Making Cheddar cheese with raw milk

[@drewevans6908]

I love the thoroughness of measuring out a 1/4 cup of water to pour it into a measuring cup lol. Great videos, thanks!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

lol right?!! It’s more to have room to mix the other ingredients but the biggest reason is because the measuring units on the side have worn off 😂. But it’s a good measuring cup so I’m not going to get rid of it 😂😂

[@lynnelindsey3124]

Thank you so much for this video. Love you guys and that you are a team. I will definitely look for more. I’m on my first cheddar while watching this.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You got this! Thanks so much. We do everything together on the farm when we can but sometimes we divide an conquer.

[@angelinavernam1939]

Your video inspired me, I just went and bought all that I needed so I’m going to try it this week. Thank u!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Yeah best of luck and have fun!

[@rebeccamatlock8443]

The most helpful video I've watched, thank you!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You are very welcome! Enjoy your cheese!

[@cindyhowarth7208]

Thank you so much for sharing this!! I can’t wait to get a couple more items, and then give it a try!!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You are very welcome! Any questions feel free to ask!

[@kelleymcbride4633]

Great video and very well explained process. Thank you both for the effort we cant wait to try this!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Thank you. Enjoy your cheese ☺️

[@FloMarr]

Thank you so much for your very informative and entertaining videos. I use the same book and recipes and Glengarry's cultures and moulds. With your videos, I have been able to improve and troubleshoot as I have been learning. My cheeses are much improved from when I started in January and your videos have been extremely helpful. Thanks again!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

I’m so pleased to hear that!! I have a few kinds left I want to video for everyone. Our cheese fridges are overflowing right now so I’ve got to grate some and freeze it to make room in the fridge. Feel free to message if you have any questions

[@FloMarr]

@@connerty_meadows_farm I've been successful with Asiago (as far as I know, it's still in the cave), I smoked some cheddar and Asiago and made Dill Havarti and a Cheddar with real bacon bits and Fenugreek seeds in it. Either they will be great or a wicked science experiment! I am interested in making Brie now as my daughter loves it. Do you have videos for Brie coming by any chance? FYI, I live on the Island. :)

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

We don’t tend to eat a lot of soft cheeses so I don’t make them unfortunately. So that means no videos as I just don’t have the experience to feel comfortable sharing any recipes or techniques. So sorry. Love on the island for me. I miss it!

[@kaylapenner2848]

Great video! Definitely saved for future use🙌🏼

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@angelinavernam1939]

Very helpful video thank u so much.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You are welcome

[@RealisticCarnivore]

Nice! Might have to try this!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

It’s delicious!

[@khalidrashad-xu8xe]

Thank you very much for all the useful info and tips . What do you do with so much whey ? I use it to mix bread doughs or mix it with plant irrigation water to combat alkalinity in soil .

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

We use it for cooking, in the garden, on the compost, for the pigs, ferment our chicken feed with it, in our septic, just to name a few

[@joylouise5417]

Gotta buy that book.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

It’s a fantastic book! It’s much less expensive to purchase directly from her website then it is to purchase it from Amazon or the like. Here’s the link glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/products/the-cheesemakers-manual-by-m-morris?_pos=2&_sid=967734b1d&_ss=r

[@TheInquisitiveFarmwife]

👍🏼 nice

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Thanks 👍

[@angelinavernam1939]

Do I have to wax my cheese ? Or can I just vacuum sealed it and put it in the fridge? How long do u typically store it for prior to use? Thank u so much.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You can just vacuum seal we do know people that do it but we have never not used the mold inhibiting wax so I can’t personally speak for the longevity of the storage. If there is any moisture in the sealing of the bag (whey still coming out) it will produce mold that will spread through your cheese. As for length of storage. It depends on each cheese, your recipe, how cold your fridge is, what age you like it (mild, medium, strong). For “safety” reasons you should age a minimum of 60 days. The book we recommend in our videos goes over all these steps

[@TorahFirma]

What size cheese mold did you use for this? I'm definitely planning to give this a try! Thanks!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

This is the mold and press that we use glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/products/hardwood-cheese-press?_pos=1&_sid=ae0df3f76&_ss=r

[@denisehardoin5798]

Where did you buy the large spoon with holes in it?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Cheesmaking supply store. This is the place I purchase all my cheesmaking supplies from and the book I reference to glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/collections/stainless-steel-tools/products/stainless-steel-cheese-ladle

[@GAMMYTO11]

What kind of tool did you cut the curd with?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

We use to use the plastic cheese cutter but it was cheep and it broke so we went back to using a whisk. It works perfectly

[@GAMMYTO11]

What is the temperature in the house when you leave it air drying?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Usually around 18 deg C

[@european-rebel]

Hi, why do you regularly flip the cheese in the fridge?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

To ensure air flow as well as to have different pressure points.

[@european-rebel]

@@connerty_meadows_farm hos long should you do it after making the cheese?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

A couple times a week for best results.

