Farmer Cheese Recipe
This is a simple cheese that is quickly crafted and delicious to eat!! I prefer to make this with goat milk, but it can easily be crafted with cow, sheep or any other farm fresh milk you have on hand. This recipe is adapted from one that was offered to me by herbalist Susun Weed.
-warm 1 gallon of milk to 80-90 degrees (you can add fresh whey from your previous batch of cheese as a culture-to every one. gallon of milk you would add 1 quart of whey: This is not necessary, but if you are using raw milk it will add flavor to your cheese)
-add 13 drops of rennet to each gallon of milk plus a squirt for good luck.
-let stand until the entire mass is solid (the texture of tofu). This will take approximately 45 minutes to one hour)
-cut the mass all the way through in a grid pattern (blocks should be approximately ˝”)
-slowly heat to 100 degrees (increase heat 2 degrees every 5 minutes) This will take approximately ˝ hour. The curds will shrink noticeably as you stir. The whey will increase in quantity as the curds shrink.
-separate the curds and whey and place in a bowl. Add salt (slightly over salting to taste-as much of the salt will be lost while draining. At this time you can also add garlic and/or herbs)
-Pour the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, which is over a bowl or bucket to catch the whey.
-knot one corner of the cloth around the other three corners and hand the bag of curds to drain for one hour (I often hang the bag above of my sink or with a wood spoon over a large pot or bucket). If you are making 5 gallons worth of cheese you will hang your cheese for 12-24 hours and this will be sufficient pressing.
-for 1-4 pounds of cheese-after one-hour pour the drained curds into a bowl, break them up gently into walnut size pieces
-place curds into a clean cheesecloth and place into a press. If you do not have a cheese press-you can place the cheese on a plate tie a bandana around the cheese and place between two plates. Place a heavy object/s-clean bricks, containers of water, cast iron pot etc. on top and press for 12-24 hours.
-Eat and enjoy!! Place unused portion in the refrigerator for up to a week