A couple of weeks ago, we got this picture in the mail from Charles in Tampa, Florida:
Of course, when you get a picture like that, you have to figure there’s an interesting cheese maker behind it, and, it turned out, there was. Charles H. staged that picture because he has a friend who is trying to learn cheese making. She asked him how to tell if there’s a “clean break,” and this picture was his response. If Gumby and Pokey can stand on your curd, you’re all set!
How did you get started making cheese?
My inspiration for cheese making came from necessity. When I moved from Minnesota to Florida, I naturally assumed that Caraway Cheddar cheese was a national food staple and that it was available at every gas station. Wrong! I guess it’s a regional delicacy, since it can’t be found anywhere within 1000 miles of Tampa. I even looked online for a supply (back in the day, we called this Jones’n), but found that due to shipping regulations it could only arrive in a chilled package at $49.95 a pound.
Since I can’t live without this particular variety of cheese in my diet, I bought a copy of Ricki Carroll’s book which told me everything I needed to know. How does it go, give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day…
Cheddar curds
Cheddaring
Where are you getting your milk?
There are several farms in the Tampa area that sell raw milk. By Florida state regulation, all unpasteurized milk must be labeled “For pet consumption only.” What can I say, our cat loves cheese!
I always seek local farms for milk. Around here, there are a few that sell fresh raw milk. I try to make cheese in Florida between January and March, before the rainy season and the local grasses grow. Believe it or not, you can taste the difference monthly. Not always good/bad, but can tell a grassy flavor later in the season.
Waxing technique:
Last weeks 5 pound wheel was so delicious that I ate most of the curds before it hit the press. Waxing the 3/4 pound wheel:
I use (4) 3′ pieces of non-waxed dental floss. I make a basket under the wheel and dunk the cheese in wax like a candle.
It leaves drip wax studs under the bottom side, which helps in uniform turning of all the wheels during aging.
When I say uniform, I mean that I turn them once a week, per the book, but since I’ll have 10-12 wheels by the time I’m done for the season, it’s hard to know which ones I flipped the week before. This way I always start the new ones on cycle with the previous, if I’m making sense?
Did you make your own press?
Yes, the base for my press and the followers are from scrap Corian from my counter top contractor (6 1/8” hole saw). Food grade PVC is available to me in most any size I’d want, though it took a couple of hours and a 6-pack of beer to drill all of those holes! I may get my counter top guy to make me a base and some followers out of granite next time.
What are your aspirations, cheese-wise?
Not quite sure how to answer that. I’ve made some that were much better than store-bought. I’ve made several that were not fit for human consumption! I prefer cheddar, Colby and gouda so I tend to stick with these. I did make some camembert a few years back and my next door neighbors ate 2 cheeses a day ’til it was gone, so I guess that worked out.
My best cheese to date was a batch that I called drunken cheddar. I had family in town, so I didn’t get started until after 3:00 p.m. on that Saturday. Of course, that put me in the cheddaring phase at around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. With my box of beer almost gone, I sat down on the couch for a few minutes and woke up around 10:00. Slabs at room temperature, I heated them back up and continued like nothing happened, save for some severe fuzz between my ears! Turned out GREAT!!! I guess you never know.
