Who would have thought cheese making could be so easy?  Never did I think I’d make my own cheese, especially from the beginning….meaning from the animal to the stove to the jar.

Just takes patience and a little time.

So here it is…from sweet little Edelweiss all the way to my cracker—chèvre.   Creamy goat milk cheese.

Sorry, we didn’t capture the actual milking process.  While I milked, the Chef kept Edelweiss occupied with feed,and Quince, the daughter of Edelweiss didn’t know how to work the camera 😉  So no one photograph!

Took 4 days of milking to get the required gallon to make chèvre.

30 minutes to pasteurize.

Then the fun begins…

You’ll need a few things: thermometer, double boiler (or metal bowl will work over a pot of boiling water), cheese cloth and chèvre starter packet.  You can buy from a cheese making  supply company.  The owners keep this starter stocked in their freezer, so we had an available supply.

Heat the goat’s milk up to 86F.  Add the chèvre starter packet and stir.  Now cover and let sit for 12 hours, not allowing the temperature to rise over 72F.

After 12 hours ladle into a colander lined with cheese cloth.  Tie the ends of the cheese cloth together and hang over the sink (so it can drain) for another 6-12 hours.  The more time it is allowed to drain, the creamier it will become.

Once your cheese has reached the desired consistency, spoon into a jar and refrigerate.  It should last about a week or so…if it’s not gobbled up!  This is also the point when you can add in salt (not iodized) or other spices.  Herbs of Provence would be nice.

wonderfully sweet afternoon snack

     or you can go fancy like this…

You’ll have to read the next issue of Belle Inspiration Magazine to get the recipe!

We’d like to thank Brian and Allie from Oyster River Winery for welcoming us to their farm.  We really enjoyed our Farmstay.

And darling little Edelweiss for not kicking me in the face 😉

So how do you enjoy chèvre?  Warmed? Fried? Over a spring salad? Do share!