Yesterday we used our new equipment to make its first batch of cheese. It was an educational experience. We did end up with cheese– time will tell whether it comes out like it should. And we learned a few things:
- Our minimum batch size is 50 gallons. We tried to make a 30 gallon batch, and it didn’t agitate properly– and the thermometer probe wasn’t long enough to register the temperature properly.
- It takes a lot of time to scoop 30 gallons of curd out of the vat with a scoop– too long in fact. The consistency of the curd changes over time, and we need it to all be the same as we put it into the molds. It would be easier to remove them through the outlet valve– and we’ll need to come up with a method to ensure the valve is clean and sanitary.
- Our drain table isn’t big enough for 30 pounds of cheese. We need another one, or a bigger one.
- A 30 gallon batch produces about 25 gallons of whey. A 50 gallon batch will produce even more. The goats won’t drink that much in a single day. We need to come up with a better means of disposal than dumping it on the garden.
Still, until now we’ve been making our cheese 8 pounds at a time. It’s pretty amazing to see 30-odd pounds of cheese sitting on the drain table, waiting to go into the cave.
