Making Feta, Homemade Kombucha Scoby and Potting Up Seedlings

[@thecarters4147]

Having a " I need to visit with a friend today but dont want company " kind of day so i turn Little Mountain Ranch on..thank you Chelsea for your calming , down to earth nature. The world needs more of that these days ❤

[@francinemain9164]

I discovered this channel this weekend. I have to say I am so impressed with the dedication both Chelsea and her husband have and the hard work they do. Chelsea is very interesting to watch. Good work.

[@canadiangirl5159]

My parents raise sheep, and I have a wool filled comforter they had made from their wool as a gift for Christmas. That's got to be about 20 years old now. It's great, warm in winter and cool enough in summer.

[@waldomiller]

i admire you so much. How you have the time to raise all of your kids, look after your animals, cook, garden and all else that you do and still smile is amazing. Love the videos because i have learned a lot from you. Keep up the great work.

[@brendabrenda413]

Very supportive husband. 😊

[@kristithomas.1336]

I commented on a video of yours a couple yrs ago about how your life mirrors mine in so many ways, and that remains true. I enjoy your videos so much, I watch them all. Feta is my favorite! I switched from milk goats to a milk cow ( 3) (lg family) and have just been buying or bartering from a friend with goats, but i may try to make feta again with our fresh cows milk. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@patriciaorgas694]

There must be automatic stirrers. We have them do laboratory work...or had them before everything changed to buying processed materials. The stirrer was a plate that had a turning magnet? and we set the glass container on and dropped in a small bolus? Probably another magnet if I remember right. Then the stirrer was turned on, the timer set, and it spun at a rate you wished. It had an alarm so you didn't forget

[@GreenFamily2007]

I understand your love for gardening. I find myself standing over my seedlings watching them grow...lol 🤦‍♀

[@carenmcfarland7034]

Just wanted to pass on a very good KZbin content maker that makes cheese making look easy. The Happy Homestead ❤

[@mrsrickle]

Just wanted to tell you - I really like your introduction to your videos. I know you've been using it for a while now and every time, I think, I gotta tell her how much I like that. Keep up to good work Chelsea.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you!!

[@MarshaCorne]

I'm so impressed with how far you guys have come on the Homestead!!! Wonderful job and great pace. Enjoy

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks so much!

[@kathleenroberts7972]

I always heard feta was traditionally sheeps milk.but your video made me want to try making it. Thanks!

[@lucindasutt7365]

Very interested in both the baby plants and the Kumbucha making. I am not big into cheese, but watching you was so relaxing, and your videos are always so entertaining as well.😊. I wanted to say that your new setup, in the Grow Room, makes it real easy to see what you are doing. Very nice.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you! It’s such a small space but I think I have it figured.

[@sueramsey8181]

Have a look at the suint method of cleaning your fleeces. Which is basically soaking them and letting natural fermentation take care of cleaning them. It takes time (but hey, your processing year old fleece so I guess you can afford the time) and is very smelly but is done outside and Im sure you could find somewhere to do it on your property. Disclaimer, I have only heard fellow spinners talk about it. I live in a UK city where we dont have much room and houses are close together and I dont want to annoy the neighbourhood with smells!! I buy my fleece ready lrocessed these days!! Also there are internet insteuctions for making fleece pickers so maybe thats a possibility for you in the future?

[@ClaireHarrison-g4b]

You need to get yourself one of those battery powered automatic stirrers that rotate around the pot to stir your cheese! I think they were originally invented for use in laboratories but have found themselves in the kitchen to stir sauces etc and prevent sticking / burning.

[@nancycowan6109]

And I had to come back into comment on when my darling and passed son in law made his homemade kombucha. We were sitting at their house and heard explosions. His precious kombucha just blew up in their cupboard. While there was a bit of “sadness”, we all burst into uncontrollable laughter. I didn’t clean it up but Noah did and my unhappy daughter did. It was a moment I’ll always remember. ❤️

[@suemcknight9051]

“Gardening is therapeutic and magical”…Big Truth 🌱 for me & Im sure lots & lots of us. I kind of have always thought it is an extension of the “mothering gene” for many of us. And, we get such pleasure from the act of creating new life. Tiny seeds that will grow & turn into something lovely…whether it be a vegetable 🥕 or a lovely flower 🌺…another form of motherhood. What could be more therapeutic or magical than that? Love this video as I do all of them💞

[@GeorgiasGarden]

I call it soul therapy or soil therapy. 😊

[@afitz8862]

I love that you are honest about your cheese making skills😂 I'm right there with you.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

😁

[@sunshinegardener1189]

Yay! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, absolutely will give this a try! Happy St. Patrick’s Day 💚🍀

[@Challway]

You are busy busy busy!

