Cheap & easy way to make goat's cheese

Jillinoz

Spotted this one on The Guardian's website - it's an extract from a new book called A Slice of Organic (see reference below recipe - hope there are no copyright issues here). It seems relatively straightforward and reasonably cheap to make - I'll definitely be giving it a go!



Make a simple goat's cheese
Gently warm 4.5 litres of fresh goat's milk in a large pan to 32C. Stir in the starter, a bacterial culture that creates acidity which you can make yourself or buy - the cheesemaking kit sold by Moorlands (www.cheesemaking.co.uk, 01749 850 108) is a good starting point and also includes rennet. Leave to stand for 45 minutes, then add rennet (quantities differ according to the type of rennet you're using, so make sure you follow the instructions on the packet) and stir it in carefully. The curds may take 12 hours to coagulate fully: give them another stir every so often. They are ready when they split easily - test by pushing your finger through them. Strain the curds through cheesecloth (which should have been scalded by dipping it in boiling water in order to prevent the cheese from going bad) to drain off the whey. Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang the curds to drain overnight.
Add a little salt to taste after you've drained the curds. Use the fresh curds as cheese, or put them into moulds lined with cheesecloth and leave weights on top. More whey will drain out, so the cheeses will become firmer. If you wish, roll the shaped cheeses in chopped fresh herbs or nuts, and store in the fridge.
· Extracted from A Slice of Organic Life, Editor in chief: Sheherazade Goldsmith,

peachespeaches

I love goats cheese. Has anyone tried this? Can you report back?

meanmarie

I love goats cheese too, but am wondering how much a gallon of milk will cost and how much cheese I would get from it...am I the only grouch on here who worries about cost? I think that a litre of goat's milk is around €1.80, by five equals €9, for which I will get around 400gms in Tesco...and that is not taking into account the cost of rennet etc. I know that it will taste better and be fresher, but I would have to be in the humour to do this. Sorry that I seem to be putting a damper on ideas, but maybe, as in cream for butter, you will be able to get discounted milk in UK...not possible in my orbit!

Marie

peachespeaches

I thought about the cost too and will keep my goats cheese habit as a treat I think!

Debt_Free_Chick

Goat's milk - about £1 per litre. £1.09 in Sainsbury's

kittykat500

I've started making goats cheese using Kefir - there is a thread on Kefir somewhere on this board. I leave the goats milk, about a quarter of a pint, in a warmish place with the Kefir starter in it for 24 hours. Strain off whey using a strainer lined with muslin or very clean/new j-cloth, leave over a bowl in fridge to strain off more whey overnight. Then I scrape cheese into another dry j-cloth and wrap and leave in the sun/warm place for a few days. You can rub with a little olive oil around the cheese each day if you wish. I've only managed to leave the cheese for 3 days max because I can't wait to try it! You don't get much from 1/4 pint of goats milk but because I use the kefir each day I'm continually making a new batch. I buy goats milk in Waitrose for 1.18p for a litre and generally try to use any old coupon to bring the cost down!