I have a Cheese Book. Maybe you do too. Mine is in its fourth year. In my Cheese Book I write the process for every wheel of cheese I make. The year. The date. The weather. What the cow is eating. The funny things that happen along the way that will influence the cheese. Who is living in the house. The state of the milk, the cut, the turns. And things like that. So when I eat a cheese I can look back to the day I made it.
I took this dawn shot a few moments ago. Almost time to start work. 
This is the entry in the Cheese Book yesterday. Although technically the Cheese Book is for the documenting the hard cheeses. But I thought I would try a fresh cheese that we could eat straight away and note how I made it, in case it was good.
Farmers Cheese. Number 1.
June 20, 2012. Wednesday. Hot, bloody windy, interminable wind. When will the wind stop. One teenager. John working. 89F in the kitchen.
Daisy Milk. The first Daisy cheese. All morning work done, cleaned up. White cheese pinny.
10 am Heated 2 gallons of fresh warm milk to 95F. It was already at 80. Added 1 cup home made smarty tarty yoghurt. Plus 1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup of cool water. Lots of stirring.
10.50 Left covered for 30 minutes. Good clean break.
Cut the curd and left for about 30 minutes to drop. Should have been 15 minutes but lady wanted to look at Charlotte. She will ask around.
Slowly Heat up to 120. Stirring and chopping. Used the thermometer until it was 113 then got distracted by Minty getting lost. Again. That sheep will not flock. Cooked for 35 minutes.
Drained, hung to drip for an hour. Added 1/2 tsp salt. Mushed it in. 92F in the kitchen.
Wrapped in cheese cloth and into bowl as mold and weighed down with old iron on top of plate, set in fridge. Now I have to get the peacocks out of the garage. I forgot to close the doors and they are using it as a bell to amplify their raucousness.
And after that I lost my camera and found it again after dusk.
Last Entry. Chilled by evening. Sliced. Tasteless and squeaky. It can keep for a week, might be better after a few days. May not have cooked it hot enough or long enough.
Good morning. Our John liked the cheese as a snack with pickled radishes and thinly sliced fresh red onion. He eats a lot of cheese when he snacks after work. So I would like to get this right. First I shall consult with the Master of Cheese over at The Bartolini Kitchens as to why this one is squeaky. Then today I shall take a look at his cream cheese recipe. Maybe that is the answer to a fresh snack cheese.
Have a lovely day. We will. If it stays dry we are going to cut the Haymaker Paddock today. There is a 30% chance of rain in the forecast today but you know what that means. (sad face laughter!). So we will wait until all the stringless rain clouds have blown past then cut. Daisy is still giving so much milk I have to empty the bucket half way through then start again. Wish the delivery man would come up my drive with the new bigger bucket!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
86 responses to “Farmers Cheese”
You are one inventive person. I love the idea of squeaky cheese! Why not use snippets from the cheese book as Chapter headings?
The cheese book is so funny, esp when i go back a year later after tasting a cheese and write FAILED on the page.. but usually they are eaten anyway! morning Viv.. c
John is such a talent when it comes to cheeses. Before I read his blog I had no idea how to make my own cheese (still don’t make it but if I did attempt the task I would head straight to his blog!) Those peacocks sound like they like to make mischief xx
They have been trying to roost in the garage for days, if the door is even open a tiny bit they try and jam themselves under there to get in.. c
Blessed are the cheese-makers – as Monty Python pointed out,
I am eating wonderful European mozzarella as I type. I love the milkiness of it. It is simple and delicious. If I had a cheese book it would be for cheeses I have eaten. Good luck with the next batch. If your first batch is edible then you are well on the way to gourmet cheese I would think.
Lots to work on with the fresh cheeses but i really need to get the hard cheeses underway and in the cave to cure! c
A cheese book: a wonderful thing. It makes me a little sad to see how far most of us have come from the way of life that makes regular cheese making a possibility. It is very tempting indeed to try it.
it really is not that hard either, anyone can make cheese.. c
It´s a cheesy day for me as I caught up with John´s mozzarella post this morning and now yours (fantastic). A lovely local goatherd bought me round 2 litres of milk this morning but I don´t have rennet, so may just have to make a curd cheese. Great idea to keep records!
Goats milk .. how exciting! Maybe get some rennet tabs and pop them in your freezer for next time. it will last for years in there.. c
Wow – didn´t know that! Big Man has just gone out for water and I asked him to pop into the chemist to see if they have any (that´s usually where they sell it here). Great tip, thanks!
How exciting! I would imagine that this would all take some experimenting – but a fun process! We’re making some ricotta tomorrow, but that’s arguably the easiest to make 🙂
I love ricotta, i will make some from the whey from todays cheese.. c
30% boy that would be a heaven for us…if we get to 30% it rains and usually for hours! YIPPEEE!
Of course, rain and making hay is NEVER good!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
luckily we had not cut the hay, and the 30 percent gave us a decent shower which was glorious!! c
What an interesting post! I love how the activity at a farm is so interwoven. So many things happening at once. You manage it all splendidly.
But the cheese looks so good! Making cheese in an already hot kitchen sounds like so much work, I want the reward of a good ending to there for you! I love to read a post where another favorite person is mentioned, and John is indeed a cheese wizard! Between the two of you I do a lot of admiring! 🙂 Debra
I bet mice love squeaky cheese 😉
you are brilliant!! Morning Mad! c
I would love to learn how to make cheese! I think it seems challenging, but well worth the reward when they turn out yummy! Your kitchen was crazy hot, plus having an oven going! I was complaining last night when it was 86 in here lol.
we are hoping for the 80’s today. It will be a welcome relief.. c
Having to make it might make me stop eating it:)
Actually there is an element of that. there is so much work in cheese and so much waiting that i hate to have it all eaten up.. quite mad! c
I don’t make cheese but I do have a log/diary for my rustic breads. It’s similar with weather, temp and process notes.
that is such a good idea. I usually just pour whatever flours are at hand until it looks right. i don’t even measure the fluids. So when it is really good,, i have no idea why!! c
Cheese book? That is really cool! My family has an old homemade paneer recipe which is for Indian cheese 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
do you have that recipe Chip? It does not have chocolate in it! c
I’m the same as your John and must have cheese around to snack on. However, we’ve moved to the official no good cheese in the area capital of the world in Wyoming. Looks like I’m going to have to follow the Master of Cheese and your lead to start making my own. 🙂
That is exactly why I got a cow.. there is no good cheese here, all the cheese is orange!~! so unless you want to jump on the train and go up to the big city you have to make your own!
Unfortunately I think our current landlords wouldn’t be in favor of keeping a cow. 🙂