Blessed Are the Cheesemakers...

Yesterday, we held our first cheesemaking course and we had a full house! Six people signed up to try their hands at making soft cheeses. We made yogurt cheese, Indian panir, and a simple mozzarella. The afternoon was not without its drama, though. Instead of buying milk to make cheese from Kroger as I normally do, I picked it up at Publix because I was running late. Huge mistake! Publix's milk is processed differently than Kroger's and is more homogenized. The milk is pressurized to break up the fat globules which makes it almost impossible to get a good break of curds and whey. We ended up with cheese that looked more like ricotta than anything else. Luckily, I had made all the cheeses earlier in the day from Kroger milk, so we were able to enjoy all of them, along with a little wine. The mozzarella wrapped around grape tomatoes was a big hit and the lemon dill yogurt cheese was quickly devoured.

Even the chickens had a good time as they were the beneficiaries of the leftover whey! All in all, a great day spent with great people. I can't wait for February's cheesemaking class. In the meantime, I have to get set up for today's breadmaking course!