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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Well done Gill, looks delicious!

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

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

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

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindalee,
      Feta is also one of my favourites, next up haloumi!

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

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

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

    ReplyDelete
  9. 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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