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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Do any of you guys make cheese/butter etc? I have been reading up on it, and may give it a go.

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Moonwaves · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Dusseldorf

I was all set to try making butter and then last week went to the market in the People's Park in Dun Laoghaire where there's a guy who sells homemade butter. I'm going to try that first and see if I notice enough of a difference to make the effort myself. It's hard enough to get double cream though, even in supermarkets there's usually only a tiny small bottle of Avonmore or else the Elmlea stuff which seems to have too many ingredients to just be cream.
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Jack · Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 71 Location: North Otago

Gidday

Just wish I had real milk and cream and I would be doing it too.
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chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

I make a simple soft cheese from goats milk and occasionally of the neighbours cows milk. Also bought a little wooden cheese press to try and make hard cheese but it always went bad on me so I only use the press now to make a Feta type (soaked in brine).

Recipe:
3-5 l milk, heat up to c. 72C for 10 secs to pasteurize (I use a digital meat thermometer with alarm), then cool down again to about 38C. For each liter of milk add 2 tablespoons buttermilk and whisk well. For each liter of milk then add 2 drops of rennet and stir in very gently. Put pot into a warm place for about 12 hrs (c.20-25C, such as bottom flap of range, I do this overnight) and don't move it anymore at this stage. Then cut into half inch cubes with a knife (still in the pot) and let curds and whey separate for another couple hours. Ladel into a cheesecloth and drain for 12 hours or so.
It makes a lovely soft cheese that can be eaten sweet or savoury, i.e. spread on bread with jam, mixed with fruit and maple syrup (yum!) for dessert, used for cheesecake, or mixed with garlic and herbs as a breadspread or to go with spuds etc. Pressed and soaked in brine for a few hours it makes a lovely Feta type cheese.
The whey is great for pigs and chickens. I use it for moistening the chickens morning mash or give it to them to drink. They love it. Actually, mixed 50-50 with orange juice it is not bad to drink either (for me, not the chickens Smile

So there's no waste at all.
Well worth it.

chook

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Good posts guys. I think hard cheese will be for the future but I have been reading up on it. Butter should be no problem and those nice little glass churns can still be brought. In regard to getting the double cream why not get channel island milk and skim it. Perhaps there is a herd near by where we may get some straight from the cow. Pasturising only needs a big sauspan and thermometer, and a skimmer. Go for it guys Wink

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brianbread · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 12 Location: North Co. Dublin

Hey to all Folks, This is my first post but iv been reading for a couple of weeks and find the site entertaining and inspiring(living in a 1 bedroomed apartment in Dublin). Anyway, just thought id mention that anyone considering making cheese, hard or soft, should check out silke croppes (of corleggy cheese) 1 day cheese course on her farm in county cavan. Iv had the pleasure of both selling Silkes cheese for her in raheny and temple bar markets in Dublin and catering the cheese schools while finishing my Msc . It runs over a few dates in the summer and is absolutely brilliant, Silke makes some of the best cheese iv tasted (thats how I ended up working with her) and is a truly lovely woman who knows her stuff. This isnt a shameless "marketing" post, but more like a genuine and enthusiastic review. Check it out!

David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

Loads of surplus goats milk at the moment, and fancy having a go at cheesemaking...where can I get some Rennet?

David

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

See if you can find some Pro in your area, there is someone near Limerick who makes goats and sheep hard cheese but I can't remember the name of the farm. I'm sure they'd be happy to give you a wee bit. Count 2 drops per liter of milk you want to work with - so you really only need a tiny amount, a few ml.

My girls are very obliging as well, gettin' 2 litres a day (I know they are not champion milkers, but it's more than enough). Just made a batch of Feta (2) and 1 soft cheese covered with herbs, seasalt and pepper. Yum. Reminds me, haven't had lunch yet, rumble rumble.
... runs towards kitchen ....

Bye,
chook

David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

Hi Chook, thanks for the advice...there is a guy in Cratloe who makes sheeps cheese, so he'd be a good bet I think.

So far I've been pasteurising and freezing surplus...I have about 25 litres frozen at the moment...goats milk seems to feeze well (naturally homogenised?)

What do you reckon about using the frozen stuff for cheese? Think I read an article in a smallholding magazine that suggested this...might try a small batch first.

The herby cheese sounds lovely!

D

PS still haven't got around to dispatching those kid goats...keep finding excuses to avoid that job!

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

Yep, Cratloe sounds right, must be the ones I was thinking of.
I haven't tried freezing but seem to recall reading about that or hearing that as well. Worth a shot. The fat globules in goats' milk are indeed smaller and more well dispersed in the milk than in cows' milk - one of the reasons why it is easier to digest for folks who have trouble in that department.
Let us know what lovely creations you come up with. It's great fun and very satisfying to have all that soft cheese at ones disposal. Of late I had, apart from eating it simply spread on bread with toms or cuces - spuds with herb soft cheese, feta in salad, fried and battered feta, and oodles of cheesecake. In the past I've also made deserts with jars of preserved plums, maple syrup, and a hint of cinnamon simply blended into a pound of the cheese. Stupid Munster Wholefoods phased out the plums though...

None of these are particularly good for ones waistline though Laughing

chook