Holding one of my mini-Crottins. (It got a little blue into it.)
I am a retired environmental engineer who recently moved to Colorado Springs, CO. I make cheese at least once a week.
Parmesan
Camembert
Stout cheddar
My previous job had me designing and implementing ways to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. One of my specialties involved the use of microbes to reduce the concentrations of harmful chemicals. Cheesemaking gives me similar challenges and delicious edible rewards.
I enjoy using my engineering background to solve problems and overcome obstacles that occur during cheesemaking. I love that even failures can still turn out delicious.
There’s always more to learn and I look forward to using the Brevibacterium Linens I recently ordered from your store.
My wife is holding the cloth.
How I got started:
I started making cheese after ending a 30-year relationship less than two years ago.
I was at a low point and living at my brother’s house. My days consisted mostly of watching YouTube videos and moping. I found Gavin Webber’s channel and began watching for his calm and methodical manner.
My brother and I home brew craft beers and he suggested I try making cheeses to go with some of our specialty beers.
I followed the videos and ordered the necessary ingredients from your store.
My brother surprised me with a cheese press he ordered online and I started on my first recipe. It was an improperly aged Edam that lacked flavor (I must have lost a lot of milk fat mistreating the curds).
I have since made swiss, cheddar, queso fresco, panir (also Ras malai, an Indian dessert), parmesan, Monterey jack, ricotta, stout cheddar (with our own home brew stout), blue goat cheese and Camembert.
My cave.
It has helped me learn patience, consistency and persistence.
Clockwise from top left: Monterey jack, traditional cheddar, swiss and dry jack
In January 2020, I left Florida on a road trip that would change my life. Heading west, I took my clothes, a toiletry bag and a Monterey jack I had made.
I planned to catch up with friends and family and ended up at the home of a childhood friend in Colorado Springs.
She was the girl across the street from me while growing up. We reconnected in a way I could never have anticipated and I moved my possessions from Florida to Colorado.
On January 1, 2021, we tied the knot in a socially distanced ceremony. A lot of people grumble about 2020, but I found the love of my life.
I have discovered that the quality of dairy products in my area is very high. This has inspired me to try making new cheeses such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine and Marcellin.
Sainte-Maure de Tourraine
The quality of goat milk here has inspired me to make Crottin. I came up with the idea for mini-Crottin in hopes of shortening the aging process for this white mold cheese.
The ones in the pics below were cultured with Choozit Geotrichum Candidum (GEO17 LYO 10 D) and chèvre (C20G).
Pre-drained, molded by hand and left to dry.
The dried morsels were lightly coated in charcoal and sealed in a plastic container at room temperature to cultivate a coat of Geotrichum.
Still working on the best aging time. This one was aged about 1-2 weeks.
The rind was free of ammonia odors and tasted very brie-like. The paste inside shocked the tongue with a tart goat flavor, followed by a smooth creaminess.
I pick up 1/2 gallon of goat milk each week and have most recently been making bloomy chèvres.
Cheesemaking has taught me patience and faith. I wanted to make these as small gifts for Christmas but the majority were not ready. As Tom Petty once said “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Thank you for providing the tools, ingredients and knowledge that introduced me to the wonderful world of cheesemaking.