[@phiphinohl9274]

I had no idea feta could be made with cows milk! Awesome! I really don’t care for goat feta so knowing there’s an alternative is amazing. Thank you Chelsea

[@MagdaRantanplan]

One thing about washing the fleeces i would do myself, i would wait for summer and do it outside. Place a tub up on a porch where it is higher up (and just carry smaller buckets with the water to the spot i am using, no need to carry heavy full tubs), wash and the spread it on old sheet on the grass (or on the porch) for drying and leave it there for a day or 2 in the sun (and night). Summer is usually the busiest time of year for me too, but i just prefer to do such messy/wet jobs outside. Also, more fun to involve the kids in the mess with. 😅 And i just remember how the sheep farmers in our area would drive their sheep into this big pond behind this one farm to wash the sheep before shearing in late spring, early summer. To this day the pond is called sheep's-pond amongst locals. - just old memories and some ideas 💖

[@lynsmith2698]

Geez…..I may have to try making kombucha now. Thanks for showing us how to make a scoby 🌷🇨🇦

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You do!! 😁

[@judithwright5084]

So excited for you and your new adventure with you wool. I have done this and love it. I know you will too. I haven’t done a lot of it due to my attention span goes all over the place . I pop back to it every once in awhile. So glad you have a close neighbor to help you. Remember to be patient ❤️

[@CJR-bs7eu]

Ooooh I'm loving these almost daily videos Chelsea. Thanks! ❤

[@nadinestutterheim7950]

You should try your feta with the milk from your sheep. This is the Feta we like most over here and it comes from greece. Greetings again from Berlin Germany from Nadine ❤

[@inspiredclips8245]

It was funner cooking while listening to you, I felt encouraged when I was about to get stressed over doing things in one pan. Broccoli, then frozen tortellini, then jar of RAO'S plain sauce, then tortellini back in sauce. Foil over broccoli, maybe it'll stay warm. I don't tell my father there is dinner until it's really going to happen lol

[@inspiredclips8245]

I shouldn't hit send until I know how it turns out...I had some sticking on the bottom of the pan...ooops

[@donnajakubos4249]

I agree, you forget all about everything else. 😊

[@vivianbeckers2800]

Dear Chelsea. My plants are my little babies and i love them. It is so exciting to see how they grow bigger and bigger. I am looking forward to plant them in the garden. i love gardening. Thank you for sharing your lovely video`s.

[@jenmv3483]

That sheep fur would probably make a gorgeous family room blanket 😎

[@justme-uw6bz]

Oh gosh you cracked me up, calling it boring, I totally understand where your coming from though. You definitely need a podcast or music you enjoy. Cheesemaking is an art and science which I am neither an artist or scientist but I love love love cheesemaking, it's like a miracle making a liquid into an absolute delicious cheese. 😋 well done. 👌👍🏼❤️

[@annecaunce]

I'm spending a month in Greece again this summer and feta is one of my favourite things to eat there. When I first started visiting there nearly 40 years ago, there weren't many supermarkets and all the little village shops kept their feta in buckets of brine on the floor. They'd drain a piece of and wrap it in paper right in front of you and it tasted amazing. Now, it all seems to be prepacked and although it's good, it's nothing like the fresh. I bet yours is delicious and probably very similar to the feta I remember from those days.

[@katrienvh4289]

you could use a semi automatic washing machine (like Simply living Alaska uses for her clothes, they have a video on that.) That should work great!

[@kikomartin-pr]

You’re so informative Chelsea. Thank you. I hope you have a great week.

