making cheese part 2

OK, so I wasn't planning on a making cheese part 2, but I was having such a good time making it, I just had to! I made 2 pounds of mozzarella late this afternoon. I made it once before, but it was more like a hard, tasteless lump of rubber. Lets put it this way, it didn't even melt on the pizza I fed my family. My poor family! Ha!
Well this time I had a different recipe and it came out much better. It was like fresh mozzarella. Maybe not like the pros, but it at least melted on the pizza! Told you I've had some whoopers in the kitchen! With that said here are the pictures!

this is when it's just starting to cuddle

now it's starting to become cheese lumps

cheese curds and whey all separate and ready to drain

here is the mozzarella drained and ready to be warmed up to stretch 

warmed up and was working real well and starting to stretch 

TA-DA!! stretchy and ready for...

mmmmm pizza!!

I was so excited about this because it was homemade dough, sauce, and  cheese! This fall we'll have our own homegrown bacon to put on a pizza, and tomatoes! I love tomatoes on my pizza.

making cheese

Yea! I'm very excited to be making cheese! Finally!
 I got the stuff the other day and now an happily making a cheese mess in my kitchen! I have looked online for some information on cow cheese. I'm going to try mozzarella, sour cream, soft cow cheese, like a Chevre cheese. I love Chevre cheese and am interested if it will be worth making again. Anyhow I think it's worth a shot at least! Then the Fromage Blanc, this is like a cream cheese! Then I need to whip up some bagels and try it out! I'm so excited!! I have wanted to make cheese for a long, long time now. I've gone to some cheese making talks/confrence or whatever you want to call them. I just find it so interesting to watch the process. To curddle milk, eat it and love it. I have access to a cheese press, but it's so big I don't know where I would put it. But I think I could maybe find room... That is for hard cheese like cheddar. I love sharp cheddar cheese, actually I love cheese in general! And now that I have a cow I have all the milk I could want to start something new. Who knows maybe I'll sell some and make a little money for the farm!!
I have finished the soft cheese, and will have the Fromage Blanc finished tomorrow!

heat milk to 86 degrees add the stuff and let it sit for 12 hours

drain through a cheese cloth

all drained

final product! add a little garlic and basil and I was good to try it!

Yup it's good too! I would love to have put fresh basil in it, but I didn't have any. Out of a gallon of milk I got a little over 2 pounds.