I had had enough of it! I've been hearing repeatedly, from many sources, of the glory of cheesemaking. How delicious it is to eat the quality cheese that comes from your own kitchen. How easy it is (at least for mozzarella). In fact, last week Sir William spent Tuesday with some friends, and I learned from them that his playmate (age 9, I believe) was now the one making the mozzarella in their family. So surely an adult could successfully navigate the tricky corners of home cheesemaking, right?
Nah! My first attempt turned out to be a total flop. The curds didn't really form, and it ended up being a big mess, and the chickens got the results. Hmmm ... at least one good result. The chickens received a delightful nutritional supplement. :)
I had followed very carefully (I thought) Ricki's 30 Minute Mozzarella Magic recipe. But it didn't work. I immediately came up with 3 possible theories as to why it failed.
1. The recipe was for 1 gallon of milk. I adjusted all ingredients proportionally and used 2 gallons, but perhaps I shouldn't have done this.
2. The milk was Ultra Pasteurized (UHT), and was, therefore, heat damaged to the degree that it would not form a curd. (This is a theory. I had no way of knowing what method of pasteurization was used.)
3. My rennet was the cheap, grocery store type rennet, and so it was not strong enough to effect the required coagulation (is that a correct term in cheesemaking?).
After the failure I obtained some feedback from KS Milkmaid. Based on my description of the problem, she ruled out theory #1, and also dismissed theory #2. Theory #2 could have been the cause, but #3 was, she said, much more likely. My rennet was not full strength rennet, and thus did not effectively create the curd. The other factor was: after giving it nearly twice the time called for in the recipe, I decided to make the best of it, and try to go ahead with the process. Milkmaid said that I quite possibly could have had better results had I waited. Apparently the good cheesemakers don't always follow the recipe, but rather, base their actions on what is actually happening with the milk. Had I given it more time than what the recipe called for, it might have worked, even despite cheap rennet.
When I told Milkmaid about the failure, her first response was, "Oh super!! The sign of a good cheese maker." That is heartening. If even the good ones messed up on their first attempt, and still do periodically, then hope remains for me. I can tell you one thing, though. I'm gonna use twice the amount of rennet that the recipe calls for ... until I get myself the "real" stuff. I want to learn from my mistake. (And, on the offhand chance that the problem was #2 - UHT pasteurized milk, I am going to redouble my efforts to get a raw milk source. A dairy cow has been on the agenda for 2007 for a couple of years, and I'm intent on speeding up my agrarian calendar from earlier projections. Nevertheless, I don't have the cow yet, so I'm looking for another source until then.)
And so ... I'm going to get another gallon of milk tonight. And try again. I'll let you know how it goes.
40 comments:
Jon:
It is good to see you posting and about agrarian attempts. Cheesemaking is so rewarding. You will be a pro before you know it.
God bless you...with success too!!
My first three batches of cheese were horrible.
The stuff left from trying still looked like milk, so I made chocolate pudding with it. It tasted interesting, but not bad.
I decided to try again this week and got a little over a pound per gallon. I used one whole tablet of junket rennet per. gallon of milk.
Mom read on the internet, that you double the amount of rennet used if it is not the liquid form, and the junket rennet which is weaker you quadruple.
I hope this helps. :-)
Daisy, thanks for the hint. I haven't had opportunity yet to try again, but I am planning doing so tomorrow evening. I also have a source of Real Milk for tomorrow, so maybe it will really work this time.
Rikki Carroll says in her book not to use UHT.
My cheesemaking efforts are improving, but I tried mozzeralla last week and it failed awfully. It just never got stretchy, and I'm not sure what I did wrong.
My gouda and cheddar look like they've turned out well, but I won't know really for weeks yet. My soft goat cheese is wonderful. Mmm cheese!
Keep it up. My first batch was pretty awful, too, and my first three attempts at ricotta weren't any good either.
BadgerMum, thanks for the encouragement. Rikki's website says the same thing, but the problem is, the milk you buy around here is not labelled as to the pasteurization method. Thus you buy, and hope, but you never know. After the feedback I got from KS Milkmaid, and then Daisy, I think my problem was the rennet, rather than the milk being UHT. I have a source of Real Milk for tomorrow's effort; hopefully it will turn out better.
:)
Real Milk...in capital letters? Do you mean the stuff I drink comes from Fake Cows? (While staying at the J- house I suffered from a lot of good-natured [At least I hope it was good natured] teasing on account of my city girl tastes and the fact that I preferred 1% to "real milk" and margerine to butter [There is no good reason to assume that butter us better than margerine if you prefer the taste of margerine]...so now I'm rather sensitive on the topic.) If you aren't lost in the parentheseses, I am.
