OK, I've got milk... now what?

[Deleted]

I finally went over and made friends with the lady down the road who has milk cows, and came home last night with 3 gallons of milk (it was still warm from the cow) and a quart of fresh cream. This morning I have 3 quarts of fresh cream, after skimming the cream off the raw milk.

I also got my very first milking lesson! I flunked! Man, that is harder than it looks! I'm just so grateful that her cows are very patient. LOL!

So now that I have a source for good raw milk (oh, and eggs, too!), I'm wondering if any of you have ever made cheeses and might have some tips to share. I know how to make butter (duh), so that's not a problem, but I've never made things like cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella and stuff like that. I have a recipe for sour cream that says just warm the cream, add some yogurt and keep in a warm place for 36 hours, then refrigerate. If any of you have made sour cream before, does that sound right?

I actually have some recipes in books for different types of cheese, and I could just jump in and start trying them, but I thought I'd see if anyone had any personal experiences that could help me out as a newbee to cheesemaking. ;D

~Lannie

[auntieemu]

No experience here but I have a suggestion. PICTURES and a cheese diary! Like what Bob is doing with the rabbit hides he is tanning!

[painteddaisy]

Here's a link that I got from HT. This is an AMAZING site! I can't wait to try it myself!

biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html

I hope it works for you.

[Deleted]

That's a great website! The pictures make it seem a bit easier. Thanks! I'm going to be a busy girl now, trying out all these cool new things. ;D

~Lannie

[painteddaisy]

Cool! I'm glad you liked it! I'm a real dumb-dumb when it comes to kitchen survival, so I thought if this is good for me - it'll be good for everyone!!!