Making Mozzarella Cheese

I love this book by Barbara Kingsolver. In it, she tells how she and her family lived for a year on things they grew and raised on their farm. Everyone needs to read it. The book contains many of the recipes they used, including one for mozzarella cheese. I had never made cheese, and wanted to give it a try.

You need one gallon of pasteurized whole milk in a stainless steel pot and a cooking thermometer. Gently heat the milk to 55 degrees.

Mix 1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. Add to the milk when it reaches 55 degrees.

Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. Add to milk when it has reached 88 degrees. Stir gently. The milk curdles very quickly.

When milk reaches just over 100 degrees, remove from heat. The curds should be pulling away from the sides of the pot.

Using a slotted utensil, remove the curds from the liquid, or whey.

You will have lots of whey, which is very high in protein. Commercially, it is used to make protein powder and other products, but I don't know how to do that. After it was cool, I poured it on my pots of herbs.

Press curds gently to remove all the liquid. Heat in the microwave for a minute, and squeeze again. You may need to do this several times to remove all the liquid.

When it looks like this, salt to taste (I used about a teaspoon full). Knead and pull it like taffy until it is smooth and elastic.

The end result was these two 8-ounce balls of mozzarella. It was very good, although it had a different texture than what we get at the store.

I was surprised at how easy it was to make. I think most people could make it who wanted cheese that is really fresh and free of preservatives. You won't save a lot of money unless you have a source of milk other than the supermarket.

Comments

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (o...

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier in Europe. Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life. Some Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars. My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and wil...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Search This Blog