On the Cheese Making Front...

I'm gearing up to begin making more difficult cheeses than I've made in the past. I've made my fair share of fresh and soft aged cheeses which have given me basic knowledge of the principals and processes involved. It's also given me the confidence to move on to some harder, longer aged cheeses. My first endeavor in to the hard, long aged cheese realm will be making Leicester which is a mild, hard cheese with a flavor a akin to cheddar. Leicester hails from Leicester County, England and is made from cow's milk. Typically it's at its' best after being aged for 9 months but can be eaten when it's younger. I will also be making some cheeses that can be enjoyed sooner after being made such as Haloumi from Cypress, Italian Provolone and Derby cheese from Derbyshire, England. Provolone can be eaten as soon as two months in to aging and Derby after three months in to aging. Haloumi is best eaten within 60 days of making it so it will be the first we get to enjoy. I just ordered more mesophilic starter, rennet and cheese wax to dip the Derby in.

My total cost to make these cheeses will be:

2 lbs. Haloumi: $10.98 total ($5.49/pound) vs. store bought price $10.98/pound

2 lbs. Leicester: $11.60 total ($5.80/pound) vs. store bought price: $12.26/pound

2 lbs. Derby: $11.60 total ($5.80/pound) vs. store bought price: $18.95/pound

Average ho-hum store bought cheese is expensive and artisan cheese can be ridiculously expensive. A very small wedge or round of fine cheese can command upwards of $12.00!!! Because of this, we buy our cheese sparingly and cherish it lovingly. Making cheese can be time consuming and requires strict sanitation and adherence to directions, but it is not hard to make and the main cost involved is always the milk. The starters, salt and other types of ingredients are relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, starters can actually be kept alive and nourished so that you don't have to continue buying them every time you make a certain cheese. I'm not quite up for the task of nurturing starters so I simply order a new ones each time I decide to make cheese.