cottage cheese, it was the first cheese I ever learned to make over 30 years ago. Ingredients: 10 cups whole milk (not homogenised) 3 teaspoons non iodised salt 2 rennet tablets or 2 teaspoons of rennet 1 tablespoon cold boiled water Heat milk in a heavy pan till lukewarm, stir in salt and remove from heat. crush rennet tablets in a small bowl, add cold (boiled) water and stir till dissolved OR 2 teaspoons liquid rennet mixed with the water. Slowly pour rennet liquid into milk, stiiring gently, cover pan with lid and leave at side of stove, undisturbed for 30 minutes. when set, break up curds by stirring with a whisk or spoon, then let curds settle for about 5 minutes. Line a colander with a double layer of muslin or cheesecloth or, use a large cotton teatowel. Ladle curds into this, collect whey in a bowl if required. (see end of recipe) Let curd drain for a while, then scrape down cheese on sides of cloth and tie ends of cloth together, -cont---
ashanti,
Jul 8, 8:25pm
cont-- Let drain for another 6 hours at room temperature, then suspend from a shelf in the fridge if using a tea towel or muslin , or set up your cheese mold with a pan underneath to catch the drained liquid. Leave for another 12 hours to drain thoroughly. Turn cheese out of cheese mold or cloth and store in a sealed container in fridge, it will keep for around 4-5 days. ** Note- the saved whey may be used for making a cheese called anari, a cheese from Cyprus normally made after making Haloumi cheese. Another use for whey is for storing Feta cheese at home.
red-fmb,
Jul 8, 8:29pm
Labneh
About 1 teaspoon salt for every 2 cups plain yogurt Herbs and spices that you like Olive oil Mix the yogurt and salt together. Line a sieve with fine muslin/cheesecloth (a couple of coffee filters work here also) and place over a deep bowlPlace the yogurt mixture into the sieve. Cover the lot and place in the fridge to drain – this can be anywhere from 6 hours to 5 days! The longer it drains the thicker it will be. After it has drained to the consistency you like scoop and form into balls. Place balls in a jar then cover with olive oil. Store in the fridge.
You can add herbs and spices either in the yoghurt at the beginning, place in oil in jar, or roll the balls in the herbs and spices before dropping into the jars.
I add anything from garlic to dried chilli to this mixture and it ends up the consistency of cream cheese... ... DELICIOUS
ashanti,
Jul 8, 8:31pm
and here is another one-- Easy Herbed Cheddar
4 litres non homogenised milk 1 teaspoon rennet mixed with 4 tablespoons cool boiled non chlorinated water 2 tablespoons buttermilk Or 1/8 teaspoon R704 DVS culture as starter ½ tablespoon cheese salt ½ tablespoon dried herbs or masterfoods tuscan seasoning
Heat milk to 36deg Celsius add starter stir well, leave for 45 minutes Add 1 teaspoon rennet, leave for 1 hour, then cut curd into ½ inch cubes, let rest for 10 minutes. Slowly heat curds in sink of hot water or over double boiler, to 39 degrees over a period of about 10 minutes, stirring gently so curds don’t mat up, then, leave to rest whilst still over or in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain curds in butter muslin over a sink of hot water, to keep curds warm, for about an hour. Next place curds in bowl and break up into thumbnail size pieces. Mix in cheese salt and herbs, mix through well. Place in mold lined with butter muslin, press for 10 minutes at 4kg, then take out, turn over, and press for 20 minutes at 10kg. Take out again, turn over, and press at 20kg for 16 hours. Air dry until golden yellow colour, then wax. Cheese will be ready to eat after 1 month, but longer is better. Turn every day in your cheese cave.
ashanti,
Jul 8, 8:44pm
My relations in Greece for special occasions would roll labneh balls in pistachio nuts, mmmmm mmm.
uli,
Jul 8, 9:29pm
Ahhh - now I want to go back to Greece!
teddies4,
Jul 9, 12:15am
Thank you for your info ashanti. In the shops we are paying $2. 60 per litre here. Thank you all for the great recipes as well.
ashanti,
Jul 9, 2:05am
You are welcome- I hope you go ahead and have a go, it really is very rewarding.
seb28,
Jul 9, 2:13am
Omg that sounds so good... I'm writing that down! Thanks
seez1,
Jul 9, 3:20am
oh sounds great am heading to the shop tomorrow so will get the numder yummmmmmmm
nauru,
Jul 9, 5:07am
Would you post your recipe for ricotta please? .
teddies4,
Jul 10, 12:19am
4 litres of whey or blue top milk 1/3 cup + 1 tsp white vinegar 1/4 tsp salt
Heat whey to between 85 -90 degrees C. Add salt and vingar to the hot whey. Stir gently then allow the Ricotta to come to the surface. Carefully skim the floating Ricotta off the surface and into a cloth-lined hoop. Leave to drain, about 2 hours.
I just can't seem to make enough of it.
nauru,
Jul 10, 7:54am
Thanks Teddies4. I will give it a go
lythande1,
Jul 10, 5:32pm
Not to mention 2 to 3 years aging to get real cheese. That's why unless you are a fan of squashy unripe cheese it's pointless.
uli,
Jul 10, 5:37pm
fresh cheese has its place - but you really need a starter for that - otherwise it is rather tasteless that's right! And of course goats or sheep milk is much nicer for fresh cheese than mass produced cows milk.
However a lot of people here seem to like under-flavoured stuff - so it might appeal to them. I personally wouldn't waste my time on the vinegar recipe given above - but again - some people might like it.
Give it a try - all you have to lose is some dollars for the milk.
teddies4,
Jul 12, 3:31am
Uli, how would you make ricotta cheese?
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