Well, good luck next time and enjoy your cheesemaking! (and the fruits thereof)
JFC, check out the recipe page from some agrarian friends of yours. The "Easy Mozzarella" recipe is easy and good!
I think that this page is what TKB is referring to, if anyone else is interested.
And Sarie, by Real Milk, I mean milk that has come from a Real Cow, not having been corrupted by greedy agribusiness dairies, such as those encountered by Tennessee FarmGirl, and recounted here.
I might also note that if the cream has been mostly used for butter, you can have 1% Real Milk just like you can have 1% fake milk ... and that the spelling of margarine is not the only way in which it breaks the rules ... and that your use of parentheses was correct, even if the spelling wasn't ... and, I guess that's 'nuff pickin' at the city girl :) and I'm glad you still read my blog.
Alright, well, I didn't want to have to spell 'homogenized' and 'pasturized' and all that stuff. So I avoided it duly. I s'pose I could just call it store-boughten milk. (They always used to talk about store-boughten stuff in the Little House books, and I was always very impressed.)
And I intended to plural parentheses twice to explain my own confusion at the number and variety of said things in my comment. (Oh, I suppose now you will tell me that 'plural' isn't a verb!)
I thought the way I was spelling margarine looked odd. I guess that's what I get for not bothering to check.
I correct myself. 'Pasteurized' is the word. (One must remember that the word has nothing to do with 'pastures' but rather with some chap by the name of 'Pasteur' or at least I am under that impression.)
Hey, I hope we're all aspiring city boys and girls-- City of God, anyone? :-)
(Last time I brought that up, SOMEONE at my church ruined it by saying something about a shrubbery.)
Sarie:
First, I stand corrected on parentheseses. Indeed, you had plural parentheses, which should then be rendered parentheseses. (It actually reminds me of the names of Egyptian pharaohs.)
About homogenized ... that is about as far from Trinitarian as one can possibly go. It is the dairy equivalent of Unitarian.
About pasturized and pasteurized. Indeed, those are the two choices. Milk that has to be pastuerized has to be so denuded of its nutritional value because the cows were not pastured ... or, pasturized, if you will. Again, check out the link to the TN FarmGirl post in my preceding comment.
Regarding whether plural is a verb ... that is a permissible tool of dominion, to coin terms which will help people understand a concept. I applaud your use of this postmillenial tactic.
Regarding margarine ... you would be surprised how many people spell it as you did. Google (another noun turned verb, I believe) it using both spellings, and you will find more references using what I believe is the incorrect spelling.
And, finally, Han ... we don't aspire to live in the city. We are the city, the new Jerusalem. And if that is not sufficient, and you still insist that we should live in the city, note that different cities were described differently in the scripture. And the cities which were roundly condemned were the great metropolises, while the cities that were praised were the villages which were the trading centers for the surrounding agrarian region.
Now, lest I be misunderstood, I affirm that the great metropolises must, too, be reached with the gospel, and that will require people to go there.
And ... how we got here from cheese, I know not. But I do know that if I don't get 'on the stick' I will not get tonight's cheese made. Therefore, I will bid you all 'adieu' and be on my way.
One more thing ... if I have any serious agrarian readers remaining, please forgive this meandering into manifold levity. Sometimes conversations go there when ... well, never mind.
:)
It isn't wrong to pasteurize milk. My grandparents used to pasteurize the milk they got from their pasturized cows. Apparently it worked fine. But I can only really see one real advantage in raising cows; apparently it builds character. My dad fondly recounts (whenever I mention how very cold it is) that it was often colder when he had to go and count the cows. He also insists that the cows were his friends, so I'm not exactly sure what the effect of counting cows in the cold is on the brain.
I cannot agree about cities. I simply can't. I will not argue as apparently I'm stealing this forum from the more serious-minded agrarian-types...although such a discussion would be the most serious-minded thing I've probably done all day. But heavens! Being serious is far too silly. I have made it my solemn, serious duty to not be truly serious for more than half an hour at a time. (Seriousness I consider bad for the health.)
Pardon for my meandering while being neither serious nor agrarian.
I have made it my solemn, serious duty to not be truly serious for more than half an hour at a time. (Seriousness I consider bad for the health.)
Moderation in all things, eh?
