Beginner Cheesemaking: Soft Cheeses

I’m a firm believer in the mantra “Everything is figure-out-able.” But by golly, it sure helps to learn from someone who’s already figured it out.

Skip ahead on your learning curve in your quest to make your own dairy products by learning and practicing the skills and techniques you need to make these simple soft cheeses: Whole-Milk Ricotta, Cottage Cheese, Labneh, and Paneer.

Join me in my kitchen Saturday February 15th 1-3pm as I walk you through each step of the process, appropriate raw milk and cheesemaking safety, and all the tips and tricks I’ve learned through trial and error to streamline the process and make it manageable (after all, I have five kids, several milk cows, a dozen or more pigs, and a couple hundred chickens. I don’t have all day to stand around the cheese pot, and neither do you).

We’ll discuss the incredible properties in milk that makes the change into cheese so remarkable and how by changing the temperature, process, method, and technique we achieve different dairy products. 

In this class, you’ll also have the opportunity to

• Learn about all the basic equipment you’ll need to get started with cheesemaking (spoiler alert: you likely already have almost everything you need in your home kitchen)
• See in-person and practice hands-on the skills and techniques you’ll need to make home dairying a success
• Learn the steps to make cheese with pasteurized milk in case you don’t have access to raw milk (and why each step is necessary to get the right results)
• Learn how to adapt a cheesemaking recipe designed for pasteurized milk if you will be using raw milk (e.g. most cheesemaking books/manuals)
• Come away with several recipes using the very cheeses you’ve learned to make
• Ask all the questions about all the things
• Take home a sampling of each of the delicious cheeses we’ll make in class 

You’ll be equipped – and empowered – with the knowledge you need to take the next step in your journey to making your own dairy products at home.

If you have (or want to have) a milk cow, this class is for you!

If you participate in (or want to participate in) a raw milk herd share, this class is for you!

But this class is for you even if you don’t (yet) have a milk cow of your own or have access to raw milk. All of these cheeses can be made with good-quality milk from the store (and I’ll tell you my favorite dairies and the best milk to use to get the results you want!).

Forget getting your nails done. Learning to make cheese is way more fun.

Bring your girlfriends, or your family, or your kids and make a day of it! Give the gift of knowledge and skills, and of an appreciation of the work and love and attention it takes to make good, wholesome, nutrient-dense foods right in your kitchen.

If you’re ready to add the skills of making your own cheese and dairy products, reserve your spot for this hands-on workshop.

You can do this. I’ll teach you how.

Class Fee: $125 includes 2+ hours of workshop, instruction, and hands-on practice, a hefty class workbook with recipes and instructions to take home, and generous helpings of fresh-as-it-gets soft cheeses you’ve made yourself.