From Beside The Cheese Pot: Recent Episodes

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Join Rachel and I for a tea and a milkmaid chat in this exclusive podcast! 
Rachel is a mom to 8, milkmaid, cheesemaker, and homesteader. She has a huge amount of wisdom and I am so honoured that she agreed to be a guest for the first instillation of  The Milkmaid Society podcast. 
Grab your own cup of tea, listen in, and then be sure to give @housefullofjays a follow on instagram. 

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Its an early Sunday morning and I finally have a few minutes of quiet in the house to record a new podcast.
Choosing a lactic bacteria culture for your cheesemaking can be one of the most intimidating things as you learn to make cheese. In this podcast I talk a little bit about choosing a freeze dried culture for cheesemaking, and I touch on natural cheesemaking techniques. Stay tuned for my next podcast where I dive deeper into natural cultures, and natural cheesemaking techniques.
Want to learn more? Check out my Homestead Cheesemaking 101 Course, a course built for homesteaders who want to learn to turn their milk into cheese!

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Last Friday I went to visit my friend Aimee from Antler Spring Farms. Aimee is a goats milk cheesemaker that has been milking goats and turning that milk into cheese for her family, for the last four years.

Aimee and I are long time friend,  but I hadn't been to her home in over 10 years. As I pulled into her driveway I was greeted by Aimee and her daughter Amelia, and their herd of 25 milk goats. After our goat tour I was invited inside, and sitting at Aimee's counter we recorded this podcast over some Chèvre.

Listen on, as Aimee teaches us all about what owning goats is like, how she got into it, how you can get started, and about all the benefits goats can bring to your life.

You can follow along with Aimee on Instagram and Facebook. Also be sure to check out Aimee's Goat Milk Soap. She will ship to both Canada, and the USA, and I can't recommend it enough. Beautiful, Soft and Gentle, it has a place by our sink, and I can't wait to order more to gift this holiday season! 

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When I first learned to make cheese, aging was the most intimidating part, and to be honest, it still is. There is so much to learn about aging cheese, but the good news is that it can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. 
In this episode I give you the very basic steps of setting up an aging area, so that no matter what your situation is, you can still age your cheese. 

Salt Generated Humidity Reference 
https://blog.cheesemaking.com/controlling-humidity-in-your-cheese-cave/

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As Homestead Cheesemakers we can often feel bombarded with all of the science surrounding cheesemaking. All we want to do is turn our milk into cheese, but to figure out how to work through a recipe, we often find ourselves wading through an ocean of information. 
This episode takes you through a very basic lesson on composition of cows milk. It scratches the surface of the main components of milk, so that you will better be able to understand the reactions that occur during cheesemaking. 
Milk is naturally meant to make cheese, and if you can understand that natural process a little better, it will help you to feel more comfortable at the cheese pot. 

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When I first learned to make cheese I would lay awake at night wondering if my milk was safe to feed to my family. I was feeding it to children after all, and a quick google of the subject is enough to send you running. 
In this episode I take you through a little bit of the history behind raw milk regulations and then I take you into a deep dive of all things safe milk handling practises. My hope is that after listening to this podcast, you won't have to lie awake wondering ever again. I know I don't! 
Want to learn more?
Check out my Homestead Cheesemaking 101 Course on my website at www.cheesefromscratch.com
Follow me on instagram @cheese_from_scratch_
Subscribe to me on YouTube

Happy Cheesemaking!