Cheddar Cheese!

Okay, so it's not done... but it's in the making! For a long time we've wanted to make hard cheese such as cheddar, colby, etc. Last year we finally bought the extra supplies needed for hard cheeses - a press, wax, and a few various items. This year I finally had the courage to jump in and try it. After years of making ricotta, feta, mozzarella, cream cheese and butter, it can't be THAT much harder, right?

I found a recipe for Farmhouse Cheddar. It was so very simple. Cheese recipes don't vary that much - they require a culture and rennet. There is more hurry up and wait with cheese making than there actually is stuff to do.

I made the Farmhouse Cheddar Wednesday afternoon. The final step with the cheese press was the cheese had to be pressed for 12 hours. So Thursday morning I took it out of the press - a pretty 2 lb wheel of cheese. It is now drying on bamboo mats, which takes 2-4 days. Once it has a rind on it, it will be time to wax it and then wait for it to age. Thankfully, Farmhouse Cheddar only takes about 4 weeks :).

 And this is definitely NOT cheddar. This is Mild Feta. . . the cheese made most often around here, along with cream cheese. If this cheddar turns out, I think it may take the place of the feta.

Suriyah