How To Make Cheese

Local Farmstead Cheese a 2020 Good Food Awards Winner
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Rinske’s Cheesemaking Tutorial

Ever wonder how Rinske DeJong makes her award-winning Farmstead Cheese and Organic Gouda? You will be amazed at how much goes into it.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Dutch
Keyword: cheese, cheesemaking
Author: Rinske DeJong

Materials

  • 330 gal Working Cows Dairy organic grass-fed milk
  • culture
  • non-GMO vegetable rennet
  • salt

Instructions

  • First thing in the morning, we sanitize the cheesemaking equipment.
    Sanitizing cheesemaking equipment
  • This is done while the organic milk is being pasteurized.
    Sanitized cheesemaking equipment
  • Pumping over 330 gallons of pasteurized organic milk. Culture is added and rennet.
    Pumping over 330 gallons of milk
  • Wait for it all to thicken into curds. A "Clean Cut" means we are ready to cut curds.
    Clean cut meaning ready to cut curds
  • Cutting curds that make organic cheese.
    Cutting curds for organic cheese
  • Curds settling to the bottom of tank before draining some of the whey.
    Curds settling to bottom of tank before draining some of the whey off.
  • Draining off the whey.
    Draining off the whey
  • Stirring the curds.
    Milk thickening into curds
  • Cooking the curds.
    Cooking curds
  • Draining the curds into a vat where we can fill the molds
    Draining the curds into a vat where we can fill the molds
  • Filling the molds.
    Filling the molds
  • Pressing the cheese.
    Pressing the cheese
  • Resting the cheese overnight.
    Resting the cheese overnight
  • Organic Gouda goes into a brine bath.
    Gouda cheese in brine bath
  • Turning Gouda cheese in the brine bath after 18 hours.
    Turning Gouda cheese in the brine bath after 18 hours
  •  Drying the finished cheese.
    Drying the cheese

Notes

Cartoon by Scott Hulburn

Cartoon by Scott Hulburn

SHOP ALL ORGANIC CHEESE & BUTTER