Queso Fresco: How to Make It

"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."

-G.K. Chesterton

Cheese-making belongs to that class of mysterious household arts from which many shrink alongside homemade croissants, folding fitted sheets, and whether balsamic ought to be stored in the fridge or pantry. How does one make cheese? is the question many seem to hold at arm's length as if proper admittance of such a question might mark one as an eccentric. Surely it can't be terribly difficult if Bedouin trampers can make it in their wine-skins while trotting about camel-back … and yet there was that one article discussing the vehement battle fought to secure the name of a certain type of cheese as belonging only to cheeses made in a certain set of caves somewhere in France. So maybe it is difficult?

I have tried my hand at making goat's cheese before to small failure. It wasn't that the cheese didn't work so much as the fact that it didn't taste like the cheese I had eaten elsewhere. It didn't taste like chevre. Huge surprise, considering I didn't buy chevre culture (or any culture at all). It turns out that the cheese one can make without cultures and rennet is loosely called “queso fresco” which sounds like Spenglish for “fresh cheese” which is the essential character of the thing. We have begun a goat share program which has helped with cutting down on the gallons of excess milk that seem to collect around the house, but there was still plenty of extra and Mama requested that I preserve our lives by making cheese in the few days I am home between iGovern camps.

She had purchased cheese cultures and rennet last year but it seems that you are supposed to store those accoutrements in the refrigerator, not a kitchen drawer. Ehehehe. Then it was queso fresco again for me. I rolled up my mental sleeves, Mama laid out the cheese-making things, and there I was. The secret about queso fresco is best said in the words of the blogger at Serious Eats: “It's almost as easy as making a pot of tea. Except you need cheesecloth.”

In faith, she's right. All you need to make goat cheese is unpasteurized (or very lightly pasteurized) milk, a large pot, some vinegar or lemon juice, and some cheesecloth. Heat one gallon of milk, stirring occasionally, till wisps of steam come off the surface, or to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the heat, stir in 1/2 cup of the vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for a while till curdles form. Strain the curdles into a cheese-cloth-lined colander, then tie the corners of your cloth into a bag and "hang" your cheese by sliding a wooden spoon through the knots and dangling it to drip by weight so it isn't a soggy mess. Then you take it down, mush a lot of fabulous flavors into it, and voila: you've made queso fresco.

I have made five batches in the fifteen hours, resulting in some pretty darn fabulous combinations. First three batches were:

Mediterranean Herb

(cheese salt, fresh basil, oregano, and thyme)

Garlic & Cracked Pepper

(flaked pink sea-salt, micro-planed garlic, cracked peppercorns, a dribble of olive oil)

Pistachio & Chives

(cheese salt, minced chives and chopped pistachios)

And because I was feeling adventurous with today's batches, I took a fruity botanical route with:

Apricot-Cayenne-Mace

(dried apricots, sprinkles of dried ginger, cayenne, and mace, and chopped borage flowers)

Boysenberry

(macerated boysenberries in honey, cheese salt)

Mama went to the store today and brought home crackers and sweet cherries and we had a royal feast upon her return. I cannot wait to get back in town and try out our other flavor combos we brainstormed today (lemon-dill and orange-basil?). I also received the good news that Mama ordered three new cultures as well as citric acid which means that we'll be able to make mozzerella and real chevre among other things. Ohhhhh yessssss. And if it couldn't be any better, my friend Brittany (whose company I've been able to enjoy in our home this week) read to me an essay by Chesterton on "The Neglect of Cheese in European Literature". It is hilarious.

Let the hunger games begin.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

I know I promised that I would post pictures from our garden once it started growing. Well, it's growing now, but the camera's battery-charger won't charge so we're back to square one. Daniel willingly let me borrow his iPhone [again] to take these pictures. Thanks, ducky-luv. I can't imagine what in tarnation I'll do when he gets married and goes off! :D Hopefully I'll have a working camera by then.

So today we went out to pound in pea-stakes [lah-dee-dah...can't stand that job :P] but lo and behold the awesomeness of the Perennial! ;) The mint that had done absolutely nothing last year was apparently stimulated by Dad's tilling it up and strewing it every which-way. It has taken residence across several beds of peas. I couldn't bear to just pull it up like weeds, so Abby and I set ourselves the task of rummaging it all out and potting it. Oh Happy Day! I love distracting-and-entirely-worthwhile jobs! :D We filled up the empty spots in our herb bed, planted a ring of it around a tree in the woods, (woodland garden, anyone? I'll let you know how it grows) and put the rest of it in little pots. We'll end up selling it, I'm sure. Entrepreneurial endeavors you know. We were already planning on selling our extras of other herbs. 

