I made cheese!

I had a cheese making kit from Gavin at the little green cheese on my Christmas wish list, but the local pharmacy had another brand on special so that is what I got.  The day after I got the kit I was busy in the kitchen sterilizing everything and starting my first batch of cheese.  How exciting!  This is something I have wanted to try for ages.

Firstly, this takes time!  You can do something in between, but you are going to keep going back and checking on it.  I used the local supermarket milk - four litres of it, and it just fitted nicely into my biggest pot.


Once the feta was done, I made whey ricotta.  You still end up with a lot of whey and I drank a bit, but it doesnt taste that wonderful. I made the feta brine with whey - it supposedly adds extra flavour.  I used some for soaking beans, that releases enzymes and helps with the bloating that comes from eating beans.  The rest went into the compost.  The ricotta was yummy with some fruit.
I made two nice big blocks of feta and marinaded them in brine for two days, and then removed them, thinking that I didnt want it to get too salty. In the meantime I had been adding it to salads, wraps and even with roasted veggies.  It is so yummy and tasty!  I am not really sure how long you can leave it in the fridge in brine, next timeI will leave it longer, probably up to a week.. I  froze some of the drained feta and that will be crumbled over salads etc.   I also marinaded some in olive oil, with fresh rosemary and lemon zest added.  It is very yummy.   


Feta is one of my favourite cheeses, and I think I will definitely be keeping fresh home-made feta in the fridge and freezer from now on.  

Comments

  1. JoyfulThu Jan 08, 03:20:00 PM

    I've always wanted to try making cheese. Some day I will give it a go. The ricotta looks very delicious along with all that mouth watering fresh fruit. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Jan 09, 08:38:00 AM

      Joyful,
      The feta was not hard, just time consuming. Ricotta is a great first cheese to try - it doesnt take long at all.

      Delete
  2. SamiThu Jan 08, 11:47:00 PM

    Very brave of you Gill! I would love to give cheesemaking a try one day, as of course home-made must be much better than store bought. I bet that marinated feta will be delicious...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Jan 09, 08:41:00 AM

      Sami,
      I put it out for lunch one day with friends, and they all loved it. I need to make a new batch already! I think these fresh cheeses shoudl be easy for everyone. Aged cheeses require a separate fridge or cold cave to store them in!

      Delete
  3. UnknownFri Jan 09, 07:43:00 AM

    Well done Gill, looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Jan 09, 08:41:00 AM

      Liz,
      It is, and you would be able to use milk fresh from the cow - that would be awesome!

      Delete
  4. Thistle Cove FarmFri Jan 09, 07:48:00 AM

    Very impressive! I've always wanted to make cheese but haven't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Jan 09, 09:03:00 AM

      Sandra,
      It really is a most pleasurable thing to do - hope you do get to do it one day.

      Delete
  5. LindaLeeFri Jan 09, 09:15:00 AM

    Way to go girl. Sounds like fun and that you enjoyed doing it. I love feta cheese.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed Jan 14, 08:10:00 AM

      Lindalee,
      Feta is also one of my favourites, next up haloumi!

      Delete
  6. MLM247Fri Jan 09, 10:17:00 AM

    Fantastic! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  7. VirginiaCSun Jan 11, 08:08:00 PM

    Yeah!!! Yippee!!! What a great first effort at making cheese....it looks delicious.
    I must try it someday....something else to add to my ever growing bucket list....smile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed Jan 14, 08:11:00 AM

      Virginia,
      I have the same problem - my bucket list gets longer, not shorter!

      Delete
  8. UnknownMon Jan 12, 08:57:00 PM

    Well done Gillian, they are great looking cheeses. Welcome to the curd nerd club! If you ever need an ingredient top up, you know where to find me ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed Jan 14, 08:12:00 AM

      Gavin,
      definitely Gavin. I have been following along on your cheese adventures. You have inspired me in many ways.

      Delete
  9. Joan ElizabethTue Jan 20, 06:34:00 PM

    I like the idea of making cheese but know I never will do it ... so I am very impressed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. SharmThu Jan 29, 07:23:00 PM

    I'm still here, enjoying browsing through some of your posts - how clever are you making cheese!!! I have to add that I'm amazed at how much you have going with a unit!! We are looking at the possibility of downsizing & I sure need to get a lot of decluttering done!!

    ReplyDelete

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