Waste Not Want Not...

I recently read an article in Whole Living magazine that informed me that the average American household wastes 14% of total food purchased, about $1600 worth for the average family! Waste of any sort is one of my pet peeves, but even my family is not immune. Of course having dogs, chickens, and our buddy Frank the tortoise helps. Between the lot of them, not much goes uneaten, including scraps that would normally go in the garbage. One item that regularly goes bad before it gets used is milk. It is shamefully common for an unopened carton of milk to pass it's expiration date here at the homestead. Milk is good for several days past the date stamp, but I could tell my family that until I am blue in the face and nobody would touch it. But luckily, I've got a solution for that. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade and when you get expired milk, make cheese. (Since it has no rennet, it's technically not cheese, but that what we're calling it.)

First, you gotta prep. You need milk and either vinegar or lemon juice, about a quarter cup per half gallon of milk. You also need cheesecloth or a very thin towel, a strainer, and a bowl to catch the whey. A thermometer is nice, but I bet you can get by without it.  Make sure everything is very clean. I usually wet the towel and then microwave it for 30 seconds or so to kill any cooties, but I'm kind of a germaphobe. Heat the milk in a heavy non-stick saucepan to about 180 degrees, stirring occasionally. Some recipes will tell you to stir constantly so the milk won't burn on the bottom, but since I hate standing at the stove and my chickens love the browned milk that forms a skin on the bottom of the pan, I don't hassle with it. It's easier to remove if you spray the pan with Pam before you start, but as long as you soak the pan a little, it will be no problem.

When the milk comes to temperature, pour in the vinegar and turn off the heat. I wait a few seconds before stirring gently to mix the milk and vinegar. You will see curds almost immediately. Carefully pour into the cheesecloth lined strainer. I put the strainer over a large bowl to catch the whey, but if you are not interested in saving the whey, just do it in the (very clean) sink. Bundle up the cheesecloth into a pouch and gently squeeze out some of the liquid, simultaneously shaping your cheese into a ball. Let it sit and drain for an hour or so. You can place something heavy on top to speed the process if you wish.

I cannot tell you how much chickens love this cheese. Even Elsa, who is Mother of the Year, has a hard time feeding this to her babies before she herself gobbles it up. You can tell she feels bad about it but she just can't help herself.

You can also make this cheese for humans, and you can use milk that's fresh. You may want to season it though with a little salt. It's very good, bland and creamy like ricotta. And there you have it. Never pour milk down the drain again!