These were such a great blessing! I had given up all hope of mint and now (after the woodland garden and the herb bed) we have 40-some plants each of spearmint and peppermint! Sing ho for the life-cycle of a perennial plant! What a lot of joy it is to find something that doesn't need coaxing along! :D 

Not only that, but in the midst of all our rummaging, Aunt Christy brought Mama a Bunch of Happiness from her garden--all the perennial cutting-flowers she planted over there last year have bloomed and flourished! 

At the very base of the vase, see the claret-colored snapdragons? Those smell exactly like cranberry juice. No kidding. And I was bemoaning the fact that we hadn't planted any this year! I forgot they were perennials and that Aunt Christy probably had some over at her house. Thank you, Jesus! My nose was longing for a great snuff of it and I really felt slightly panicked that I wasn't going to get my fill of that regal fragrance.

The Pomegranate Yarrow--the most gorgeous stuff! And though ours hasn't bloomed fully yet, it's growing swimmingly at the bottom of the herb-garden. It gets to be 3 feet round and ours are already about a foot-and-a-half across. I also transplanted some misplaced yarrow into its proper arena so we'll have a fresh bed of it next year! Aren't country flower bouquets the best? I'm also loving that campulana (bellflower) up at the top of the picture. At least that's what I think it is. Not certain on that point. I love dark red flowers...not roses, necessarily, but other dark red flowers. There is something so mysterious and regal and...lasting about them. They give me delighted little shivers. :)

My lovely, wind-blown assistant, Abby, preparing to feed the baby goats. :)

So what about you? What's blooming/growing/budding/harvesting over in your plots?

Now please take note, there was a man who had a goat.

I told you I'd post pictures of our new baby goats as soon as they were born. I will admit that despite my grudge against goats in general and these goats in particular, they have their moments of adorableness. Witness my weakening:

This is Anna holding Harriet. (Think "Miss Smith" :)

Sarah with newborn Emma. ("Oh, Miss Woodhouse!" :)

Skinny, saucy little Flynn--the only chap in this lot. I suppose he'll have his pick of a bride(s) when he comes of age. :P

And this, my dear friends, is the prettiest of the lot:

Little Miss Nessa. :)

I am conscious of the fact that these goatlings will grow up into great big devilish creatures. I am sensible to the hours of goat-chasing that loom above us. I am aware of all of these things, but I still have to admit that they are cute little trouble-makers.

10:30 on a Monday mornin'.

...and I was allowed to sleep in till 9:30, viewing the nature of our weekend. :) All the goats have had their kids! We are now up to nine (?) goats so I suspect selling some of them will be in the plans for the near future.

Let's see....Daisy had Emma and Harriet...(who is not so docile as her name leads you to believe. :P)

...Dove followed suit with a great big boy they dubbed Flynn Ryder. :)

And just this morning Lizzy had a girl that is yet nameless. :) But this is to be a post of catching-up-miscellany. It has no real topic, which is why it was difficult for me to find a name for the post. :P First off, I wanted to post a picture that just about sums up my theory on the subject of the sort of chap I'd love to marry. (as far as trivialities go. :)

Because what could be better than a gentleman in blue jeans? Nothin'. :) The trip down to North Carolina was great and uneventful, though my bum requires much standing up today to counteract all the sitting down of yesterday. We drove an 1 1/2 hours to their church, then to lunch, then to A.C. Moore with Annabeth to get the ribbon and tulle Sarah and I need to make her pew-bows for the wedding, then back to the church. Then we drove to Annabeth's brother-in-law's house to drop her off and pick up Daniel, then we drove 1 1/2 hours back to the Taylors, and finally another 2+ hours home again, home again, jiggity-jig. :D But it was all worth it. I think the wedding shower was a great success and I got to see the two girls' whose hair I have been put in charge of doing for the wedding. I love doing hair and I think I'm a fair hand at it--I understand face-shapes and what styles look best with that face so that there is no looking bald or looking poodle-ish. :D I've done hair for  graduations and for a flower-girl at a wedding, but I'm looking forward to doing some bridesmaids for real. It will be so much fun.

Last but certainly not least [and I put it down here because I wanted to leave you on this note] I wanted to show you a simply wonderful song we sang in worship time at the Taylor's church yesterday. I've sung it several times there and it has blessed me every time. :)

♫"These guilty hands I raise, filthy rags are all I bring and I have come to hide beneath Your wings. These holy hands I raise, washed in the fountain of Your grace, and now I wear Your righteousness." ♫

Have a beauteous, blessed Monday, everyone! Tell me, what are your plans for the week? :)