Goat cheese made easy!
Okay so if you know me you've probably heard me joke that Im polish and Im blonde so the cards are stacked against me lol. In some ways Im a really smart cookie but in other ways...well I digress. So we are finally milking full time and since it was the entire reason we got into goats to begin with, I finally made GOAT CHEESE! There are a ton of different ways to make it and Ive found a ton of conflicting instructions from wait for milk to boil or NEVER let the milk come to a boil or use vinegar or NEVER USE vinegar. So I found the easiest way for me that works and figured Id share it. One gallon of goats milk, one cup of vinegar. Wait for milk to begin the tiny bubbles (almost boiling, you'll see good steam coming off the milk)don't forget to keep stirring so milk doesn't burn on bottom of pan. Then pour in vinegar and turn off heat and stir slowly a few more turns and give it a minute and you'll see the curds begin separating from the whey. It'll look like yellow water with white chunks floating in it.I take the pan off the stove and pour it into a bowl with cotton over it .Everyone says use cheese cloth, it didn't work well for me I lost a ton of cheese through seeping when i hung it up to drain I switched to a cotton t shirt material and had great success with no lost curds seeping through. I take the cotton fabric from all corners and lift carefully making it into a bag and pull up and tie it above the bowl(i hung it by closing the fabric in between the cabinet door and the cabinet) and let it hang for a while until I felt it was drained enough that it looked crumbly when i checked. Then I put it all into a bowl and mixed in my seasonings. It was amazing. For those that enjoy a creamier spreadable goat cheese I add homemade mayo, just a dab will do ya and it can be spread on sandwiches etc! This one is garlic and dill. I enjoyed it with tomatoes from the garden and later on a turkey sandwich. AMAZING! Now One gallon of goats milk doesn't make much goat cheese so be prepared to do a few gallons at a time if you have a big family or plan on giving some away. Jimmy tasted it and his first words were "we need more goats!" I take that as he not only approves but that he wants more cheese! Im currently shopping around for milking goats in our area hopefully to barter.
