Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-08-10
A9riful
Making Cheese.

Making OnceSc.
Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher gives the fol-
lowing directions, in the Christian Union
for making cheese
First, dry, airy, thoroughly ventilated
room must be provided, of even and moderate
temperature. 1t should be used for a cheese
room only, and access denied, if possible, to
all but the operator. 1t is useless to attempt
the work if flies cannot be excluded, and,
when open to all, that is impossible. The
windows should be kept open in fair weather
but blinds always closed to avoid currents
of air except to admit what light is needed
while the work is being done. Frames COW
cred with wire or mosquito net can be fitted
into the windows, and door of the same
material hung inside, shutting closely to ex-
clude the flies, yet giving admittance to as
much air and light are needed. If wind
and sun have free access to a cheese-room, the
cheese cannot ripen properly.
Cheese tubs, cheese knifes, "a long wooden
knife for cutting the curd, -cheeee ladder,
hoops, cheese boards, or followers, cheese
baskets, bowl, and cheese cloths made of
strong linen but woven very loosely, and the
cheese press, are the necessary utensils.
The months from May to September are
good cheese months some keep up the work
through October; but the cheese is more
difficult to cure, and will not be as good.
If night and morning milk is to be used
strain the nights milk into pans, and set in
a cool place In the morning take off all the
cream, heat the SKINNED milk to 95Sor 1909,
pour 1t into the cheese-tub with the morning s
milk and stir in the cream add the rennet,
mix all well together with the long wooden
cheese knife, or a wooden spoon cover the
tub with ciose-ftting cover, and spread over
that thIck cheese blanket, to keep in the
natural heat while the curd is forming. The
milk when drawn from the COWS, is from $50
to 90, and until the Gu I'd is well set it should
not lose more than from five to seven degrees
of it's natural heat. See that the cows are
driven to and from their pasture gently, for
If they get over-heated, the milk will rise
above the natural heat, and must be cooled
off before the rennet is stirred in for if the
milk, either from this cause or any other, is
over go when it is set, the cheese will be
spongy and Of very poor flavor, or no flavor
at all. If the milk Is too cold the curd will
be so tender that it will never become firm.
but will bulge out at the side, and viii not
keep. Be sure and ascertain the temperature
of the milk always, before adding rennet.
If too cold, heat some milk and stir in, until
the whole rises to the proper temperature.
If the milk too tCdrTn, wait till it cools suf-
fciently before adding the rennet. The
quantity of rennet to be used depends so
much ON the quality of the article that expe-
rience only tea ch tn exact amount to
use. If good and strong, two ounces is quite
enough for sixty quarts of milk. The curd
will have set firmly in an hour or an hour
and half, when it must be cut gently across,
reaching the long wooden cheese knife to the
bottom of the tub, but each time about an
inch apart then cut in the opposite direction
round the sides of the tub, forming squares,
to give the whey an opportunity to rise above
A. IL IL
Let it settle few minutes. Then throw
over the tub large square cheese cloth, or
strainer, and after the curd has settled and
the whey risen to the top, sink the strainer
into it and dip off the whey as closely as 1t
can be done. The stTainer is then spread
over a square, spHnt cheese basket, woven
very loose and open, and the basket set on to
the cheese ladder, which is laid across another
cheese tub. The curd must now be cut into
small pieces, gently, and put into the strain
er. The corners of the cloth are then gath
cred up and twisted tightly together, and
fat, smooth stone, kept for that purpose, of
about twelve or fifteen pounds weight, laid
upon it to press the whey from the curd. 1t
should stand an hour, and while draining,
such things as will be no more needed to I'm
ish the work for the day can be washed,
scalded, and set out to dry (; for of course, hot
water is always ready.
The curd, now ready, is removed to the
large wooden cheese bowl and cut in slices,
and pail of the whey heated to 1909 or
1902, and poured over it. Great judgment
and care are reqrired here, as, if scalded too
much, it makes the cheese hard if not enough
the cheese will spread and crack. The hot
whey should be left on till the eurd will
. squeak as the children used to call it
when bitten then returned again to the
strainer and basket to drain free of the hot
whey. This done, cut it up again, firm
put in the salt and thoroughly stir it in. The
taste is the best criterion to Judge of the
quantity-about six ounces to every fifteen
pounds of curd is fair estimate. A cheese
cloth must now be laid over the hoop, the
curd dipped into it, pressed down, bot heaped
up in the centre, the corners of the cloth
folded smoothly over, and the first cheese
board, with holes all through it, put on one
a size smaller laid over that and the cheese
thus prepared is ready to be put into the
press and subjected to a pressure of from forty
to sixty pounds, according to the size of the
cheese. 1t should remain in the press two
or three hours. If the whey which is now
pressed out, is Of slightly greenish color,
the curd has been properly prepared; but if
it is white, like milk, the curC was formed
imperfectly and the cheese will not be of the
first quality.
W uCu bIt Uds III Tile Drecs
for about two hours, some advise to take it
from the hoop and let it stand an hour in hot
whey, to harden the skin. We do not like
the idea, and fancy much fine flavor would be
lost from the cheese.
We should simply put it into dry cheese
cloth and return it to the press, to remain till
next morning In changing the cloth, if any
rind presses over the top of the hoop, cut it
off smoothly, and turn that side of the cheese
down. Leave it, now, until the next morning
in the same cloth; only it is well to turn it
over in the press several times in the course
of the day.
When taken from the press the last time, a
piece of cheap muslin should be soaked in hot
butter, and fitted over the top and bottom,
and a band, also wet in butter, bound tight
round the cheese and sewed to to the edges of
the top and bottom covers. The cheese is
then placed on the shelf. 1t will need rub
bing with butter every day, for some weeks,
and must be turned over every day for several
months, washing the shelf clean each time,
and changing the place, so that the shelf may
get well dried. -Dt -JJ1 2
If the whey is saved, in twenty-four hours
a thick creamy substance will rise, which, if
SKINNED off and churned, forms butter very
quickly, and is excellent to dress the cheese