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Backyard Goats Contributor
Articles by Backyard Goats Contributor
The Gift of Rennet
Back in 2002, I had the privilege of touring France with a group consisting mostly of amateur and professional cheesemakers from all over the U.S. And it was on this tour that I began to develop a deeper understanding of the true importance and value of rennet.
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How to Choose a Culture
Probably the most often asked question from new cheesemakers is how to choose a culture. This can be a daunting task, but made much simpler when you have a basic understanding of how and why the cultures work.
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Summertime Calls for Goat Milk Ice Cream
Ice cream using whole goat milk is fantastic. However, plan to eat it up, as it will freeze hard as a rock and will not be easy to dip. Using half cream and half whole milk will make an ice cream that will not freeze so hard and it will be easy to scoop, just like the store-bought stuff.
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Types of Coagulants for Cheesemaking
Coagulating substances obtained from plants were probably the earliest alternative “rennets” and are what you would call true vegetable rennets. There’s a surprisingly long list of plant-based coagulants available.
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Goat Cheese with Ash
The history of ash in cheesemaking goes back hundreds of years to its use as a method to protect the surface of young cheese. As years passed, they later discovered that it also greatly improved the surface molds and how they grew on fresh cheeses for ripening.
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Butterkäse
The mild flavor and soft texture make this an ideal cheese for the table. I am sure that a lot of those requests that came to me for this recipe came from folks who grew up with this as the “go to” cheese at home when young (or not so young).
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Yogurt: Medicinal Food on the Homestead
Early in life, I had become familiar with yogurt dishes on our homestead on the western prairies of Canada. However, during that era of my life it was not my favorite food. That was to come later, when I gained wisdom.
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DIY Cheese Cave: An Affordable Option
I’ve been making Parmesan cheese for two years and loving it. While my Parmesan was turning out fantastic, my biggest challenge was figuring out how to make a DIY cheese cave that wasn’t a mold machine.
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