[@maureenhargrave3568]

There is a small Mediterranean grocery store here in town that has a cold glass case with about seven or eight different types of feta cheese. They are made from milk of cow, sheep, and goat. Once I bought big hunks of each type, added some crackers, and took it into work for a taste testing. I do not like goat as milk, cheese, soap, but the other samples I brought were excellent. Two different types of feta with sheep tasted so different, but yet used the same milk.

[@melindarains3130]

Loved watching

[@katykay6537]

I’m with you, that was a beautiful scoby!

[@larryleerssen2562]

Maybe you can find one of the old style wash machines ( antique) . It could stay outside & you would not have to worry about hurting your household machine

[@naomihartman6623]

Wow this was so informative I love how u explain things so we can follow and understand u are one of a kind u would make a good teacher

[@robinrogers2755]

Absolutely love watching. Look forward to every video. I totally agree, stirring is so boring, especially 20 minutes.

[@1944chevytruck]

AMAZING! GOOD JOB!

[@JoannRoss-o3k]

Did I understand that you were thinking about doing a canning and preserving cookbook. I hope so there some of the canning of things I would love to have the recipe.

[@vickihill4777]

They do have battery stirring devices that look similar in looks to an immersion blender. Just a thought.

[@melaniedennis9540]

You can use cinnamon to prohibit the growth of fungus and mold.

[@oldnanz]

Nice multiple things going on in one day. Thanks for sharing how you do things.

[@karincope3019]

Love the colour of the cabinets and new hardware . Gives me the itch to redo mine .

[@knittinmamaof7748]

Love your gardening advice!

[@dpcsharr]

Love the new opening of your videos. Very nice.

[@smdr604]

Thanks for your videos, Chelsea. I’m fascinated by your wool and cheese making. I thought I’d share a couple kombucha-making tips from someone who has been home brewing for 5+ years. The SCOBY is NOT the solid gelatinous substance that forms at the top of kombucha. That is called the pellicle. While the pellicle does contain some SCOBY, most of your active ingredient is in the liquid starter that you reserve each batch. I compost the pellicle as it is gross and takes up precious space in the jar. I also only reserve a couple cups of starter to add to a one gallon jar of sweet tea. So what you had made initially would have been enough for your next batch (i.e. no need for that intermediate step using the 1/2 gallon jar). I hope that is helpful!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Interesting- thanks for sharing.

[@chessbaeninety-four8337]

I can imagine few things being as satisfying as turning a few gallons of milk into a really tasty cheese though. Funny thing about feta, here in Cyprus there's probably 40 different kinds of feta at the grocery store, 2 cheddars, and no swiss, monterrey jack, and definitely no plastic cheese by kraft. RIP gooey bad-for-you grilled cheese :)

[@belieftransformation]

Fantastic video & visit with you! Great planting, cheese making & kombucha information! I’ve been brewing kombucha for about 6 years from a gifted scoby & love the second ferment ones. Our favourite is to add brown sugar, lemon juice & ginger to the fermented plain, keep it in a lock top bottle for about 4 days at room temperature & refrigerate it. It’s bubbly & tastes much like ginger ale. I use a chalk marker to date & mark our bottles & it makes it easy to see which ones to use first. Second ferment with fruit juices are yummy, too. Blessings to all 🤗🇨🇦

[@lynnedean713]

I adore feta, it is my favourite cheese which I nibble on of an evening. In England, sometime during 2022, the EU brought in a regulation that the only feta allowed to be sold in England had to be from Greece, as only Greek ewe's milk was used. All our supermarkets made their own feta, calling it feta. So the supermarkets called it "Greek style salad cheese" which I disliked as it did not taste like feta. Now because we are finally out of the EU, they can't tell us what to do anymore so the supermarkets are making and selling their own feta using ewe's milk. Yay! I have not tried this yet. I should imagine Canada and the US can still market their own brand of feta as well as importing it because they are not in the EU.

