Cheese Label/Logo

We may still be a couple of months away from a finished cheese kitchen and state license...but there is something about having a logo design which makes the whole adventure seem real! I had played with a million options, hoping I could make one myself, but had a vision in my head and no drawing skills to pull it off. Then one night a couple of months ago I was stumbling around on Etsy and came across amazing graphite drawings by art professor Jessica Boehman on her Hans-My-Hedgehog site. I knew this was the look I wanted. Lucky for me, she agreed to do our logo as soon as the school year ended. The end product feels like she read our mind and then improved upon what we were dreaming of. In the center of the design is a drawing of our very sweet doeling named May. We keep telling her she is famous, she is more interested in hugs than fame right now.

The real life May!

Good Mold

My first soft, mold-ripened goat cheese is underway! The recipe is a mix of the one in Home Cheese making by Ricki Carroll and a recipe on the Fiasco Farm site. Like Fias Farm, I left mine out longer to drain. To begin the process, I spent a morning cleaning black mold out of an old fridge to use as a cheese cave. BAD MOLD. Somewhat ironic perhaps that my first cheese to find its way into the sparkling clean cave were 4 lovely little white mold covered Saint Maure cheeses (in a Crottin shape)! GOOD MOLD. I plan to try one at 2 weeks and then one at 4 and one at 5. For now they are fuzzing up nicely and I am watching them too much. My friend came by the other day as I sat staring at them on the counter in their mini tent and said, "Is this kinda like the watched pot thing?" Likely true, but my watched cheeses are molding!

1/2 gallon milk set up with whey on top

Instruments ready to begin draining in molds

Molds full. I used Chevre molds because that is what I had, but their tapered shape meant that when I flipped them they had to come out and this meant they did not keep their shape as well. 

Under their tent on the counter draining whey

They are half the size after 2 days out.

EZ Liner roll makes a nice mark and drains them well

Back under tent to get a bit more fuzzed up. I used reusable produce bag from Natural Home to protect them.

Flipped

A little more time on counter in a Ziplock 

Starting to see white mold on outside. Smells a little like yeast. I may have used too much mold...we'll see!

Into the cheese fridge. Still a little cool, so I ordered a fridge thermostat adjuster and keep opening the door for now to warm it up! 5 days old. Very covered in mold. I should have been flipping them more. Did today.

I will post the recipe...IF they are delicious.

So here is the finished cheese after 3 weeks. It was delicious and goatie and fancy tasting. But as you can see there is an issue with skin slip. (There is space between the cheese and skin and it is milky and drippy in the space when you cut it). Next time to fix this fairly common problem (especially with first timers) I will use even less Goetrichum, a bit more salt, more drying time at lower temps and be sure there is no condensation in the tupperware container during the aging period. I think I'll try again next weekend. For now I am making feta and chevre like crazy. I'll post the recipe for this cheese as soon as it comes out perfect!

Betta' Feta

So last time I made Feta I was impatient. (Recipe from Last Time) I was eager to taste it at every stage and ended up eating it all before it was done becoming good and fettaish. My impetuous nature however worked to my advantage, because I can mentally compare the current batch to my first try at each stage. I worked with the same recipe but took my time and the results are (so far) way better. The cheese is far softer because I was more gentle with my curds, stirring just three times as I heated them. I also added a bit more culture (1/2 tsp) and let it sit a little longer at each stage which is resulting in more flavor. This time I also created a brine (1/2 cup salt dissolved in 1/2 gallon boiling water-then chilled) and have the feta aging in the fridge in brine and whey for 2 weeks at least!

After aging for two days in Tupperware on the counter, I cut it into cubes and put the cheese and the whey in quart ball jars. This is how much cheese I got from 2 gallons of milk. 

Looks good enough to eat already, but I am showing great patience.

Cheese in my fridge soaking in brine.

2 weeks later: So delicious. It is salty, has a good texture and is a big hit with family and friends. Will have to make more soon! For now onto a soft, mold ripened cheese this week. Can't wait for my white mold to arrive in the mail so I can get started!

Note: The next time I tried the same recipe with 2 gallons of milk, my yield was higher and the cheese was softer. I did everything the same except I also added a touch of lipase. (I like the way this one tastes even better.) 61 oz. of cheese before adding brine.  This cheese has been a huge hit so feta will have to be a regular creation. The later in the milking season we get, the longer it seems to take for whey to drain.

A Big Week of Blueberries, Building and Bigger Milk Supply!

Big Time Blueberries
Each summer there is a small window for each type of delicious berry, miss the blueberry week or the advent of blackberries and you will likely be kicking yourself all through the long cold winter as you are faced with the sad versions shipped from a million miles away. This year we hit the blueberries dead on!

Chevre with Blueberry Chutney-THANKS for the great new idea Travis! 

Classic Summer Pie

Our first goat milk custard with berries-YUM.

Big day in the barn results in Big day in Kitchen...We milked our 5 goats this morning (they are separate from their kids at night) and got 12 cups of lovely milk.  Each goat is averaging over 1/2 a quart -although in truth a couple pull more than their weight and give a quart of milk at each milking- unless they get bored with the process and begin to dance! We will begin miking twice a day once the kids are gone. With more milk we are able to make more treats. This week we made cajeta (Mexican caramel-see Sunflower Farm website for pictures and recipe), yogurt, ice cream and chevre.

Big day in the new cheese kitchen...Meanwhile, the cheese kitchen is looking great. The framing is complete, skylights are in and 3 windows go in today.

3 windows and 3 skylights in cheese kitchen

Big day for the kids...This week we also sent off our 9 goat boys to their new homes. It is crazy how attached we got to them and the farm seems quiet now. To fill a bit of the void we are bringing home a new milking goat and kid early in August! Then we will have 5 doelings, 6 milking does and 1 wether. Stay tuned for new pictures.

Leo, Moe and Zion all went home with a sweet couple from Mass.