Getting Started With Aged 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.

Aged cheeses are the apex of the home dairy. It’s almost magic that pressing out the whey and allowing the cheese to age, culture, and ripen over time amplifies the depth and complexity of the flavors so drastically.

Milk is delicious – but aged cheeses? Wow.

I can’t even describe the sense of accomplishment you will feel when you pull out the first (of many to come!) homemade wheel of cheese. You’ll arrange a beautiful cheeseboard for guests, or cut fat slices to nourish hungry tummies or dress your salad or melt over your home grilled burgers. It’s gonna be amazing.

But until you get the hang of it and learn the skills you need to make it happen, it feels intimidating and overwhelming. I know, I’ve been there.

Come join me in my kitchen on Saturday April 12th 1-4pm. I’ll pull out my cheese pot and molds and cheesecloth and cheese press and together we’ll make a wheel of Gouda cheese.

In my opinion, Gouda is the most versatile home dairy aged cheese. It ages quickly – it’s ready to eat in just 6 weeks (many cheese take 3, 6, 12, even 18 months to fully develop their distinctive flavor and texture).

Gouda is mild (and delicious!) and excellent in every form: sliced, cubed, grated, melted, etc. It’s good young (6 weeks) and old (6 months or more), so depending on how quickly you need it and/or how patient you can be, it’s rewarding at every stage.

Making gouda is also a simple, straightforward process (as opposed to cheddar, say!) that will allow us to learn, discuss, and practice every step of making an aged cheese so you can go home and replicate the process for any aged cheese you want to try!

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

• See & learn about all the equipment you’ll need to make your own pressed/aged cheeses at home (including options for making a DIY cheese press)
• Learn several techniques to acidify your cheese, how to cut the curds, drain the whey, fold into a mold, and press
• Learn how to tell when the cheese is dry enough, how to salt the cheese and/or make a brine & how to prep the cheese for aging
• Learn to adapt these techniques in many ways to make many different varieties of aged cheese
• Learn how to properly keep and store cheeses in the fridge
• Take home a delicious sampling of the very cheese you’ve made to impress and share with your friends and family

If you’re ready to take your home dairying to the next level and learn to make your own aged cheeses at home, reserve your spot for this hands-on workshop.

You can do this. I’ll teach you how.

Class Fee: $125 per person; includes 3+ hours of workshop, instruction, and hands-on practice, a hefty class workbook with recipes and instructions to take home, and generous helpings of my favorite homemade cheeses and accompaniments. Yum!