Let me be serious for another moment. I am seriously glad that you come to my blog! As long as we don't approach 100 comments of silliness (ala the Knights), I welcome the levity. It keeps me from taking myself too seriously.
JFC, so long as a certain mutual friend is not present I must seriously doubt my ability to repeat such a feat. (Then again, I can talk a great deal so it might not be entirely impossible, though unlikely.)
I must say that I'm extremely moderate. (As opposed to moderately moderate. Moderation in all save one thing, I suppose would be the motto.) Speaking of moderation, we have 'verbed' the word 'plural' (and now I have 'verbed' the word 'verb' as well, although I believe that this has already been done by a philosopher by the name of Calvin. I speak of the Calvin with the tiger, not John.) and created the word 'pasturized.' Moderation in this, too. Or is taking dominion something we should not be moderate in?
Sorry, I am so late in this. But if bagermum is still reading... I wanted to let you know, you used too much citric acid. If the curd won't matt together or spin it is because the acidity it too high.
Sometimes the acidity rate (amount of citric acid) needs to be reduced based on the season of lactation for the cow. It can also be affected by how much acidity is in the milk, i.e. is it too old rather than fresh? IF you continue to have problems just reduce your citric acid amount, you will start to see a beautiful bouncy baby mozzarella ball worthy of picture taking.
JON, is SARIE serious? No need for cows? No comprendo the harm in fake butter? No harm in pastuerizing? Oh, hold me back if so. Just in case, I will mention in passing that margerine (however, you spell it) has parafin in it. That is the stuff you use to wax cheese with or make candles with. It clogs the arteries big time. It was originally made/concocted because there was a butter shortage but it is so not even close to healthy. Studies abound on the health risks of it.
I won't touch the raw milk and store bought milk issue. Afterall, this is your blog and I can't tell if this is a serious discussion or not.
Blessings!!
But Milkmaid--- if I concerned myself extremely over everything I ate, I would worry myself into a young grave! :-)
I would worry myself into a young grave! :-)
Which, I assume, is why the Milkmaid did not counsel you to worry. Only to be aware of the difference between food (which God gave to be received with thanksgiving) and chemical additives and pseudo-food replacements (which are generally manufactured for reasons, and using methods, which conflict with God's law ... e.g. the law against usury, the law against greed, the law against sloth, the law against worrying over tomorrow).
As far as an early grave, you are far more likely to go to an early grave by eating chemicals than you are to go to an early grave by making the effort to learn the difference between food and chemical additives, and eating accordingly.
What about the diseases that can be gotten from unpasteurized milk? Pasteurization was invented to prevent them! Um...Bang's Disease sounds like a nasty thing to get. I read in the encyclopedia that only 1 person in every 50 cases of it dies!
Plus besides (ooh. I hate it when people say that) I don't believe studies. I am a professional cynic and most studies have no relation to reality.
Whycome if all this stuff is so bad for us are lifespans getting longer and longer?
But if one really thinks about the hazards of life; one realizes that anything you do will kill you in the long run. One may as well live life without worrying so much. My family has always been very healthy despite the fact that we don't do anything to keep ourselves so but emply simple common sense. Go figure.
Er... we *employ simple common sense. As far as I know 'emply' is not a word.
(Yeah, but what about Brenda, Sarah?)
Hmm.. I agree that I would definitely like to do more to reduce the amount of not real food that I eat! :-) But our family is not able to raise our own food, and most of the "safer" foods are too expensive for us to purchase them regularly. We would really like to buy things from family farms, but on the whole they (rightfully) tend to be more expensive. In the long run it might be better, but in short run we just absolutely cannot afford it.
Funny ol' world, in't!
Han, I have been in the same predicament. And I am not trying to be judgmental, for I have lived with this thought pattern for decades, but I am starting to believe that "I can't afford it" is simply not true. Don't raise your hackles! :) I, too, have said that.
However, the Bible says that "with food and covering we will be content." Yet how many of us are not content with food and covering? If we diverted our money from everything that is not food and covering, and put that toward food, I think we could easily provide our food. Add to that, "six days shall you labor", and "by the sweat of your brow", and I think real food would not be difficult to obtain. And it would have been much easier if the infrastructure (community and knowledge) of several generations back had not been abandoned. And if the land had not been abandoned to multi-national agri-corporations. (Why did God command the people of Israel to never let the land go outside the family? I think there was a reason, and it had to do with food.)
