Cheese recipe that doesn't require heating milk

[outofmire]

I had a recipe for a farmer's cheese and it seems like it didn't require any heating of the milk. You just let the raw milk curdle at room temperature and then hang it up to drain in cloth. I know I have the recipe SOMEWHERE but that sure isn't helping me right now. Any recipes that you know of that don't require heating the milk. I have a wood cookstove, and I just want a way to extend the milk without heating up my kitchen for a long time.

[Laura Workman]

A lot of recipes require heating to between 80 and 90 degrees, then incubate at 72 degrees. You can fill a sink with hot water, put the pan in, and in a few minutes, your milk is up to temperature. Then incubate on the counter. One thing, though. If the recipe says to incubate at 72 degrees, and it's 84 degrees in the house, choose another recipe because your cheese will not work out well. At least that's been my experience.

[outofmire]

Thanks for the response Laura. I'm wanting something that I can just take the warm raw milk straight from the goat and use for things other than drinking. We don't have a refrigerator, and it takes a lot of ice to cool milk and then store it. We're getting to where we're spending more than I like. Anyway, since we can't drink all the milk anyway, I didn't see any sense in cooling it first.

I've thought of kefir, but until I get the grains, I need some other ideas. Can you incubate yogurt without heating it first if it's already warm. Seems like I found an old Mother Earth News article on the Internet that said you could. I won't be able to hold the temp constant in my house either since we don't have electricity. So the incubation temp will have to be whatever the temp is outside.

I did a search on the internet last night, and it seems that the oldtimers used to just clabber milk on the counter and then hang it in a flour sack to drain off the whey.

The recipe I had seemed to do it that way. And the gal that had given it to me....seems like she said they did it that way. I just wanted further input from ya'll before giving it a try. I can imagine the cheese will be more sour tasting than sweet curd cheeses, but that's alright with me.....just so long as it won't hurt us.

I also read on the internet last night that you can use a cupful of clabber to speed up the process for the next batch. Anyone ever tried this? Or have some other uses for the milk that would work for our situation.

[outofmire]

Well, I just wanted to bump this. I'm clabbering milk right now, and it has a delightfully sweet yeasty smell to it so far after almost 24 hours. I'm assuming the yeast in is the first to proliferate until the lacto bacteria get going.

I'll continue with my experiment while I wait for more input. I know the lady who gave me this recipe said they just used to clabber the milk and then drain the whey and add herbs for a soft cheese, but I just wanted verification of that before trying it myself.

[debitaber]

why not can it up, to use later, when you don't hav milk fresh?

[outofmire]

Cuz I want to make cheese, but I wanted to do it in such a way that I didn't have to heat up the house all summer since we have a wood cookstove. Plus the design of our cookstove makes it unsafe to can on since the cool spot is higher up than the hot spot. I'd have to lift the canner to the cool area if it got to hot.

[debitaber]

I can on my wood cook stove. but you can also can over a bbq pit, have done that many times.
you can also can over a gas camping stove, am doing that now. I can on lots of things. and have never had a bit of trouble. you can make cottage cheese, do you have a crock pot of something like it, or a electric fry pan? get a candy thermeter, and let you milk get to 8o c, of 160 f.
now set asside, add, the juice of three lemones, per gal of milk. leave for a while, and you will see that is is getting curdles, and when it has curdled, [about an hour or so], drain, and cut the curds, wash, and add fresh milk or cream. but you will still have to cool it. and keep it cool. if you have livestock, feed the milk to your livestiock. my chickens , hogs, and calfs , get my extra milk. evrything but the horses gets it.
and that can take up your extra milk, in a hurry.

[outofmire]

Well, maybe I could can on my cookstove, but I had posted here before and everyone said it would be unsafe with a pressure canner. Is home canned milk as disgusting as storebought?

Here's a link to a picture of my stove. The cool area is the higher oven area.
click here

[outofmire]

I don't have electricity at all. Do you not think I can make cheese by clabbering it and then draining it? It smells great so far.

[outofmire]

here's one article about using naturally clabbered milk in cooking

This is kinda what I was looking for; but I want to use it for cheese. I guess it's a good sign that the author does actually consume this stuff. I guess it won't kill me right?

[debitaber]

I don't know about canning on your stove, I was thinking you had one like mine, it is a home comfort, and I do can on it. you might want to try getting a camping stove, you can get them on freecycle, or at the salvation army sotre sometimes has them and so do other thrift shops, and the gas for them is really cheap. I made jelly and jam on mine this year, and have canned everything on mine in the past.my girl friend hot water bathes hers, over an open fire out side, you know a fire pit, with a grate. if yyou hot water bathe it, you let it go an hour, and all jars must be covered with water, your time starts when the canner is boiling. to pressure cook it, you bring it up to ten pound pressure, and then let the pressure go done naturally, and when cool it is done.
yes, the milk is good, very good.
I would be leary of the bacteria, in natural clabbering the milk, and you still have to keep it cool , when done, of course if you are baking with it, the baking will probably kill the bacteria.

[suzyhomemaker09]

I make a soft fresh cheese from my goat's milk...I do it straight from the teat (well I strain it first) 1 gallon of milk...4tbs starter (I use Buttermilk)..1/4 a rennet tablet ( I use Junket it's available at most grocers) let it sit undisturbed til you get aq clean break. Cut curds and strain through a floursack type material...tie up the ends and let it drain for a while...usually overnight.Add 1 1/2 tsp salt and mix it well. It's great as is or add fresh herbs to it. Be sure to catch the whey that drains off so you can make ricotta with it.

[outofmire]

Thanks suzyhomemaker, that sounds good. My "experiment" is still fermenting away. Still smells like baked bread.