I made cheese! - Urban farm challenge month 2

I somehow just slipped into this challenge Urban Farm challenge and this is my second month.  The first month was all about soil building, and this month is all about home dairy.  I already make my own yoghurt in my yogi thermos system, but I have always wanted to try to make cheese.

Ok so this weekend I did it!  I made cheese!  I read up so much about it and  then in the end just dived right in.  (It was raining and so I couldn't get out into the garden)  I pretty much followed the instructions from Eating rules but used citric acid in water instead of the lemon juice. I started with three liters of milk. I wanted to make paneer and it seemed that you make whole milk ricotta and paneer the same way.  After it was drained I reserved half for the paneer and the only extra step was to press the liquid out and then cut it into squares.
With the Paneer I  made  Pea and Paneer curry, and the one good thing I did for this curry was to make up a curry base and put half aside for another curry. Curry - many ways recipe  I like this idea as most of the time involved in cooking curry is all the chopping and sauteing, this way you only have to do it once for two curries. I have the other half in the freezer to see how it freezes and will update when I use it.
So back to the ricotta - I now realize just how much salt must go into cheese that you buy over the counter.  The ricotta was pretty bland until quite a large sprinkle of salt was added. It was good on crackers, but we try to shy away from things like cheese and crackers.   We had some broccoli that needed to be used up, so  I made pasta with broccoli.  I boiled it in some of the whey as the whey retains a lot of the water soluble nutrients.
Next month is gardening, anyone want to join me on this challenge?

Comments

  1. AlisonWed Mar 21, 02:52:00 PM

    Oh, your Paneer curry looks yummy! Kudos to you on making your own cheese. I've been thinking of trying to make my own cheese too, but haven't taken the plunge yet. The Urban Farm Challenge looks like fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 23, 08:21:00 AM

      Oh yes Alison, you should try the challenge. Next month is gardening and I know you will be busy planting...

      Delete
  2. UnknownWed Mar 21, 03:25:00 PM

    Yum! Your cheese and curry dish looks really good. I decided not to go into any of the other cheese recipes after the lemon cheese, since most of them required special ingredients that I don't keep on hand, or would use again. Plus I just discovered I'm sensitive to dairy products. Bummer right? :( I love the Urban Challenge though, and cant wait for next months challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 23, 08:23:00 AM

      Oh no! It is amazing how many people are becoming sensitive to different foods. good that you have isolated what it is though.

      Delete
  3. UnknownWed Mar 21, 08:46:00 PM

    I must try cheese making sometime too, but somehow the prices of both cheese and milk has hiked up here in Malaysia...How much cheese can you get out of 1 litre milk?

    Your paneer curry makes me hungry already...yummm...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 23, 08:25:00 AM

      I used three litres of milk and didn't weigh the cheese, but got enough for two meals, and buying the cheese would have cost about 8.00 and the milk cost 3.00, (on special) so it is a bit of a savings.

      Delete
  4. KimThu Mar 22, 05:09:00 AM

    Yummy! Now that I have mastered yogurt making...cheese is next on my list. I have heard you can use junket tablets as rennet, so have been researching that . Your curry looks sooooooo yummy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 23, 08:31:00 AM

      Kim,
      there is just so much information out there it is mind boggling. I am glad I tried with the simple version first. I would like to try feta, as that is a favourite cheese of mine. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Feta-Cheese shows a recipe using the junket tablets. let me know how it goes if you try it before I do.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousThu Mar 22, 05:33:00 PM

    I've been putting off making yogurt and cheese for a couple of years now for no good reason. You make it sound like a breeze.