[@european-rebel]

@@connerty_meadows_farm Thank you :)

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You are very welcome.

[@speedyeyetye]

How long does the cheese store like that? Once you open it and slice it, how long does it keep?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

We have cheese stored like that well over a year. I can’t exactly tell you how long it will last once opened because ours never last longer then a week or two before we eat it all 🙈😉

[@drewevans6908]

I have watched a lot of these videos, and what many do is open it at a certain time, cull some off the round then re-seal to store for an additional extended period of time. So, you could harvest some at 6 months, then a year, then two etc., all from the same production and actually get a real time education on how aging impacts the flavor and consistency of the cheese.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Yup we do that as well. But sometimes we just suck it up and eat it. We litterly make a wheel of cheese every day so I can afford to eat sub par cheese. But for taste testing sometimes we do just take a little, reseal and come back to it. Parmesan is one we just reseal and come back to as it needs a very long cure time.

[@thekarmafarmer608]

Can I add cream to my milk? I have access to some dairy where I work

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Raw milk should already have the cream needed in it. Store bought milk that’s ultra pasteurized won’t work to make cheese like this even if you add cream back in due to the filtering and pasteurization. If you have access to “cream top” milk it will work for cheese but you will need calcium chloride

[@vikramup163]

hi! i made cheddar from raw milk couple months ago...and i just had a first taste...it tastes really bitter somehow. i don't understand what went wrong. i am a beginner at cheese-making. any ideas? fyi, i used raw buffalo milk, which generally has more fat than cow milk. i didn't add any bacteria culture though, as i had read and been told that raw milk already has bacteria cultures in it...i only used rennet, and it curdled fine. i pressed the cheese and brined it, air dried, and then let it mature. i just read that bitterness is caused by peptides formation. any idea what could have caused that in my process?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

You needed a culture. Yes raw milk has cultures but unless you culture them with something it won’t be cheese. You don’t necessarily need to use the freeze dried ones as we use on the video. You can use back splash from a previous batch of cheese you can use butter milk or keifer or yougart but there is a trick to making cheese with all of those and I’m untrained in how but if you look at this link this book can teach you those methods. www.amazon.ca/Art-Natural-Cheesemaking-Traditional-Non-Industrial/dp/1603585788/ref=asc_df_1603585788/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292951821317&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6500886443646943838&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1002341&hvtargid=pla-449068867580&psc=1 for us it’s just easier currently to use the freeze dried culture

[@barkster1971]

the bitterness is Pseudomonas bacteria that's growing on it. This produces acids

[@khalidrashad-xu8xe]

Many Egyptian cheddar makers on the net do not recommend using neat buffalo milk . 50/50 is ok or pure cow .

[@angelinavernam1939]

Can I eliminate the calcium chloride? What is the benefit of adding it ?

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

The benefit is consistent cheese year round in taste, texture and colour also stronger curd. If you are using raw milk it is generally not needed in the beginning of the cows lactation. As the cow gets further in their lactation you need it to help set the curd. If you are using store bought milk you need it to help set the curd.

[@arniekando6846]

I worked it out and making homemade cheese is more expensive than to buy it, and to buy is already expensive...

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

It may very well be, but we know exactly what is in our cheese right down to what the cow is fed. And that matters to us.

[@gstube1]

It's also unique

[@angelinavernam1939]

There’s no way it’s more expensive to make your own cheese!

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

If you account for the care and feed one has to put into a cow it may be more expensive in the beginning. But yeah I agree overall making your own cheese is less costly then purchasing it

[@joylouise5417]

Looks like you were combining salt very gently, not pressing or squeezing into the cheese. Is this correct? First hard cheese I tried was made in my tincture press. Don’t laugh. It made a cheese wheel about the size of the one next to your wheel when you put it in to dry. Borrowed my daughter’s dorm fridge for my cheese cave. It wasn’t too bad for a first attempt but I really need some good equipment.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

Yes you are correct you just gently combine the salt in the curd. Then put it into the press. Sometimes we have to get creative with what we use. We had some, shall we say, interesting cheeses when we were first starting out to as we didn’t have proper equipment either. But we had to get some basics early on. We only made the Gouda press this past season as before that we were just using the hard cheese press. And before that we were using a table top grape/fruit press. It worked but was to wide and skinny and made for very hard cheese. We have found the thicker the wheel the better the texture and flavour. Better to be tall and skinny then flat and wide.

[@arniekando6846]

The only way making cheese is worth it if you get the milk for free and live on a farm.

[@connerty_meadows_farm]

We do live on a farm and the milk comes from our cow. But it certainly isnt free. Feed, care, vet, etc for the cow is expensive. Milker, pumps, filters for milking is like $5000. Culture, renet, pots, etc is also not free. So regardless if you have your own cow or not it’s still expensive. The difference is we know exactly what goes into our cheeses ☺️