Cheese Please

Allen bought me a cheese making kit. And who knew - homemade cheese actually tastes delicious! Though, I won't be making it on a regular basis. You see, to make cheese you need milk that hasn't been pasteurized at high temperatures. I tried three batches using three different brands of milk (Wal-Mart, Meijer and Prairie Farms) but not one of them worked. 

Luckily, the mother of one of my students only drinks raw milk, and she was able to pick up an extra gallon the last time she stopped by to pick up her milk share. (In Michigan the sale of raw milk is illegal, so people who drink it typically purchase a share of a cow from a farmer, who then provides them with milk from their own cow. Thereby avoiding the illegality of selling unpasteurized milk.) 

The raw milk worked beautifully. On my fourth try I finally got to see some beautiful cheesy curds in my pot.

I had no idea how much milk it takes to make cheese; one gallon made a ball of cheese about the size of my two fists. (No wonder it's expensive!) We ate some while it was still warm and it had the most amazing buttery flavor. Allen, especially, loved it, but  I don't see myself purchasing a cow share just to be able to make cheese regularly...