I live in a small city in Northern California, just 30 minutes west of Sacramento.
Making cheese gives me a little respite from my job as an Emergency Medical Services Administrator and caregiver to my daughter (and her giant dog), who came to live with me recently.
My daughter Emily and her puppy – Hope.
I’ve been working at home a few days a week during the pandemic, giving me a couple hours a day that I would normally commute to spend on my cheese hobby! It makes me happy and my neighbors and co-workers sure appreciate my new hobby!
Cheese board
I work full time and spend a lot of weekends making cheese, and taking samples to work and giving it to neighbors. I’ve always loved cooking and baking and remodeled my kitchen several years ago, so it’s now perfect for cheesemaking.
My remodeled kitchen. The big sink and double ovens are very useful.
The beginnings of what I hope is a good sun-dried tomato basil gouda.
I’ve been canning for several years and the extra space is really helpful. I enjoy being in the garden and making salsa and jam with my home grown produce. My pomegranate tree is very prolific. My daughter does the juicing and I make jelly and bbq sauce with the juice. The leftover rinds go to my friend’s pigs.
Pomegranates
Shredding horseradish for cheddar cheese. (I have since purchased powdered horseradish.)
During this pandemic a friend at work gave me some sourdough starter which began my journey into sourdough bread, pancakes, pizza crust and sweet rolls.
Sourdough cinnamon rolls
My kids have given me books, molds and large pots for Christmas and birthdays and they know to go to your website to shop. I have Ricki Carroll’s book and Mary Karlin’s and watch Gavin Webber.
Monterey Jack rubbed with smoked paprika
I make mostly cow’s milk cheese, since goat’s milk is very expensive here. I will occasionally buy it as I love chevre and use it for feta.
Out here, you can’t get fresh goat’s milk unless you raise the goats yourself and most stores only sell ultra-pasteurized. I have found one store where I can buy it.
Butterkase
I’ve made Guido’s, butterkase, blue gouda, cheddar, pepper jack, mustard ale, horseradish cheddar and lots of mozzarella, ricotta and feta to name a few.
Manchego
Gouda drying at room temp before going into the cave for aging.
Caerphilly in the drying stage.
I bought a wine cooler to age my cheese and quickly outgrew it and had to buy another!
I find that having a dual zone cheese cave helps keep my bloomy cheeses separate so they don’t “contaminate” my other cheeses.
Second cave used for vacuum sealed cheese.
Mostly I vacuum pack my cheese but I have also waxed and I am going to try a natural rind cheddar soon.
My first attempt at waxing turned into a disastrous mess.
Swiss, mustard-ale, chili-cheddar, mesquite-cheddar and parmesan.
My son made a simple press for me after my weights toppled to the floor in the middle of the night.
I usually use 2 gallons of milk per cheese, but I have used 3 on occasion. I would really love to do a 6 gallon cheese but I don’t have a pot big enough. Yet.
I usually buy my milk from Sprouts to get a cream-top type but have used milk from Safeway. I would like to try raw milk also, but it’s hard to find.
My Goals:
My cheesemaking goals this year are to try some of the more advanced cheeses like swiss and blue, provolone and asiago. I made my first swiss last weekend.
Swiss in the ripening box to maintain humidity.
I would also like to try my hand at smoking cheese.
One mozzarella class has turned into a hobby and passion! A friend mentioned to me that she knew a lot of people who took up crocheting and quilting during the pandemic but I was the only one she knew of who makes cheese.
With Hope, Emily and my good boy – Oscar.
