| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| windypines |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 04:51:25 AM
Hi, I am new to this, and need some help. We have our own milk cow now, and the problem is trying to cool almost 3 gallons of milk as quickly as possible. Does anyone have any good solutions? I currently use a canner of cold water, and add ice, then refrigerate. Once we get snow, I plan to stick the jars of milk in the snow. A mini bulk tank would be great, but they don't make them that small. Any ideas? Michele |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 4:25:51 PM
The ricotta recipe dosn't make alot..maybe a cup and 1/2 total so you didn't probably do anything wrong. But I figure that is quite a bit with just using whey you would have thrown out and a quart and 1/2 of milk. I am glad you had mozzarella success. I han't gone to other cheeses beyond those (well, and cottage cheese) yet so I hope someone can help you. They may have some answers on the New England cheesemaking website somewhere.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| windypines |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 12:30:52 PM
Thanks Jenny- I did some surfing, and found another recipe, with some pictures. Used 2 1/2 gallons of milk. I did try the microwave method, and had success. Beautiful smooth cheese. Hands got a little warm, but I survived! My ricotta is questionable though. I heated the whey up to 195, added the milk, and kept it on the heat for a good 10 minutes. Finally I gave up and let it sit there while I microed the mozzarella. Then saw some stuff on it,and put it in the cheese cloth and strainer. I now have it hanging, and I have a small amount of cheese in the cheese cloth. I don't know if I would even have a cup of ricotta. I have looked at that web site before, and will check it out again. So don't worry about the recipe. Thanks for your help. My husband talked to a man whose parents were cheese makers. He said you just leave the mozzarella in long pieces,and then cut into small pieces for string cheese. He also said to have better flavor in your cheese curds, you need to have all the whey drained out. I want to find out how to get bigger cheese curds to eat. My family likes the bigger pieces rather then small. I have allowed the curds to chunk up a bit and that helps.(stirred less) Does anyone know, if you are going to press the cheese curds, do you want small pieces, or bigger hunks. I would think the smaller curds would press better. I don't have a press, but am thinking of making one out of a coffee can, with a hardwood chaser. Lots to learn Michele |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 12:03:41 PM
Neither..I use the microwave to heat the curds to stetch it. I will get the recipe out and post it later today. OR>>hey..this may be better..there is a tutorial with pictures on the New England Cheesemaking website at www.cheesemaking.com That is where I got the recipe in the first place.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| windypines |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 08:24:09 AM
I looked and could not find the mozzarela recipe. so if you get a chance, could you repost your recipe. I just wrote down your riccotta recipe. Jenny, do you use your whey to stretch your mozzarella in and then make ricotta. Or do you use water to stretch. Thanks for the suggestion MsCwick. I try to use gallon glass jars. They are kind of hard to find anymore. Thanks Jenny and Jayne I hope you can get a cow someday! Michele |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 7:15:57 PM
The mozzarella recipe is for sure in the recipe section somewhere..I will look for it..if you don't find it..or I don't, I will re-post it. The riccotta is very simple. using the whey left after making the mozzarella..which you use 1 gallons of whole milk to make...heat it back up to 180..then add a quart and 1/2 whole milk and stir ..you get the little rice shaped curds in the whey almost instantly. ( really cool!) and then take off the heat and let sit just a minute, stir again and pour through cheesecloth over the sink. tie the cheesecloth and hang to finish drying for a couple hours..It is dry when done. YOu add a little cream if desired.. I freeze it and it freezes very well...and works great in Lasagna and like that.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| daffodil dreamer |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 6:05:38 PM
Hi Michele,
Welcome to the Farmgirls!!!
I don't have a cow (one day!!), but I was wondering if Jenny would share her mozzarella/ricotta making method with us, so one day I can use it!!
Thanks,
Jayne |
| MsCwick |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 12:59:53 PM
Would it help if you took and froze water in ziplock bags or in sealed containers that would fit into your gallon jars? I'm only assuming when you say jars that they aren't like bottles, and more like widemouth??? |
| windypines |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 09:53:13 AM
Yes I have tried mozzarella twice. Humm, I find it interesting to say the least. The first time it ended up being like a lump of string cheese. It tasted really good, and pulled apart just like string cheese. The second time I actually got a nice smooth ball, but did not have enough salt mixed into it, so kind of bland. It did shred nicely. Again I am just trying to figure it out on my own, though I did find a video on the web, that helped me see what it was supposed to look like. I tried ricotta two different recipes. The first time just adding milk to the whey, and I did not get anything. The second was adding apple cider vinager to milk. I got ricotta then, just not sure on the taste. I used it anyways. so any good recipes or tips? Michele |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 09:36:12 AM
My Mona is a Jersey too..arn't they fabulous! I never ever even considered another breed. She is my dream cow. (I have a daughter named Summer by the way!!!) Have you made mozzarella..??? It is the easiest wonderful cheese to make..only takes 30 min. start to finish, and you can make ricotta with the whey left over.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| windypines |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 09:16:35 AM
Thank you Aunt Jenny and Hideaway Farm Girl for your suggestions. We do have an extra fridge, that I do not have going yet. So I think that may be the solution. Just need to find a place to put it. It is out in the barn sitting right now. I am busy making anything and everything from all the milk. Cheese curds are sitting right now. Summer is a Jersey, so I skim the cream and make butter everyday too. I started making cheese curds, cottage cheese,etc, from a book. So has been interesting, and a real learning process. Thanks again for your suggestions. Michele |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 09:08:04 AM
I put my milk (after straining it in the barn..I have a system of getting my stuff all out there) into gallon size glass jars and I have a separate fridge in the garage (I have to walk through the garage on the way back to the house) that I put those it. THen after 12 hours and the cream has risen I bring the jars in (or they go to their other homes if someone is getting milk from me) and I separate the milk, putting the cream in quart jars and the milk in quart milk bottles for using it. I do turn the fridge in the garage up much higher...colder..than the one in the house, and I leave alot of space between jars. When I had goats I used a 13X9 pan with ice water in it, and strained into the quart bottles (no waiting for separating since it dosn't) and sat the jars in the fridge in that pan until they were good and cold.
I decided at the beginning of Mona's lactation when I was getting 6 gallons or more that I couldn't do the ice water thing for that much milk..so as long as the fridge is real cold (it would freeze lettuce if I used my regular one) and the jars have air space..it cools pretty fast.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Nov 20 2006 : 08:29:59 AM
Michele,
Welcome to the FarmGirl Connection! I am sure that Aunt Jenny will post some good tips here as soon as she reads your questoin,, as well as other FarmGirl milkers.
My own logical thought (but I don't milk cows or any other animals!) would be to use many small/shallow containers to cool the milk, then combine them back together in the 3 gallon container if that is how you need to store it. Good luck!
Jo
"There are no strangers here, only friends you've yet to meet." |
