Cheese making is a combination of necessity, to store milk; a luxury, to have delicious food; an enjoyable hobby; a way to honor heritage and tradition; and a connection to the land, the animals, and the plants that make the beginnings of cheese. Cheese making can be challenging, frustrating, and time consuming.
But, mostly, cheese making can be fun.
In this class, we will play with turning milk into cheese. Each student will make at least three different cheeses of their own to take home and share.
Skills to be covered
Tasting cheese to define how it is made
Reading recipes to understand the vital techniques
Creating your own cheesemaking journal to document and develop your own process
Understanding the components and actions of different types of animal milks
Exploring different types of cultures, rennets and amendments
The importance of salt
How to heat milk at specific rates and for set times.
Set, cut, cook, drain, and press
Uses of whey
How to store and age your cheese
Bio
I'm JenontheFarm. My family and I own and run Havencroft Farm in the Arkansas Ozarks.
I've milking goats since 1979 and I've had my own flock since 1982. When you have milk critters, you often have those times when you open the fridge and find it full of milk. That is when you make cheese. You can do some planning and scheduling, but the full milk fridge will often crop up at a time when you really have a zillion other things to do.
I cannot tolerate wasting food. In the past I've done other things, but right now, I don't raise bottle calves, I only have half a dozen milk customers (it is legal to sell goat's milk directly from the farm here in Arkansas, a big part of why we moved here in 2006) and when the fridge is full, I make cheese.
I'll share my cheesemaking. I'll share recipes, sources for equipment and cultures. I'll share my successes, and analyze my failures. We'll make cheese! There are quick and easy cheeses that freeze well for winter when the does are dry. There are cheeses to make specifically for a potluck or a recipe I want to try and then there are times when I just want to make something a little more. There are cheeses that take days of hard work, and some that seem to make themselves.
Cost of class is $120 per person.
class is limited to six people.
email
amVub250aGVmYXJtIHwgZ21haWwgISBjb20= to register or for more information.
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