It's Cheese!

For a few years now I've wanted to play around with cheese-making.  I'd read that mozzarella is one of the easiest cheeses to make, but was never brave enough to try it.  It didn't help that I went to a cheese-making workshop and their mozz failed.

But several times I've been in stores over the last couple of years and saw cheese-making kits - everything you need but the pan and the milk.  I finally bought one, and a gallon of milk, and yesterday I attempted to make some mozz.

First, you need a steel or enamel kettle, a gallon of milk (pasteurized or raw, but NOT ultra-pasteurized), a couple measuring cups, some measuring spoons, a spoon to stir with, and a knife.  (Ignore the butter and oranges - I have very limited counter space in this kitchen, so things are cluttered and crowded.)

From the kit you dissolve one -quarter table of rennet in one-quarter cup cool water and set aside.  You dissolve 1.5 tsp citric acid in one cup cool water and put this in your kettle with the one gallon of milk.

You turn on the stove and start warming it up - 90 degrees F is your target, while you stir "vigorously."  When you hit 90, you remove the kettle from the heat and pour in the rennet, stirring in an "up and down" motion (careful you don't end up wearing your mixture).  You then cover the kettle and wait for the curds to form and the whey to separate out.  This should take five minutes - I ended up waiting closer to half an hour, and it still didn't look like the photo. 

Then you are supposed to use a long knife and cut the curds (mine looked more like ricotta cheese floating in yellowish water, so it didn't cut well).   You put the kettle back on the stove and reheat to 105 degrees, stirring in an "up and down" fashion.

When you reach 105, you remove it from the stove and drain the whey.  It was only after I had completed my cheese and was cleaning up that I remembered the cheesecloth, which was out drying on the clothesline - had to be washed first.  Without this for draining the liquid from the "solids," I resorted to using a spoon and trying to pour off the whey - a lot of curds went down the drain.  Lesson learned.  (In my defense, the directions didn't say to use the cheesecloth for the draining.)  

Here are the curds sitting separated in a bowl.

Next, you stick the bowl in the microwave for a minute, then drain off more whey.  Return to microwave for 30 seconds, and start to fold the curds into a single unit of soon-to-be cheese.  This is also when you add the teaspoon of salt, if you so desire.  My cheese still wasn't looking very good.  

I ended up doing the 30-second microwaving three times, because the recipe said it had to be 135 degrees in order to stretch properly.  At this point, you are supposed to pull it like taffy.  At 135 degrees, this wasn't going to happen - not without asbestos gloves!  So, I just used my spoon to fold and fold the cheese, which at last was starting to look like mozz!

You then form your cheese into whatever final shape you want.  I made three round balls.  You plop these into a cold water bath for about five minutes.

And then you transfer them to an ice bath for about 15 minutes.   This is to cool the cheese down.  

My cheese was still warm when I wrapped it.  One ball went into the fridge, and I had some of it this morning in my omelet, and the other two balls went into the freezer (it's supposed to freeze well).

Despite a dubious start, I'd say my first foray into cheese-making turned out well!  A gallon of milk doesn't yield a gallon of cheese, but it's still cheaper than buying it in the store!  And, if all goes well, it only takes about half an hour to do.  I'm looking forward to my second try.

Up and Growing

The garden is starting to actually look like a garden now.  Last weekend was spent trellising.  Actually, I did some two evenings, and the rest on Monday - my only day off in the last two weeks.  There's something about the trellises that just make a garden seem complete.

The beans sprouted so quickly:  one week and they were up!  If they all survive (and there are a LOT of vole and mouse and mole tunnels in the garden), I should be all set for beans (snap and dry) this year.

Also within a week the corn was up!  Amazing.  Three varieties this year:  some colorful sweet corn, as well as Ambrosia and Fleet.  I never have a whole lot of luck with corn, but hope springs eternal.

The peas have been going great guns.  Again, if they all survive and produce, I should have plenty of peas to get me through the winter.  Last year was a bust for peas - the groundhog got the plants.  So far this year things look pretty good.  I've got my fingers crossed.

I transplanted the tomatoes and peppers on Monday - I think all the peppers perished, though, and of the remaining 15 or 20 tomato plants (out of over 100 that sprouted), I think only three are still hanging on.  I've never had such trouble with tomatoes before!  

The onions are hanging in there.  I miss the onion harvests I used to have in Newcomb - they were great!  I bought seeds this year, but never got them planted.  I had also ordered some starts, but not too many came.  Even if they all survive, it's only going to be a handful of bulbs.  I wonder if it's too late to start some seeds.

I also got the spuds in a week and a half ago.  I had cut them up so spread the wealth (1-2 eyes on each piece), but they started to mold before I could get them in the ground!  Ack!  Even so, this morning when I was out watering before coming in to work I could see most of them are sprouting.  Hooray!  Now if only I can keep the potato beetles off them (I've already crushed many eggs).

