Learn To Make Cheese

We recently came across the Weston A. Price Foundation, a charity that supports, among other things, the safe consumption of raw milk.

If you’re ready to make raw milk cheese, it can be hard to find a source of raw milk.  The Real Milk site, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation lists reputable U.S. and international sources for consumers to buy raw milk.

Here’s a bit more about the organization.  You’ll find a list of raw milk sellers by state after the jump.

“The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.”

Where Can I Find Real Milk Products?.

Check out this home cheesemaker’s fabulous first attempt at making queso fresco, a creamy cow’s milk, and sometimes goat’s milk, cheese.  Queso fresco is similar to queso blanco and both are some of the best cheeses for a beginner to make.

In Mexican cooking, you’ll find queso fresco sprinkled on top of salads and enchiladas, adding a salty flavor.  One of its characteristics is that it doesn’t fully melt.  In a pinch, it can also serve as a substitute for other crumbly cheeses like feta or paneer.

Here’s how Menu In Progress began their cheesemaking effort.  Nice job!

“For my queso fresco I started with two gallons of organic whole milk. The thing that gives many cheeses their characteristic twang is an active culture that produces lactic acid. I used a freeze-dried version (Mesophilic A) from Leeners.com that you add directly to the milk. Since my milk was homogenized I also added a little calcium chloride to avoid an overly soft curd.

After letting the milk ripen at 90°F for 20 minutes, I stirred in some diluted rennet and let it form a reasonably solid curd – it sets up rather like a custard. Next the curd gets sliced into little cubes and the solids start to release a lot of liquid (the whey).”

More, including great photos, after the link:

Queso Fresco – Home Cheesemaking – Menu In Progress.

Artisanal Cheese has its own blog where different staff members write about cheese.  They discuss things like cheeses and cocktail pairings and addressing misconceptions about mold on cheese.  Needless to say, it’s fascinating!

We particularly enjoyed the article on organic or genetically modified cheese. It discusses hormones, artificial flavors, homogenization and other unfortunate aspects of industrial cheese production.

Here’s an excerpt:

“No more smoked cheese in USA. All are produce with artificial flavor added, even those rewarded at the annual American Cheese Society competition.

Most of the cheeses produce in North America are with“engineering” rennet to avoid usage of animal rennet (natural). Engineering means laboratory reproduction. Naturalist considers those as genetically modified products (GMO). Most good producers make cheese with animal rennet which has very bad press with vegetarian.”

» Organic or Genetically Modified? » News From The Cheese Caves.