So it's time for our fall projects, and if you could see the stack of how-to library books on our table you might wonder if we're just a little too ambitious.
In two weeks, we will embark on a butchering and charcuterie adventure--our white pig, which has been growing fat since spring at our friends John and Bri's house, along with two other pigs, is almost bacon. (I think that's the nicest way to say it.) Our pork plans involve some simple charcuterie (curing bacon and dry-curing jowls), sausage-making, and lots of pork chops. I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer poundage of pork descending on our freezer and the many ways to cure and cook it--but since we plan to raise many more pigs in the future, we're going to start simple.
Meanwhile, we've suddenly plunged into the world of cheesemaking (very novice and experimental cheesemaking). We're starting to learn how to milk a jersey cow named Jingle, owned by an amazing island couple, Ben and Kelsey, who plan to start a creamery here. Jingle's giving about nine gallons of milk a day--so once we learn how to operate the milking machine, we'll be milking her once a week in exchange for four gallons of raw milk.
My first experiment was butter--a fresh-cream butter that I started in the food processor (with the paddle attachment, not the blade) and finished with my shaking machine (a.k.a. Tim). When we opened the Mason jar--ta da!--lumps of bright yellow butter were swimming in buttermilk. A thrill.
Yesterday, my dad and I took Ben and Kelsey's cheesemaking class, a hands-on introduction to making cultured butter, feta, mozzarella, fromage blanc, and ricotta. And yes, we feasted too, on everything we made plus wine, salad greens, veggie frittatas, sourdough bread, and some of Kelsey's alpine-style aged cheese. Add to that Ben and Kelsey's knowledge and love of artisan cheesemaking that carried us through the day--well, it was pretty much amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I just spent an afternoon with my packet of notes and almost two gallons of raw milk. Results? Pillowy ricotta cooling on the counter, yogurt fermenting in the oven (warmed by the pilot light), and a soft cheese separating into curds and whey in a bowl.
I am full of schemes: this week, trying cultured butter, which tastes infinitely butterier than fresh-cream butter, and a true fromage blanc. (The soft cheese from today is kind of a cheater's version, I think, as I didn't culture the cream and just used white vinegar to create the curds and whey.) More yogurt! Creme fraiche! As soon as my rennet and lipase from the New England Cheesemaking Supply arrive, I'm going to attempt feta.
As I'm skimming off cream and consulting my newest library book, Casco the farm cat is dozing upstairs in a fresh-milk-induced coma. If anyone's addicted to this new abundance of milk, it's him. He used to show up on our windowsill every few evenings for some cuddles and a nap on the couch, but the last few days he's been making morning, evening, and afternoon appearances--quite demanding appearances accompanied by yowls (much louder than meows) and tail-twitches. We may have unwittingly adopted him.