This would make a significant difference in a number of areas besides food, also. Medical issues would be significantly less common. And the character of children (who are raised on a farm with productive chores) would be greatly improved, on average.
Anyway, I'm just now starting to understand some of these things. But I am concluding that I have been believing, and therefore being, and doing, wrongly for a long time. And I am trying to change directions. If you are not convinced by the scripture and sound reason that change is needed, then you have no obligation to change. I just encourage you to make thoughtful adjustments in your "food policy" if you are convinced that it is needed.
JFC
Sarie, the paraffin wax in margarine is made out of petroleum. The stuff you make gas for cars with. Yuk!!!!
Han, you can't grow any food! How small of a town lot do you live on? We lived in town seven years ago and grew a lot of our vegetables in our back yard, and sometimes in the front yard. We also had flower gardens to take care of as well, and lots of little ones to watch. We moved to the country partly because of y2k, and Mom planted a one acre garden. I don't suggest it. :-) It was to big and turned to weeds.
Daisy, I still don't believe margarine is that bad for me. I don't think we really need to change our eating habits.
As to gardening, my mom does not have time and I must admit I hate the idea of having a garden. I have made so many tries and had so many failures. If I can kill the simplest flowers, how do I expect to grow vegetables? Actually, we've had cherry tomatoes and we have a patch of rhubarb in the backyard that we don't have to do anything with. I seriously cannot believe that health and monetary benefits of a vegetable garden would make up for the time spent weeding, and watering and whatnot. After all that's time that could be spent READING or WRITING or STUDYING or PRACTICING MUSIC or something of that kind. I must tell you, I have never been inclined agriculturally and I don't believe that we are all supposed to farm and grow food. It's not the only worthwhile thing one can do and I don't even believe it's the best thing to do, if you can buy your food and do other things with your time. Now, don't try to convince me otherwise. You can't.
Sarie, perhaps that is why Daisy and Milkmaid and myself (and the knights, and hosts of others) are so convinced that we need to eat real food ... because we have been STUDYING. Of course, what good is STUDY if it doesn't modify ones behavior accordingly.
And about buying food ... yes, I agree, IF you can buy food, then why grow it. However, there are TWO big quandries in that "IF". First, most of what you buy in the store is not food. It is petroleum and chemicals and drugs packaged in a "food" payload. And the second problem is, I am far from convinced that I will even be able to buy that sorry excuse for food in the long run. If you fail at growing food now, think how much you will regret not having learned when your life did not depend on it, when the time comes that your life DOES depend on it.
Oh, one more thing. Do some STUDYING on the difference between gnosticism and Christianity as it relates to the balance between study and digging in the soil.
Finally, if you think we are nuts ... at least stuff somewhere in the back of your head that we might not be totally wacko. After all, we do like to read, and write, and practice music, and study, and ... dance!
:-D
It is funny how two people striving towards the same thing can be taking two seemingly different routes!
Some Christians need to live in cities and towns. This is what God has given us. And some families need to live on farms and rural areas, and this is what God has given most of you folks.
To do what we can where we are, we simply can't afford "it"... we could change/move/try something else, but I think we are doing what we need to be doing. We are the "home-base" for our church right now, and that is because we have a house near the church which is becoming wonderful for hospitality purposes, and time to spend helping the church that would not be available to us if we had animal and land chores.
My dad grew up on a family farm... he knows a *lot* about farming, and I definitely trust him to choose the best place for us right now. I know he would still love to live on the farm, but he thinks it is important for us to be here now.
I think there is a little short-sightedness in some "back-to-the-land" movements... (thought not particularly a problem of the back-to-the-landers I know well). People sometimes lose track of the fact that tractors have to made somewhere!
And yeah, I perfectly understand that you are not trying to be judgemental! I hope I do not sound that way either. :-)
People sometimes lose track of the fact that tractors have to made somewhere!
Not necessarily. But I won't argue about that. And I SURE won't argue about this ...
I definitely trust him to choose the best place for us right now.
I hope that nothing I have said would ever speak against that! You are absolutely right.
People sometimes lose track of the fact that tractors have to made somewhere!
Who said we need tractors? After all, the men of ol' didn't use them. In fact, we have a 55 acre farm and don't even have a tractor.
Maybe people lose track of what was done before these modern CONVENIENCES came and took over! :D
Daisy, I still don't believe margarine is that bad for me.
What if I told you that margarine has trans-fat in it? Well, it does, lots of it because of the hydrogenation process used to make it. The trans-fats are very harmful to your body. In fact, they can even cause things like: elevated cholestorol, hardening of the arteries, even cancer.