[@sashimster3243]

I wonder if ya'll have any tomato recommendations for tomatoes that are good for snacking and have a soft skin. I'm in zone 7b and last year was my very first time trying my hand at growing veggies on my balcony. I live with my 90 year old nan and she loved the taste of the tomatoes (I was gifted a few seedlings from my neighbor who didn't know the variety) but wasn't able to snack on fresh ones because the skin was too tough for her teeth and they were too big to bite into as well for her. I've done some research this year and found a variety of organic cherry tomato (Datterino) that is supposed to be very sweet and have a very soft skin. However, I haven't been able to find a bigger variety with the same attributes. My nan's fav way to munch on the tomatoes last year (after I'd skinned them for her) was big slices of tomato topped with a bit of mozarella, fresh picked basil and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Since I have another 3 or 4 weeks before I start my seedlings, I'm trying to find another variety or two that would be suitable. I have a sizeable garden this time around (nana was convinced to lend me hers after my balcony success ;-)) with tons of sunny spots.

[@muddyacrefarms]

I kept my Scoby alive for so long and one day my husband asked me where to put the bacon grease and I said I the bacon grease jar. Yea he put it into the wrong jar. I looked at it the next day and was like WTH is on top and realized what happened. Won’t be giving him generic answers anymore. 😂

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but laughter at that. We’ve had so many miscommunications like that over the years! Lol

[@muddyacrefarms]

IKR. I’m much more specific now!!

[@KAStodgell]

Love the new opening! You expand my world all the time.

[@shervin6711]

Lavender, I have had a lot of luck in New England, taking cuttings and rooting it ( I just stuck it in the dirt) might work well for you too!

[@amandar7719]

You could do a Q&A video while stirring the cheese. 😃 Or loudspeaker telephone catch-up (not on camera) with a friend or family member. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[@celinejohn-wv6wg]

Hi, remember my grandmother using an old ringer washing machine, 1950 type to was her wool. Was easy and fast as the machine was left on the porch. Maybe you could try to find a used one. Love all your videos.

[@nancycowan6109]

As always, I enjoyed this video. I couldn’t help but think when I was a little kid and my mom used a wringer washer. Maybe finding one of those old relics might work for your wool? ❤️

[@janew5351]

I think Lehmans sells a wringer device.

[@cassandraschepperle1429]

if you sprinkle cinnamon on the soil it will help hold down the algae

[@ancsocska]

Picking wool ✅ Stirring cheese ❌ I love seeing your personality, what are your preferences 💜

[@radmilamiljanic5977]

I spent most of my childhood with my grandparents and they both made cheese using cow or sheep milk. The process they used isn't that time consuming, just heat the milk, add culture (my earliest memories are natural home made culture made of calf stomach) and leave in a warm place. Once it gets dense, cut it with a knife and let the whey separate, ladling it out from time to time. Then in cheese cloth overnight and if they wanted harder cheese, press it with a board and a stone (high tech, lol)

[@suerenshaw2728]

I wonder if you could use an old ringer washer to wash your wool.

[@julieemig432]

I would like to make feta cheese. Thanks for showing us

[@DancingWatersAnCoFOB]

Stirring cheese.... audible books is your best friend. 20 minutes will fly by when you get into a great book.

[@sherismith1882]

Just an idea about the 20 minutes of stirring. You could turn on a show or listen to an audio book. That might make it more doable.

[@marilynwall2063]

I wonder if you can find one … if an old wringer washing machine would work for your fleece 😊!?

[@JanUK-o7i]

😊 the teapot has returned. 👍🏻

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Lol!

[@jo-annjewett198]

Cheese is something I want to improve my skills. My cheese has been so so and I want it to be fabulous!

[@karincope3019]

Our Walmart in Vernon has lavender growing very successfully in the embankments in the parking lot and they get very big and seem to do well . I am in Falkland and we are around 1000 feet higher the Vernon and I imagine you are probably the Same from us so it will definitely be colder at night . We got to 20’ today .

[@carmendoyle9786]

Thank u for video. I make cheese with a bit vinger !

[@mikalasimpson7789]

Get Dan to make you a washing dolly, then you can wash your fleece in a bucket. Would be much quicker than hand washing.

[@Red2U]

What about setting up an outdoor stainless steel sink for washing the wool that has a hose hooked up that drains into a 5 gallon bucket or you can drain in through a hose or pipe to bring the water further away. You can also use an on demand heater/propane tank for hot water.

