Making Chevre

The curds are wrapped in cheesecloth and left to hang for two days to remove all the whey

Mix the warm goat milk with the rennet and the culture and let sit for 18-24 hours

When using using molds, spoon the curds into the molds and let them sit for two days over a rack placed in a pan

Making Chevre is so easy to do and it tastes better than any artisan cheese you can buy . This cheese tastes unbelievably fresh and it is such a fantastic feeling to sit down to a salad that you have grown topped with Chevre you made from fresh goat milk.. Once you make a batch you will never buy it again...

All you need is:

2 gallon fresh goat milk
2 drops liquid vegetable rennet
2 packets of Chevre starter ..but if you don't have this 1/4 cups live cultured buttermilk will work

cheese cloth or molds

a thermometer that goes down to at least 70 degrees

All equipment must be sterilized before you begin

You can get the starter and molds online from the New England Cheese Supply Company

Heat the milk to 86 degrees. Remove from heat and add the starter and the rennet. Mix well and let culture sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

The curd will separate from the whey and you will have a large mass of curds.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon the curds into the molds. If you do not have molds, line a sieve with cheesecloth and spoon the curds into it.

Once the molds are filled cover them with foil and place them on a wire rack that is set over a pan that is about 2 inches thick. As the cheese sets it will loose a lot more whey and the whey will go into the pan. If you are using the cheesecloth method, lift the bundle out of the sieve, tie a string around it to make a bag and hand the bag over a bowl so that the whey can drop into the bowl.

Let the curds sit for two days either in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter.

After the whey has drained the curds will have shrunk by about 50 percent. Unmold the cheese. Season with -salt, fresh herbs or pepper...it is now ready to enjoy

The cheese will last about two weeks covered in the refrigerator.....