Hey, maybe it could even cause something similar to cancer which would trans-form you into another kind of creature, like a snake! :)
What about manufacturing things such as fabric and plastic and conevenient stuff like that? Are you all going to start growing flax, and buy spinning wheels and looms?
What about manufacturing things such as fabric and plastic and conevenient stuff like that? Are you all going to start growing flax, and buy spinning wheels and looms?
Uhhh ... where did that come from? I believe we were talking about eating food instead of chemical, pharmaceutical, and hormonal additives. With that context, no, I don't intend to start eating convenience foods like fabric, plastic, spinning wheels and looms. That really was the point. I don't like plastic in my diet. That's one reason to avoid margarine.
As for spinning, weaving, and sewing, those things are not on my immediate agenda. However, I will let others speak to what their intentions are in those areas.
I'm sorry. I thought we were talking about evil corporations and family farming. (As a sub-topic of food and chemicals and whatnot.) Obviously, not everyone can have a family farm because someone has to work in the factories and run the factories if we wish to continue with modern conveniences. And cars, and computers, too! FACTORIES! (But don't eat cars...very greasy...worse than roast duck.)
I guess I tend to make broad, sweeping generalities and link everything together. It helps one become emotionally involved in every single disagreement one has. (In other words, it can be pretty stupid.)
Let me simply say, I don't think what you say is true because life spans are getting longer which ought not to be happening if everything we are doing is so bad for us! The evidence doesn't support your conclusions. (and anyhow...if my food kills me I'll beat you Home! :D No. That isn't my notion of good stewardship. JUST A JOKE!)
I'd rather let the chemicals kill me than eat buggy, rotten, nasty fruit. At least my food *looks* nice!
Uhhh ... where did that come from? I believe we were talking about eating food instead of chemical, pharmaceutical, and hormonal additives. With that context, no, I don't intend to start eating convenience foods like fabric, plastic, spinning wheels and looms. That really was the point. I don't like plastic in my diet. That's one reason to avoid margarine.
I don't think I could've said it better, as I don't want to eat that stuff either!
(But don't eat cars...very greasy...worse than roast duck.)
Why not, Sarie? Cars can tast VERY delicious, especially the mint flavored coolant!
No Sarie, I'm not telling you to drink coolant, as it is deadly! However, as you said, maybe your one of those people that 'Are dying to get in the grave yard.' Pun intended. :O
I'd rather let the chemicals kill me than eat buggy, rotten, nasty fruit. At least my food *looks* nice!
Organically grown food doesn't have to look bad. We grow food without the chemical, plastic, and hormonal additives, and they DON'T look buggy! So, my food *looks* just as nice. On top of all that, it tastes better too.
Let me simply say, I don't think what you say is true because life spans are getting longer
Only when you compare them to the life spans in the fuedal era. Try charting out a graf of the average life spans of the different ages and eras going all the way back to Adam. After you do that, and see the line rising higher than people lived in Noah's day, then maybe you'll have me convinced.
Then again, did you ever stop to think that life spans might be similar to the stocks? :)
BTW: Does anybody know what any of the recent posts have to do with cheesemaking?? If so, please tell me!
BTW: Does anybody know what any of the recent posts have to do with cheesemaking?? If so, please tell me!
Oh, yes...they're full of cheesy puns! Actually, they aren't most of them, although this one has one.
And I know not to drink coolant! My dad used to be a mechanic! I'm from Iowa; I'm not exactly an elite city dweller! (And I'm proud of the fact!) However, I could kill to get into a graveyard! (But with capital punishment disappearing and all it might not do any good!
An unfortunately late preface to everything I (and I am sure, my sister) have said:
I think you all are doing great things for God's Kingdom and I have been incredibly blessed by having spent time with His back-to-the-land-ers. :D And for the most part I don't disagree with you. I'm not sure I do actually disagree with you at all! (I totally want to make my own cheese-- the day I can make Gouda there will be one very happy Dutch girl in Iowa!)
But I just want to be the positive reminder that there's plenty of good stuff elsewhere, without having to compromise anything. You may decide that you don't want to be one of the town-folk, don't think that the town is a lost cause because of that! Town and country people have always worked together, it turns out nicely, and it's good we all think we have chosen (or been given) the better thing for ourselves, otherwise we would be miserable! :P But don't let Sarah fool you, we like you weirdos.
:) did you know how cheese was invented? It wasnt necessity, it was an accident, read this
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