Farmhouse Cheddar

It has been over a week now since we started experimenting with making our own homemade farmstead cheeses with fresh goat milk. We have made several soft cheeses, including ricotta, easy vinegar cheese, and two balls of Ikarian goat cheese, which is much like a mild mozarella.

Here is our first attempt at making a hard aged cheese, and while it's not near being done yet, I wanted to show you the first stage of our Farmhouse White Cheddar. This nicely formed wheel is drying now and awaiting waxing, after which we will store it in a cool cellar, turning it daily. It will age at least 2 months but preferably closer to 6 months as it improves with age and will develop a nice rich cheddar flavor.

Here's the recipe - Farmhouse Cheddar

2 gallons milk
1 teaspoon Mesophillic culture
1/2 tablet rennet dissolved in a quarter cup of water
1 Tablespoon cheese salt (or kosher salt, or non-iodized salt)

- Heat milk slowly to 90 degrees Farenheit. (Only 85 degrees for goat milk)
- Add Mesophillic starter culture and mix well.
- Add the dissolved rennet and stir gently down and throughout the pot.
- Cover container and leave untouched for 1 hour while the curd forms.
- Cut the curd into roughly 1/4" cubes.
- Slowly over 30 minutes, bring the temperature up to 100 degrees F while stirring gently.
- Cover and let curds settle 10 minutes, then pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a sterilized handkerchief. Tie with string to form a ball and let it hang to drain for 1 hour.
- Empty the drained curds into a bowl and break up into 1 inch pieces, then mix in the salt.
- Pack curds firmly into a cheesecloth lined cheese mold, then apply 10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes.
- Turn the cheese over and press in cheese mold at 20 pounds pressure for 12 hours. Turn it over again and press for another 12 hours.
- Carefully remove the cheese from the mold and peel away the cloth. Air dry the cheese at room temperature for 3-5 days, turning twice daily, until the surface is dry.
- Wax the cheese with cheese wax and allow to age for at least 2 months.


I'll let you know how it tastes.... if we can wait that long!

Mmm... Cheese!
Foothill CountryGirl

A Dairy Goat Dream

We've always been the dreaming type. Daydreaming of summer gardens in the middle of winter. Dreaming up new tantalizing veggies to grow in the next garden, and all the culinary creations that they go into. Dreaming of farm fresh country eggs, the kind you just can't get in the store because there's no such thing. Not even at Trader Joe's.... I've tried them all. When you have the right combination of happy hens, sweet water, sunshine, fresh forage and bugs... well I don't know the exact alchemy of it, but it just makes better eggs.

That's why we're so excited here at Foothill Country Farm this week. Because not only can we dream of the best veggies and country eggs that nature can bring us, but now we can dream of Cheese. And what better way to get the best cheese possible, than to make it ourselves, fresh from the farm, and from two of the sweetest, most personable goats I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.



Meet "Angel" and "Arya", the newest members of our Foothill Country Farm family. Not just any kind of goat, but Saanens, which are one of my favorite. Think dreamy white, smiling, fairytale Swiss dairy goats, and you've got it. One of the largest breeds of dairy goat, Saanens are known for their high milk production and while many out there might argue which goat gives a better tasting milk, I'm casting my vote for Saanen.

Luscious, sweet, pure white creamy milk that makes you think "ice cream" the first time you try a chilled glass. Mmmmm... there's just no describing it and you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

Containing more protein and calcium than cow's milk, goat milk is also a complete protein, containing all of the amino acids. While people in the United States are not as accustomed to goat milk as a food, 72% of the milk used in the world is goat milk. Many people who are allergic or sensitive to cow's milk find that they can enjoy goat milk with no problems, partially because of the smaller fat molecules and more medium chain fatty acids which aid in easier digestion. It is a very mild naturally homogenized milk and is also one third as rich as cow's milk and easier to digest, even for babies.

But like we mentioned before, it's the cheese that has us so excited! Already we have made two batches of Farmer's Cheese, and one very yummy batch of Ricotta that is just begging to be made into some Italian culinary delight. Here is simple recipe for Farmer's Cheese using vinegar that you can easily make a batch up tonight and enjoy fresh spreadable cheese tomorrow.



Simple Farmer's Cheese

1. Heat one gallon of fresh milk to 185 degrees F. Stir frequently.
2. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and stir briefly.
3. After 10 minutes, strain cheese curds into a cheesecloth lined colander over a bowl to catch the whey.
4. Hang overnight to drain.

After you've enjoyed the success of your first cheese, take that whey you saved from the first batch, and use it to make Ricotta! Yes, you can make ricotta with whole milk, but if you're like me, you might enjoy the fun of getting the two for one special. I was really surprised at how good this turned out, and honestly, I like it even better than the first Farmer's cheese. Here's the recipe.


Goat Milk Ricotta

1 gallon whey (or you can use fresh goat milk)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a stainless steel or enamel pot (never use aluminum), heat the milk to 206 degrees farenheit, stirring often so it does not scald. Pull the pot off the heat and stir in vinegar. Set the pot into a sink of cold water, this will help the curds coagulate faster. The milk will coagulate. Drain the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander and drain for a few minutes. Place the curds in a bowl and mix in the butter and baking soda. Stir until well mixed. Place in a covered dish and refrigerate until ready to use.

Then.... what you dream up to do with all that yummy ricotta is up to you. I'm thinking thin breakfast crepes rolled and stuffed with ricotta and drizzled with fresh berry syrup. Or perhaps save it for an Italian-style dinner of stuffed pasta shells, or manicotti, or lasagna. You get the idea.

Whatever you do, dream big, and enjoy the simple pleasures of this beautiful life, the fresher the better!

Bon Appetite!
Foothill CountryGirl

New Spring Chickens

Spring is here at Foothill Country Farm... and with spring comes new spring chickens. At least that's what we're calling them. The new ladies have been with us for a few months now and are growing (and eating!) like crazy, much to the dismay of the older hens who are now sharing their coop with them.



Year after year our sweet hens have lovingly been supplying our small family with enough eggs to enjoy for breakfast and household cooking, but this past year, they have dropped off to only giving about 3 to 4 eggs a day total. Are we chicken farmers? Not in the least! Did we know that as chickens age they stop laying as many eggs? Heck no... but after some searching and asking around we found out that at about age 4 or 5 hens just don't lay like they used to, if at all. Of the seven old hens that we still have, only about 5 of them are laying any eggs, as far as we can tell, and not every day.

So one early spring morning in March we packed up the family and drove to the local farm supply to find our new chicken recruits. Oh how delightful they were, all golden and white and fuzzy and chirping and hopping about saying "Me! me! me! Pick me!" It was a hard choice, but we narrowed it down to a good collection of birds both prized as heritage hens, as well as some that were more productive egg-layers.



We came home with 3 Barred Rock (Plymouth Rock), 3 Aracuna, 3 Black Star, 3 California White, 2 Buff Orphington, 2 Silver-Laced Wyandottes, 4 Rhode Island Reds, and 6 White Leghorns. Now... we wait and watch and see how they grow and how many of them end up being roosters rather than hens. Hopefully not too many as we already have two good roosters.

Here's to the joys of spring, and to new life... and the yummiest eggs you ever tasted... fresh from barn to table here at Foothill Country Farm.

See you next time!
Foothill CountryGirl