Updates

I've been quite remiss lately with my blogging.  However, we've been quite busy chez Lawyer Cheesemaker.

The goats were vaccinated...thanks Dr. Mom.
Basil was banded.
Daisy and Sage were sold and will be leaving the farm next week.
All goats still have very healthy and strong horns growing...boo!
I attempted to re-burn Lola's horns with disbudding paste.  (Do not do this. Ever. The stuff is horribly strong and the little girl cried continuously for nearly 2 hours).

I've made roughly 20 lbs of cheese including: chevre, feta, ricotta, queso blanco, mozzarella and one unsuccessful attempt at cheddar.

One of Sage's horns is growing while the other appears to have been successfully disbudding with the iron. Therefore, I correctly disbudded 1 of 6 horns.  Not good.

Tangy Victory

I am writing this post while happily munching on a goat cheese tartine. (A slice of toasted bread with fresh chevre smothered on it). And yes, I made it. With the help from those splendid people at Summerhill Dairy and the fantastic folks at The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company I was able to successfully produce my first batch of chevre.

After the curds had set and the whey had over 12 hours to drain, I divided the cheese into three batches. One was mixed with herbs de provence, the other was mixed with black pepper, and the third was untouched. I then rolled them in plastic wrap and squeezed them through a cylindrical mold. Now I have three happy cheese logs sitting on the top shelf of my refrigerator.

Basic Chevre:
1 gallon goat milk (I use Summerhill Dairy since it tastes fresh, isn't goaty  and the milk is not ultrapasteurized)
1 packet "Chevre" (you can get them here from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company)
Stainless Steel pot
Stainless Steel slotted spoon
dried herbs
non-iodized salt
colander
cheesecloth

• Gently heat the milk to 86ºF
• Pour in the Chevre packet and let sit for 2-3 minutes
• Stir the milk to ensure even distribution of the cultures
• Cover and let sit at room temperature (roughly 72-75º) for 12 hours
• With a slotted spoon, gently place the curds in a colander lined with cheesecloth
• Tie the cheesecloth and let the curds hang over the sink or a bowl for 3 hours at room temperature. 
• Transfer the hanging curds to the refrigerator to continue to drip for another 9 hours
• Put the curds in a bowl and sprinkle with 1.5-3 teaspoons of salt, mix thoroughly
• Mold the curds or place in an airtight container for storage. 

The cheese should last about a week and a half in the refrigerator.  However, I cannot imagine that there will still be cheese left after a couple of days.