SC - Chessy Question

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Tollhase1 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Dear Gentles and Rude Mechanical's on said list,

I'm not sure which category I fall into, but...
 
> I do a lot of sheep farmers in area.

Please, what you do in your own time is your business, and possibly the
local constabulary's! I don't wanna know! (heh heh, couldn't throw away
a straight line like that, now could I?)

> Oh how does one milk a ewe
> (besides carefully). What regulations are there concerning using raw milk?

All I know is that in some places it is illegal to sell raw milk for
human consumption. You may be able to buy fresh goat's milk, or
something, to slop your hogs with. There are ways around most such regulations.
 
> Does it still need to be pasteurized prior to making cheese, or can it be
> done afterwards.  Are there Places to purchase Raw milk, or at this point in
> my craft it won't make a difference.

As far as I know, the main enemy for cheesemaking is _homogenized_ milk,
not pasteurized milk. I've made many perfectly fine cheeses with
pasteurized, non-homogenized milk in the standard grocery-store paper
half-gallon cartons. Most large health-food stores (the kind that sell
stuff other than jars of vitamins and Weight Gain 4000 ["BEEFCAKE!!!!"]
) sell non-homogenized milk. The trouble with homogenized milk is that
the butterfat acts, effectively, as a shortening, preventing protein
molecules from growing into chains, as is supposed to happen when milk
forms curds, so you can't get a good firm curd with homogenized milk
unless you add any of various chemicals, like calcium carbonate.

You might consider that route anyway, if you want to experiment on a
small scale while you get started. The New England Cheese Supplier place
you mention sells calcium carbonate solution; you add a couple drops to
a gallon of homogenized milk and you're ready to go. I'd advise this
more in the case of a city-dweller who might have trouble getting the
necessary unhomogenized milk. Your call.
 
> I have found the New England Cheese Supplier on the net.  Are there any local
> places to Mansfield, Ohio (half way between Cleveland and Columbus Ohio)
> Is it true that say Joann fabric cheese clothe does NOT work for cheesemaking?
> 
> The book titles that I have found interesting are:
> 
> Cheese Making Made Easy

You might also try Jocasta Innes' _The Country Kitchen_
©1979 Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd.
London
ISBN 0-906459-01-X

She has an excellent and comprehensive chapter on cheesemaking.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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