My goal for the summer was to make cheese one time each month. July is almost over and I have not made any cheese yet! AARRGGG!! Here are a few pictures from my June Cheese-making day. I am doing my best to construct the perfect consistency of Mozzarella, I made two batches but both came out a bit too sticky. The last few batches I made were too rubbery. I would like the consistency to be stiff enough I can grate it, but the best part about fresh mozzarella is the high moisture level. Finding the perfect balance is proving to be a bit of a challenge. The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company has some great suggestions for getting the perfect mozzarella. I have tried lengthening the stretching process but next time I will increase the rennet a bit to see if I can get a stronger curd.
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(Picture taken from the perspective of a 4 year old)
As for the hard cheeses I now have 2 wheels of white Cheddar and 1 of Pepper Jack. I’m patiently waiting until the end of September to try them out. I didn’t have a great press for my first two wheels (one cheddar, one pepper jack) so I am worried they will not turn out well. I have since found some good weights so my June Cheddar was much nicer looking.
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I would like to be creative with adding herbs to my Mozzarella, does anyone have any great add-in suggestions?
