Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-09-21
CHEESE-MAkiNo NOTES.
How Very Fair Article Can He Produce
on the Farm.

' How Very Fair Article Can He Produce
ON the Farm.
The nights milk should be carefully
strained and cooled in water and the
vessels containing it should stand out
OF doors uncovered all night. Where
six or more cows are kept there is no
better vessel than the twenty-gallon,
irOn-clad milk can. For q less amount
of milk, any wide-mouthed receptacle
will do. The mornings milk should
be well cooled and aired out of doors
until at least seven o'clock. The
proper temperature for coagulation is
about 82e. Some kind of warm bath
is needed in which to place the milk.
A small-sized self-heating vat is the
the plan of the inner and outer watts no
sort of control or certainty of tempera-
ture can be had.
An improvised vat is the wash
boiler, with some smaller tin vessel
placed inside of it and the remain
ing space filled with water. Most ex-
cellent cheese has been made with such
utensils. Whatever the appliance, the
water and milk should be carefully
warmed until the latter shows the
needed elevating temperature. The
prepared rennet of the trade Is the
best possible form for small makers
Use it according to the directions for
bringing good, firm curd in fifty
minutes. The fiuid-ounce glass of the
apothecary is the best measure OF tho
rennet. Stir the milk gently for a few
minutes after pouring in the rennet,
and at the same time add whatever
cOloring matter is desired. A cover
should be placed over tbs vessel to
prevent undue radiation of the heat.
When the milk will curd before the
fingers, cut it with q regular curd
knife composed of some half-dozen
blades. Cut down and across the vat.
Then stir the curd little with the
hands, If but one knife is in
use. Again cut back and forth
till the pieces of the curd are,
say, half an inch in size. Then rest,
to allow wheying off to set in, for
about ten minutes. After that with
hands and knife stir and cut till the
curd Is as fine as small peas. Now
apply more fire and gradually raise
the temperature of the whey to blood
heat, $50. This should occupy an in
terval of at least half an hour. In
this time keep the curd and whey in
constant motion, that every particle
may have a uniform condition with the
rest This stage of work should be
finished about ten o'clock.
Now wash down the sides of the vat
with the warm whey, give it a good
stirring, cover the whole with cloth,
and leave rennet, curd and whey at
blood heat, to act upon each other till
the needed changes in condition set in
A slight souring of the curd and whey
is the sensible evidence of the change
to look for This should be noted
about noontime, but perhaps later
There are attendant indications which
the observer will note, but the ap-
proach of the acid state is the partic-
ular point for a beginner to look for
For general statement, it will do to
say that when this change is fairly
deemed present, it is time to draw the
whey and set the curd. The curd
should be dipped into something which
will admit free drainage for the whey,
and then the salt be worked in thor
oughly at the rate of ounces OF pure
salt to 10 pounds of curd.
Curd thus made will cure with
smooth, solid rinds which are imper-
vious to all foes. The place for curing
should be at a temperature of 7Os
with good light, but not in direct ex-
posture to. the sun heat. Grease and
rub the rinds sufficient to keep them
smooth and shining. The meaning of
these suggestions is that most scrupu-
lous attention is given to clean liners,
with vigilant watchfulness from first
to last.-Francis Barnes, in Farm and
Home.