    Do you make your own pasta? Ricotta in ravoli is one of my favourites. Of course palak paneer is also really yummy. So a batch of 1/2 ricotta and 1/2 paneer makes sense!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 23, 08:37:00 AM

      Laura,
      funny how these things simmer before someone spurs us on. I had a Hungarian friend who didn't write down recipes - you had to sit in her lovely kitchen and watch what she did. she made a loose pasta which you scraped little blobs off a wet chopping board. That doesn't sound great, but gosh it was yummy in her hungarian chicken! I love palak paneer but hubby doesn't like spinach. Silly man.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSun Mar 25, 10:36:00 AM

      I bet that Hungarian pasta is the same as the German Spaetzle. I love it as well. Very heavy stuff but tasty. And pretty easy to make, you just have to be really fast to get the last bits in the boiling water before the first bits are overcooked - a skill I haven't mastered.

      I'm glad my hubby likes spinach because it is the one totally reliable plant I can grow in my garden. And it is so versatile!

      Delete
  6. Sustainable EatsSat Mar 31, 02:45:00 PM

    Excellent job with the cheese~ and the paneer sounds fabulous too. I hope the prize worked out for you! xo, Annette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Apr 03, 03:28:00 PM

      Haven't got it yet, I will let you know when I do! thanks

      Delete
  7. AnonymousTue Apr 03, 11:37:00 AM

    I don't see your link on the Urban Handbook page yet - you need to link to it so everyone can see what you've done. Go here http://www.sustainableeats.com/2012/03/29/home-dairy-link-up-show-us-your-stuff/ and put in this page. I've done mine which you inspired, now it's your turn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Apr 03, 12:00:00 PM

      thanks Laura - I have done it now. I posted this a bit too early and then forgot to link.

      Delete
  8. AnonymousTue Apr 03, 02:44:00 PM

    MMM, Paneer. One of our favorite things! I think I'll have to revisit this challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  9. africanaussieTue Apr 03, 03:19:00 PM

    I think I liked the paneer more than the ricotta. I would love to try and make it with spinach I think that would be very yummy. Palak paneer

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love interacting with all my readers, thank you for your comments. Have a great day!

Popular posts from this blog

Up-cycling fabrics

Image
   In our hot and humid climate, jeans are not big movers in our op shop.  We had a $1 a pair sale rack, and still have full racks..... so I decided to make up a few different bags to see if we can somehow save these items from landfill.  Re-fashioning those items into something useful.  I made a few variations just to try out the market and sold this one on the first day they were put out! Each one is individual, depending on what fabric I have available. I tend to lay things out, and then just play around a bit.   Here I am laying out all the options before I start sewing.  I have joined a facebook group which is so inspirational and supportive.      Up-Cycled Cloth Collective | Facebook So often, it is just a case of seeing what is there, and then using it in the best way possible.  I was excited to find this tote bag, which was perfect as the lining of a bag for a teenager. this was also snapped up quickly. The bags were hu...
Read more

I have something to tell you.....

Image
Come on in to my garden.... I have something to tell you  Sit down in the comfy chair  for a little while, and listen to the tinkling of the wind chimes - are you relaxed? Good!  Remember how I entered that garden competition, and the judges came, and they wandered down my paths, taking photos?  Yes! I won runner up! a Fifty dollar gift card ........ from a real nursery, not the big box store that I normally shop at.  Oh gosh, how exciting.... I wonder what I will buy? Thank you Cairns Regional Council!
Read more

Garden share collective June 2014

Image
Once again another month has rolled by and it is time to link up with  Lizzie at   strayedtable  for our monthly collective where we share what has happened in our gardens for the last month and what we hope to be working on for the next month.  Wrapping up May and heading into June. Last month I wanted to work on: Seed tape .... I did make seed tape, and did a tutorial on the processs - you can see it  here.   It was fun, and worked well, expecially with kids. Mostly though I see a space and throw a few seeds in.  I can see myself doing it at the beginning of a planting season. Worms . .... I have been adding a little of the worm castings every time I plant something, and as a side dressing when plants seem to need a bit of a boost.  It does seem to help. Sitting .... plenty of that - I like the new (original) location of the swing where we have a long view of the garden. - veggie garden is just around that corner.... Eat veggies ...
Read more