Even the carrots have sprouted in record time - a week!  Usually it's 3+ weeks before I see any sign of life from carrot seeds.  We've been lucky with a long stretch of simply beautiful weather - cool nights, warm days, but not hot or humid.  The downside is that things are incredibly dry!!!  As in parched!  We haven't had any rain worth mentioning in weeks.  Temps supposed to be near 90 today and well into the 90s this weekend.  Ugh.  I worry about the well - how much water is down there?  No snow to speak of this winter, and a dry spring - this does not bode well.

I still have things not planted:  squash, sweet potatoes, cukes...and I'm out of space!  I was going to take advantage of a plot at the Community Gardens at work, but the offered plot needed a lot of work before it could be planted, and I can do that at home just as easily.  Maybe that's what I'll do this weekend, before the heat rises too much.

Harvested my first lettuce and spinach yesterday!  Must plant more.

The 2013 Season is Underway!

It's mid-May already, and time has gotten away from me.  Like much of the northern part of this country, back in March we had an incredible warm spell that got gardeners and plants all excited to start growing NOW! Wild plants went ahead and started blooming, some nearly a month early, much to their ultimate chagrin, because after about two weeks the weather returned to "normal" and many blooms froze.  Just ask the cherry growers up in the northern Lower Peninsula!

I was sorely tempted to start my indoor seeds at that time, and to plant peas and greens, but fortunately I didn't.  April, however, found me getting the tomatoes and peppers started indoors.  The tomatoes were doing great...right up until I transplanted them (it was a little too soon, but it was a nice day and I was eager to move them into soil rather than starter mix).  Over 100 tomato seedlings were transplanted.  Here are all that remain - note the large number of empty cells.  I lost over half of them - mostly because when I moved them from the table to the floor, I forgot to water them one week and they dried out under the grow lights.

But the good news is that I didn't really need 100 plants, I don't have room for 100 plants, and those that remain seem to be doing very well.

 

The peppers, however, are another story.  They were planted at the same time and here they are, still just     two leaves!  Maybe they need to be moved to real soil...get a few nutrients and that might make them grow.

A couple weekends ago I got my act together and planted the peas.  It's really almost too late in the season, for peas are cold-hardy, but between work and weather, I just had no opportunity to do it sooner.  I was concerned that critters would eat the seeds or pull up the shoots, but they've started sprouting and so far (!) they look pretty good.  I also planted the first wave of greens.  The plan is to plant greens every two weeks, which should assure a regular supply of lettuces and spinach well into the season.  The greens are planted on the north side of the peas, so the peas should shade them from the mid-day sun come summer.  It should help prevent early bolting.

Yesterday was onion day!  I have never had luck growing onions from seed.  I've planted hundreds of onion seeds, and they sprouted and grew, but then they fizzled and the ones that made it into the garden just withered and died.  So, I order starts - a cheat, but it seems to work for me.  This year I have just one type:  copra.  These are a pretty good storage onion and I've had good luck with them in the past (in the Adirondacks).  We'll see how they do here.  Last year I had Stutgarters, and they did not do terribly well.  I have high hopes for the copra.  Maybe this weekend I'll get the spuds in the ground, too.

The soil and mulch piles have hearty growth.  I tackle the weeds every time I walk by the piles, but I think the weeds are winning.

All gardens need a little encouragement.

Earlier this spring the local Conservation District had its annual tree sale - lots of little tree seedlings for cheap prices.  I was there with a colleague who wanted to pick up stuff for his home, and that's a dangerous place to go (shopping for plants) because I can never leave without getting something.  I walked out with three witch hazels, two ninebarks, five white oaks, five white pines, two sargent crabapples (I thought these would have good wildlife value, but after reading up on them, I think they were a mistake to buy), two black elders, and two white flowering dogwoods (which were of dubious quality when I picked them out and I don't think they are still alive).  I got the elders, witch hazels and crabapples planted, and promptly mowed over the witch hazels.  They don't look like a recovery is in the works.  The rest of the plants I heeled into the ground, but now that several weeks have passed and I'm no where closer to getting them planted in their permanent spots, I decided I'd better pot them up, so I did this week.  I also inherited eight more white pines left over from an award ceremony.  So, here is LN's Tree Farm:

Last weekend was the first Open House at our favorite wild plant nursery:  WildTypes. Bill, who's business this is, collects seeds from local wild native plants and grows them for resale...it's a labor of love.  What's great about his business is that the plants he grows are mostly local genotypes, meaning they are from here.  Why is that important?  Because these plants are adapted for the climate and soils of this part of Michigan...the ultimate native plants!  As a result, they have the best survival rate (provided you plant them in the right location).

