Easy and Delicious Homemade Cottage Cheese (without Rennet)



Making homemade cottage cheese is so much easier than you might think.  If you are like me, you may not have tried to make your own because you either didn't know that you could, or because you'd heard that you must have an ingredient called "rennet". 

I've not searched for rennet in my local store but it's not an item that I've ever stumbled upon.  It just sounds like an ingredient that would need to be special ordered!

I was so excited to find a recipe that doesn't call for rennet at macheesmo.com.  It only calls for vinegar, milk, salt, and half-n-half (I just substituted milk for the half-n-half with amazing results).  If you like cottage cheese, you have got to try this recipe.  It's super easy and incredibly delicious!  Thanks macheesmo!



To make your cottage cheese you will need two ingredients to begin ~
1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 gallon of milk (that is 8 cups).  I used whole milk but
I think you could use skim, 1%, or 2% as well

1) Heat 1/2 gallon of milk on medium heat, stir slowly and constantly until the milk is approximately 120 degrees F.  Macheesmo didn't have a thermometer, and I didn't  either. He said to heat until the milk felt warm. I just heated the milk until it felt as warm as I like my showers.



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2) Place a colander inside of a larger bowl to catch the whey that will soon be separated from the curds.

3) Line the colander with a tea towel, cheesecloth or similar clean cloth.  I used a clean baby blanket, the receiving type. 

4) Once the the milk has reached 120 degrees, remove from heat. Pour and gently stir in the 1/2 cup of vinegar. 



Immediately, the milk will start to curdle.  Very cool! 

Your concoction will look like this.

5) Put a lid on the pan and let sit for 30 minutes to cool down and firm up.

6) Pour mixture (gently) through cloth lined colander.

7) Remember to remove bowl with whey and rinse the curds in cold water.  I used my (clean) fingers to separate and rinse the curds. The rinsing helps remove the vinegar and cools your cheese down even more.

8) Gather cloth and gently squeeze out excess liquid. 

10) Mix 1/2 cup of milk or cream with 1/8th tsp salt (more or less to taste)
Add curds to the milk (or half n half) and salt mixture.

11) Gently stir mixture.  If it seems dry, you can add more milk or half-n-half.  Recipe made approximately 2 cups.

12) Cover and refrigerate.  This photograph was taken for informational purposes only.  Afterward, we basically ate the whole thing.

For a good resource on making your own dairy
products ~

Homemade Living: Home Dairy with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Cheese, Yogurt, Butter & More

13) Save your whey to use in bread, shakes, soup, etc.  There are plenty of great ideas online on how to use this nutritional liquid.  I made bread with mine.  It was very tasty!

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Pickle Your Vegetables Using Salt (Lacto-fermentation)

 
My husband was reminded of one of the traditional ways that his grandmother preserved vegetables when he heard  Sandor Katz on a NPR broadcast.  Mr. Katz is an expert on fermented foods so I encourage you to check out his (click here) site.


 
Simply put, lacto-fermentation means you submerge vegetables into a salty brine (using either unchlorinated water or the vegetable's own juices).  The salt wipes out the bad bacteria that could harm us and allows the lactobacillus organisms to convert lactose and other sugars into lactic acid.  Lactic acid preserves the food and gives it an amazing tangy taste.

Fermented foods are not only extremely tasty, they are good for you!  You can find out more about fermented foods here ~

The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods

Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods

My Experiment ~

Excited to try a new way to preserve some of our garden harvest I quickly found some simple instructions online for saurekraut and adapted;  thank you Keeper of the Home! 

1. Start with firm ripe vegetables, be certain to
remove any dirt with a good rinsing.

2. Grate vegetables with a cheese grater
or food processor.

3. Sprinkle layers of vegetables with salt.
Most recipes give a ratio of 5 lbs of vegetables
to 3 Tbsp salt.
I really didn't measure.  I just sprinkled a layer with
salt and added another layer of vegetables, so on
and so forth.  Easy enough!

4. Let the salted vegetables sit at room temperature
in a bowl and periodically tamp the vegetables down
to help release the natural juices.



5. Once the juices have been released (approximately
30 minutes or so) put the vegetables into a clean
dry glass jar or crock. Be sure to submerge the
vegetables in their own salted juices.  It's
really important that the vegetables be covered
with the brine.

6. Store at room temperature in a dark, dry place.  The cabinet in my laundry room was perfect.  Loosen lid every day to release the build up of gases and to skim off any white mold.  The mold won't hurt you but it can make the finished product taste a little funky!

7. Once your product tastes more sour than
salty and is bubbly, you can transfer to the
refrigerator.  Eat and enjoy! 
It should be perfectly safe for several months.

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How to Preserve Green Beans Without Canning



 


We've been blessed with huge crops of green beans
this year! 

  



The children aren't so sure it's a blessing as
they are my cheap labor!

 




I do like to can (pressure can) green beans but my husband
prefers the fresh taste of frozen.  Freezing is a very easy
process and you don't need any special equipment.  As long as
you have freezer space and a big stock pot, you can freeze
veggies for storage.  You'll only need to purchase freezer
bags or other airtight storage containers. You could even
use butter tubs!


Another method of food preservation that I like to utilize is
dehydration.  The preparation method for freezing and dehydrating
are really the same. 

 


1) Clean your green beans!  If you don't use pesticides, you
will only need water. 
 If you use pesticides or have purchased from the store
wash in a mild soapy solution.
I dump my produce in the left side of my sink
and fill with cold water. 
Then I fill up the right side to use as a final rinse. 
I place a large bowl or dishpan to contain
the beans ready to blanch.

2) With your hands or a paring knife, remove the stem end,
strings and any bug bites or damaged spots. 
Swish around in your rinse 
water and put in your "ready to blanch" container.   






3) Bring a large stockpot of water to a rolling boil.  Add
prepared green beans and let simmer for approximately 2 to 3
minutes.  You'll know when the beans have been in long enough
because their color will change to bright green.  This process is
referred to as "blanching".  It kills the enzymes that cause decay.
The blanching process actually preserves vitamin content.
Don't skip this step or your beans will get a freezer burnt taste and
get tough.   But remember to not leave in too long or you'll just
have cooked green beans and lose valuable nutrition.




4) Quickly remove your blanched beans from the boiling
water.  I like to place a colander inside of a larger
bowl and place the beans in it using a slotted spoon to remove
from the boiling water.  This way, I can reuse the same water
instead of dumping it.




5) Cool your beans in cold water immediately to stop the
cooking process.  If necessary, you can use ice as well.




6) Drain your chilled beans, place in ziplock bags or other
storage containers, remove air if possible and freeze!
You're done!




If you would like to dehydrate your beans, simply place
on your dehydrating trays and follow manufacturer
instructions.  I will post an article soon on dehydrating in
your oven. 

My favorite dehydrator (I have several)
is

My beans are usually dehydrated to a crisp texture in about
12 hours.





Dehydrated beans ~ They are excellent for using in soups and
stews as they absorb the flavors of the broth. 




Another perk of dehydrating is the small storage
space required.  You only need an airtight container
to keep your dehydrated beans.



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