[@stephencameron1709]

I love learning about kombucha. I need to try making it myself. ❤️Val C

[@scotserve]

I think when your making your cheese your looking out of that window, thinking I would be rather out in my garden. I think I would find it a bit boring as well, and I think you do enough. But anyway have fun. One thing can you knit or do you just want to sell the wool good luck what ever you do.

[@poodledaddles1091]

Loved the video!

[@pleasantparadisefarm]

😮 looks great

[@AnitaEtheridge]

Thanks i might like a milder feta since i dont like goat feta but in very small crumbles i find it to strong a taste for me. I have tried to make kombucha and it was a big fail so i look forward to seeing that!

[@janeburdette1633]

I'm sure this is a silly question, but here goes. Could you not give the sheep a bath a few days before shearing them?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I love brave people who ask questions even if they think they’re silly. The thing with sheep is that the wool is so thick that you could never scrub it enough to get right down in there and if you did you’d end up felting it. Also, the lanolin take really hot water to get out, so washing after it’s cut has to happen, either way. I do plan on heading out with the kids and seeing how much of the hay we can get out before shearing, but I’m pretty sure most of it we take off this year won’t be great for making yarn.

[@vickihill4777]

Amazon has more than one type of pot stirring device.

[@susancampbell7279]

Interesting

[@tinak3700]

The best feta and traditional way is using sheep milk

[@zinnialoveci6634]

❤❤❤

[@cindybull3064]

The whey is very good to make lemon pies

[@crazycatlady61]

I’ve never seen feta cheese being made before, very interesting. The good Greek feta in Australia ( imported from Greece ) is around $ 42 per kilogram at the moment, it used to be around $ 18-19 per kilo only a few years ago, l can only think the price increase has been due to Covid.

[@karincope3019]

The Woozoo fan the brand from Costco that gets great reviews , I picked one up it was in the $50 range I think it was .

[@knittinmamaof7748]

Using a washing machine will cause felting of the wool, ruining it, and will clog your septic system as well. It would be better to dump your water outside instead of letting it go down your pipes.

[@gymnewb]

can you show us or give us a recipe for how to make the buns? that you showed in this video. I would love to be able to make them for me and my son to have with hamburgers.

[@elizabethseaborn3179]

What celery do you grow? In zone 3b as well. Last year I grew Utah, it did great but was not the same as grocery celery

[@susanburd4553]

Id just put your kitchen spices in a good pot to put on your window to just use in the kitchen as it grows

[@jevo19761]

I am not a fan of feta cheese but will try it using cow's milk. Thanks! I use the same cheese making book.

[@carmancloud]

I wonder if one of those automatic pot stirrers would work for you? I’ve never used one but it might be worth a try…

[@janisgriffin7278]

Could you immerse the cheese in olive oil and if you could how long would you be able to keep it?

[@beth5863]

Kate at Venison for Dinner is a master at making cheese.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

She is!

[@kittyrichards9915]

She would be a great resource.

[@lyndaharwood2575]

Maybe leaving out an ingredient is why your cheese is not turning out. Great. Love your channel and all your cooking.

[@roxannejensen4824]

Sheep's milk feta is the best in my opinion.

[@CherylHurlburt-r1t]

No Canadian Amazon store? Or discounts?

[@karincope3019]

I buy feta from Costco in the 1 kg container , we go though it quickly, there is just myself and hubby 😜. I put it in so many things . I am not a fan of goats milk in any form , my parents had a horse farm and our stallions we had goats as companions for them and we had a male and the smell of my I can close my eyes and still smell it and any goats milk products just makes my tummy jump and tumble . It’s crazy how smells can affect and how we react .

[@vicky52557985]

Chelsea i was under the impression that when you make cheese that you didn't have anything going on with yeast maybe i am mistaken tho

[@wizelbee]

I hate the smell of wool & the smell of burlap due to the fact that I was the kid who had to stomp the fleeces to fill the 8 ft. burlap bags. Those are two smells I cannot forget but wish I could.

[@Lizzy1983.]

Chelsea, I didnt get to watch the whole video yet, but I will. Were you able to set up a camera and see who/what was stealing your chickens eggs?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

The issue seems to have been resolved, thankfully.