So, about 100 people and I drove up to Mason for the opening day of the open house season (he has three weekends in May and then one in August - the rest of the time you have to call, place an order, and arrange to pick it up - no browsing).  A major rain storm came pouring down on us.  Most of the folks huddled under the one covered portion of the nursery, but I was on a mission and so I sallied forth, getting thoroughly soaked (and chilled).  I wheeled my 5' long cart up and down the aisles, loading it with plants like monkeyflower, three-lobed coneflower, maidenhair fern, and yellow giant hyssop.  It was a rude awakening at the checkout, but I figure it's a good cause:  returning native plants to the landscape helps not only the visual appeal to my property, but benefits local birds and insects - a mark on my side for good karma.

But what was I going to do with all these plants?  I had great plans for turning the spot of grass next to the back deck into a native plant garden, but I did not want to spend my time digging up the grass and all that - I did that back in Newcomb for three years - it got old really fast.  So, this time I took the cheater's way out:  I sprayed the grass (and weeds) with RoundUp.  I used to swear I'd never use the stuff, but conservationists use it all the time to get rid of invasives, so I bit the bullet and bought some.  The latest version of RoundUp is rain-proof in 10 minutes, and you can plant the area the next day (or so the label says)!  I waited nearly a week before planting the precious natives I'd spent all my money on.  And here they are, all nestled in the ground with their blanket of mulch:

If all goes well, in a year or two this should be a beautiful garden full of native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  Hooray!

The remaining natives I bought were planted out front under the maple, where I have the other woodland plants growing.  What was added this year?  Jack-in-the-pulpit, maidenhair fern, and wild ginger.

What made this all possible was the serendipitous delivery of woodchips from a local tree service that has been chopping up branches and stuff a couple miles down the road.  They brought me two truckloads (I can use much more with all the plans I have).  Ten wheelbarrow loads went onto the new native plant garden.  MANY loads will go on the paths around the veg garden, and the rest (if any is left) will be used to make walking paths around the property.  I actually started making the paths the evening the first load of mulch arrived (photos to come).

So things are finally underway to a) get the veg going for another year of fresh produce, and b) begin transforming the property from a YARD to a "restored" habitat.  Next on the agenda:  mulch the garden paths, mulch the property paths, hire a burn outfit to come out and burn the back field so I can start the restoration work there, get a chicken coop and then (at last) raise chickens (meat and layers), and (finally) put in a small pond.  Lots of plans.  Might a pig be on the horizon, too?  Who knows...but I sure like the idea of raising my own fresh pork!

Subversive Plot

My friend Willow over at Willow House Chronicles always finds the BEST videos! (Which I subsequently shamelessly steal from her blog to post on mine.)

Here's a great on on why more of us should be growing our own food.




You don't need to farm to grow your own food. Even the smallest yard can produce produce. And if you don't have any yard (or balcony) at all, look into a community garden plot - most cities have them these days!

Get out there and GROW!

The Demise of the Carrots

I made a bad choice.  The carrots had been keeping so well on the back porch that I became lazy and didn't finish freezing them.  Nor did I store them properly (in moist sand in bins in the root cellar).  I did finally put them into ziplock bags and place them in the fridge, but it was too late - the white fuzzy mold was established.

It's a pity, too, because most of the really good carrots (as in long and carrot-shaped) were in this batch of remainders.  But, there was nothing for it - they had to go into the compost.  :(

The moral of this story:  there is a reason why our ancestors didn't just leave their veg out all winter.  Follow the books and time-tested methods for preserving your harvest(s), and you will have veg all year.

A Good Read

For anyone who would like to know a little more about the current state of agriculture in this country, and why there is a local food movement afoot, I highly recommend this book.

Joel Salatin is considered by many to be the guru of the farm movement.  And while his farm may not seem small to a person who has a few chickens, a few sheep, and maybe a horse or goat, by industry standards, it is.

More importantly, he shows us how the industrial giant that is the food industry ("industry" being the operative word, and yes, I'm using it repetitively on purpose) is doing its best to control everything we eat - not just their corner of the market (their corner, of course, being over 90% of what we eat).

He also highlights the nutritional merits of normal food vs. industrial food.  Why do I want to have my own chickens?  If having FRESH eggs wasn't enough of an argument, or having more flavorful, more nutritional eggs wasn't enough of an argument, how about the fact that eggs purchased from the store are required to be bathed in chlorine before they can be sold?  Eggshells are permeable, folks - let's think about this.  (Chlorine is a poison - just in case you didn't know.)

Now, I may not agree with the man's politics, nor with all his thoughts on how wild areas are under-utilized, he makes a good number of salient points.

I don't offer this book up for your consideration to try to change your opinion.  I offer it to further the cause of education.  You can make whatever decisions you want - just be informed before you make them, that's all I ask.

Another Reason To Raise My Own

I know this will make some folks say "see - organic food is no better than regular, only they charge you more." It's things like this (when we find out the facts) that give organic such a bad rap.

Buy local.

Know your farmer.

Raise your own.