Hi folks! Yesterday I made cheddar cheese. All of yesterday pretty much. In case you do not know, making hard cheeses is a very. Long. Process. I started making the cheddar at about 9:45 yesterday morning and worked on it nonstop until 3:00 PM when I put it in the mold. It's not one of those things where you can leave it and go do something else while it sits either. No, you have to be almost constantly stirring the curds and monitoring the temperature. If the curds get too hot, they'll start to fall apart. Everything has to be heated and cooled verrrrry slowly. Needless to say, when it got to 3:00, I was very very tired of making cheese. Now I remember why I don't make hard cheeses very often! But, it's going to be worth it. Below are a few photos of the process.
Now the cheese has to air dry, then I can either wax it or rub it with oil, and then it gets to age for 60 days before we can eat it.
I have great respect for anyone who makes hard cheeses. :) They are very patient people. :)
After all that cheesiness, I went on a refreshing gallop on my horse yesterday evening. Nothing like a brisk ride to clear your head!
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the process of making cheese. :)
-Grace