Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Recipe

3 gallons whole milk
1/2 buttermilk culture or MESOPHILIC TYPE II
2 teaspoons calcium chloride
1/2 tablet rennet
1/4 cup distilled water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp salt

• Combine milk, calcium chloride in 16 qt stock pot (double boiler to prevent scorching)
• Slowly heat mixture to 86 degrees. Turn off heat and stir in one packet of buttermilk culture. Stir lightly for 15 seconds. Cover mixture and allow to rest undisturbed at 86 degrees for 1 1/2 hour.
• Dissolve 1/2 rennet tablet and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 1/4 cup distilled water. Slowly heat to 90 degrees. Stir the rennet mixture into milk slowly. Allow milk to set covered for 1 1/2 hour or until curd shows a clean break.
• Using long knife, cut the curds into 1/2 inch squares, then stir gently to break the strips of curds into chunks.
• Slowly heat the curds and whey to 100 degrees, raising the temperature 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Stir curd frequently to prevent matting.
• Place cheese cloth lined colander in sink and pour the curds into it. Allow whey to drain for 3 minutes. (*you may add cold water and then rinse to reduce acid*).
• Measure out 1 tablespoon salt. Using your hands, gently mix the salt into curds while allowing more whey to drain off.
• Place the curds into cheese-cloth lined cheese press, fold cloth over top of curds. Place 4 lbs wt on top of follower and leave for 15 minutes. Remove the weight, turn cheese over and press with 8 lbs for 12 hours.
• Remove cheese from press, unwrap the cloth, place cheese on drying mat to air dry for 12 hours, turning over once.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of salt with 1/2 cup of water. Use a corner of the cheese cloth to lightly apply a saltwater wash to the cheese.

Colby Cheese Recipe

1 gal whole milk
1/4 tsp MESOPHILIC AROMATIC B Culture
1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp salt

• Warm milk to 86 F. Add culture and mix thoroughly. Let it ripen at 86 degrees for one hour.
• Add dissolved rennet tablet and gently stir into milk. Then top stir. Let milk set for 30 minutes or until curd shows a "clean break".
• Cut the curd into 3/8" cubes. Stir gently. Let curd rest for 5 minutes to firm up.
• Raise temperature of the curd 2 degrees every 5 minutes until temperature reaches 102 F. Stir gently so curd particles do not mat together. Hold at 102 F for 30 minutes. Gently stir curd. Then let curd set undisturbed for 5 minutes to settle at bottom of pot.
• Drain off the whey to level of the curd. Add tap water at 60 degrees until temperature of curd water reaches 80 F. Stir while adding the water. Hold curd at 80 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir to keep from matting. (Moisture content of the cheese is controlled by temperature of the water added... dryer cheese keep at a few degrees higher than 80 degrees, if moisture cheese is desired keep at few degrees below 80 degrees.)
• Pour curds into cheesecloth lined colander. Allow curds to drain 20 minutes.
• Place curds into large bowl, add salt, add seasonings/herbs as desired. Mix thoroughly yet gently, breaking curds into thumbnail size pieces.
• Place cheese into cheesecloth lined mold. Press with 20 lbs for 20 minutes.
• Flip cheese and press with 20 lbs for 12 hours. Flip again and press with 20 lbs for 12 hours.
• Remove cheese from mold. Remove cheesecloth and place on drying rack to air dry for several days, flipping every 12 hours.
• Wax and store at 50 degrees for 2-3 months. Turn the cheese daily for first couple of days, then at least once a week until eaten.

Homemade Butter Recipe

1/2 gallon cream, skimmed from top of fresh milk
1 packet sour cream culture
cold distilled water (chemical free water)
Be sure to have a blender, and stainless steal: mixing bowl, large spoon, soup ladle and strainer

• Stir in one packet of sour cream culture into jar of fresh cream. Cover with lid. Leave on counter at room temperature for 24 hours. Then place into refrigerator until cold.
• Remove jar with soured cream. Stir and then remove the amount you want reserved for sour cream and place into glass jar with lid marked sour cream.
• From large jar of soured cream, remove 4 ladles of sour cream, and place into blender. Add about 8 oz cold water. Blend on high until you see a break from just liquid to solids floating in the liquid. Stop blender and pour contents into strainer over a bowl. The solid left in the strainer is the butter! Shake the strainer a bit to get most of the liquid out. Place this ball of butter into another bowl.
• Repeat the process until all soured cream has resulted in butter.
• Remove a scoop of butter, place it into a cleaned blender, add 8 oz of water, and start the blender. This is a fast process of washing the butter, removing all the buttermilk from the butter. Wash each scoop three times, then place the washed butter into clean large stainless steel mixing bowl.
• Once all washed butter is in the mixing bowl, take the large stainless steal spoon and smash the butter over and over. You will see water released. Drain this off as you go. You know you are done when your smashing results in no water being released.
• Remove the fresh butter from the mixing bowl and place into containers for storing.