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[boysdaddy]

HealthyinOhio,
Here is how I do feta. A similar recipe w/ pictures can be found at www.fiascofarm.com I add lipase only occasionally-only if my milk is all straight from the goat and the cheese is going to be consumed in less than 6 weeks. If you like very strong cheese do add it. If you use pastuerized milk expect the curd to be a bit softer and do not store in brine.
Feta
2-3 gallons of fresh milk at 86*
Add 1 tsp. culture
  I like a mesophilic w/ the diacty...bacterium
  www.cheesemaking.com Flora Danica
  www.dairyconnection.com MM100 (or MA11 not as good)
Stir thoroughly and let stand 1 hr.
Add 1/2 tsp. lipase powder dissolved in 1/4 water if desired. Stir. Check temp for 86* conformation.
Add 1 scant tsp. liquid rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup non-chlorinated water while stirring in an up and down motion. Let stand 1 hour.
Cut curd in 1/2" cubes w/ long frosting spatula or back of knife.
Let stand 10 min. Stir and cut any large chunks of curd. Let stand 45 minutes stirring every 10 min. Ladle or pour gently into a colander lined w/ 1 yard real cheesecloth. Let stand a few minutes and then hang bag of curd for 1-2 hrs. Cut curd into 1" cubes and sprinkle w/ 1-2 tbsp. kosher salt. Hang again for 2-4 hrs. Flip curd mass in cloth and hang for a total of 24 hrs. Slice cheese into thick chunks and put into large glass bowl sprinkling each slice w/ kosher salt. Cover bowl tightly and let stand at room temp. for 1-2 days depending on ambient temp. Approx. 70-80 then 2 days. Hotter temp...only 1 day and then 1 day in fridge.
Rinse slices if desired and put into a cooled brine made by boiling 1/2 cup of the kosher salt in 1/2 gallon of water. Store feta at 55* or under refrigeration for up to one year.

[healthyinOhio]

WOW!  All that for cheese, huh?!    Thanks for taking the time to type it all out.  I thought rennet was bad?  Or is that just animal rights people thinking that it is bad?
Thanks for the links, too!

[boysdaddy]

Ok... want to simplify?  I have heard/read these things but never tried them so....
Instead of powdered culture use 1 cup of buttermilk per gallon.
Instead of lipase let your milk sit out for a day to get strong. 
Instead of liquid animal rennet use a vegetable rennet or a nettle infusion. 1 cup infusion to one gallon of milk...umm I forget the proportions for the infusion...
As far as rennet being bad... I haven't really checked it out thoroughly. Just glad to get away from the junk in commercially processed cheese. Ummm... even if rennet is bad yah think I could wean my dh off cheese.  Yeah, and didn't cheese first come by putting milk in an "animal stomach bottle". That would be a primitive form of rennet, but doable 
~boysmama~

[healthyinOhio]

Ummm... even if rennet is bad yah think I could wean my dh off cheese.  Yeah, and didn't cheese first come by putting milk in an "animal stomach bottle". That would be a primitive form of rennet, but doable 
~boysmama~

LOL!  I know what you mean. I have just read so many packages that claimed to be "rennet free" so just assumed it must be wrong?!!  But yeah, now that you mention it, it sounds like some animal rights theory, huh?  I mean, I use kefir grains for goodness sake!    Thanks for the heads up.  I will look into trying to do this soon, for I just found some cheap goat's milk and I need to do things beside drink it!  It tastes gross.   

[RunAmokFarm]

Part of the fun of cheesemaking is the experimentation part!  When we make goat cheese, we aim for a quick, soft cheese for crackers, sandwich spread or salads.  It never lasts long enough around here to make it worth the effort of hard, fancy cheeses!

I think I have only used rennet once or twice, all the other times I have used either lemon juice or vinegar (plain, or ACV, depending upon what I had in the cupboard...)

We slowly heat goat milk up on the stove to around 185* - 186*, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  Add lemon juice or vinegar, take off the heat, and then let sit until the whey begins to separate.  Pour into a cloth and hang over the pot until the cheese begins to form a soft ball...  It is then ready to eat, or put into a container in the fridge.


Easy Cottage Cheese:
1 GALLON MILK
LEMON JUICE (2 LEMONS)
6 TABLESPOONS CREAM (OPTIONAL)
Heat milk to 186 degrees. Slowly add lemon juice (about 1/2 cup). Cool until it can be handled. Drain, rinse and salt if desired; add cream, if desired. Use fresh as any cottage cheese.



The Worlds Easiest Cheese
(Vinegar Cheese)
1. With frequent stirring, heat one gallon of milk to 185 degrees F.
2. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, stir briefly.
3. After 10 minutes, strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander.
4. Hang to drain.
 
The above recipe is very versatile and can be tweaked to achieve many, many different results by changing the temperature slightly, amount of vinegar, type of vinegar, or use of lemon juice... and becomes downright exciting with additions such as sherry and herbs, jalapenos, onions, garlic, cucumber, dill, Cinnamon, etc.

J

[questwise]

We have a cow that I milk  she gives lots of milk, so what we don't  drink we make all sorts of cheese with, we just waxed 6 today, 1 1/2lb each. It can save some money too. The way goes to the pig. I have never had Goat cheese thou is it like cows cheese, for tast?
Questwise

[cushsb]

We have a cow that I milk  she gives lots of milk, so what we don't  drink we make all sorts of cheese with, we just waxed 6 today, 1 1/2lb each. It can save some money too. The way goes to the pig. I have never had Goat cheese thou is it like cows cheese, for tast?
Questwise

that's a great idea! you don't waste any milk and you get to save up on cheese as well. and don't forget some aged cheese taste pretty darn good! 

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