Canning 101

Canning 101
Taught by Becca Clayton

1. Prepare your food to be canned- shell the peas, snap the beans to the size you want, take the corn off the cob, peel the tomatoes or peaches (dip in boiling water for a few minutes and then cold water to make it easy), cook down the applesauce and strain out the seeds/peels, make a big pot of chili, cook your jam, etc.
2. Prepare your supplies- hot, clean jars or lids (make sure the jar is lip has no breaks in it), canner full of hot water ready to go, jar lifter, a wet paper towel to clean the jar rims before putting on lids, a butter knife for getting out air bubbles if needed.
3. Put the food in the jar-
   1. Cold Pack- things that aren't cooked ahead of time can be put in the jar while “cold” (or room temperature) and then covered with hot or boiling water. Examples include green beans, corn, peaches.
   2. Hot Pack- things that are cooked ahead of time are put in the jar while hot. Usually these things have their own sauce (like jam or soup), but if not, cover with hot or boiling water.
4. Put the lid on the jar-
   1. Headspace- You want to have ¼ to ½ inch headspace, or air, at the top of the jar. This is so that as the food heats it can expand without spilling out of the jar. This also provides the air that will create the vacuum seal. So leave headspace. You can use a butter knife to get air bubbles out of the food (such as in a peach half or amid the green beans), then add more liquid if needed to get the headspace right. It is okay if there is more headspace, but it doesn't look as pretty and food that is out of the water may discolor over time.
   2. Clean the lip of the jar- food that is left on here can interfere with a good seal.
   3. Place a hot lid on the jar and hand tighten on a rim or band. Don't screw it down tight. We want air to be able to escape as it heats.
5. Run the canner- Put each jar in the canner, on opposite sides to keep the rack balanced so they don't all tip over. Once the canner is full or you are out of jars to put in it, process the food for the length of time or at the pounds of pressure your recipe or chart says is necessary.
6. Last steps- When the canning time is complete, turn off the heat and let the canner sit and cool for about 10 minutes (or until the pressure is gone in a pressure canner). Then tilt the lid and let it cool more. Then use the jar lifter to remove the jars. Set them on a dry towel in a place where they will be safe from being touched or having a sudden change in temperature because either could crack the glass. Let them cool for 24 hrs, then wipe the jars down clean, label them, and store them where you plan to keep them.

A note about canning times:

Waterbath: You wait until the canner is boiling again to start the timer. You want to turn the heat down some then so that it doesn't boil over, but if it stops boiling then you have to restart your timer once it boils again.

Steam Canning: You wait until the steam has been coming out of the hole with out any break for 10 minutes. Then you start your timer. You want to turn the heat down some so you don't boil all the water off, but if the steam stops coming out you have to then let it vent for 10 minutes again before starting the timer again.

Pressure Canning: You wait until it reaches the required pressure before starting the timer. You want to turn the heat down some so you don't go to a higher pressure than needed, but if it dips below the pressure then you have to restart the timer once you get it back to pressure.

High Altitude requires more canning/processing time.

Which Type of Canner Do I Use?

Hard and fast rule: You must pressure can low acid foods. This basically means anything that isn't fruit. Your recipe should say whether to pressure can it or not. If there is a mixture of different types of foods (i.e. soup or spaghetti sauce) and one of the foods is low acid, process it as a low acid food. The recipe/canning table should say how long to process it for, but if you can't find that then can/process it for the longest time any of the individual ingredients would require.

Foods that must be pressure canned: vegetables, meat, soup, spaghetti sauce with meat, etc.

Foods that don' need pressure canning: most fruits, tomatoes with added lemon juice (follow the recipe)

Steam Canner- 

 Pros: Heats up quicker, doesn't take as much water

 Cons: Not currently approved by the USDA because of fears that it may not heat through the glass as thoroughly

Waterbath Canner- 

 Pros: Tried and true with lots of research to prove its effectiveness

 Cons: Takes a long time to bring to a boil and uses a lot of water, heavy to move around

Pressure Canner- 

 Pros: Allows you to process low acid foods, can also be used as a pressure cooker, can also be used as a steam canner

 Cons: People are intimidated by it and scared of the high pressure, sometimes they are somewhat smaller than waterbath canners and may not hold as many jars.

Where do I Find Recipes?

1. The Internet
2. Canning books and old cookbooks- check out the library
3. Family recipes
4. Word of mouth- ask your friends
5. Inside pectin boxes or on packaging of other canning supplies
6. USDA extension office- they can also check your old pressure canner to make sure it is displaying an accurate pressure reading.

Where Do I Find Canning Supplies?

1. Your mom or grandma- Ask her! She may have a lot of stuff to give you for free!
2. Walmart has canning supplies and even canners for good prices, but it may be seasonal
3. Kroger and Harris Teeter both consistently have pectin, lids, and jars.

What Can You Can?

A lot more than you would think! I have personally canned spaghetti sauce, jams of all kinds, tomatoes, peaches, pears, applesauce, apricots, corn, green beans, chili sauce, apple pie filling, pickles, and jalapeno peppers. You can can meats- it makes tender meat, quick dinner prep, and preserves meat without taking freezer space. You can can dinner- soup, chili, spaghetti sauce. You can can family favorites- Mom's special chili sauce or Grandma's famous pickles. You can can lemonade or tomato juice. You can even "can" cakes or bread  (see recipes below)! You can't can foods that are too thick- like pumpkin- though, because the heat doesn't penetrate all the way through to the center. Other foods, like whole berries, preserve better with freezing because they lose their color when canned, or get mushy.

Does Canning Save Money?

It depends. At first canning costs a lot because you have to buy jars and lids and supplies. Most of those supplies are reusable year after year, so then you just have the cost of lids and the food that goes in the jars. Canning does give you the power to control exactly what goes into your food and also a way to preserve an overabundance of food during one season for use in another season. And home canned food tastes better than store bought canned food.

Tips for reducing the cost:

1. Free or Affordable Canning Jars- Ask around. Many relatives or ward members have boxes of canning jars in their attic that they no longer use and would love to give away. You can also find them at garage sales and thrift stores. Some glass mayonnaise jars can be used for canning. Just check and see if the canning rings fit their threads. If so, you can use them.

   
   

2. Free or Affordable Food- Grow food in your garden, ask around and let people know you would be willing to take their extra produce or fruit from a fruit tree in their yard, buy food in season and/or in bulk when on sale or at the farmer's market. The farmer's market will give you better quality produce for canning than the grocery store and you can usually negotiate with the sellers about price. Know that the price will fluctuate from year to year based on the harvest that year.

3. Supplies- You can buy pectin on sale at the end of jam season and use it the next year. The same is true for canning lids. Re-use your rings until they get rusty. If they have some rust, use them for the jars you give away or for jars in your fridge or storage, but not for canning itself.

A note about pectin: I buy the powdered pectin. It is more affordable and I have never gotten a good thick jam set from using liquid or no-cook pectin.

Is it Safe?

The Ball Blue Book or USDA guidelines are the gold standard to insure safety. The information from both is available online. They are the basic standards that you find all over the internet for how long to process foods for and it is based on years of research. Follow their standards and you will be safe. Or, as my grandma-in-law said, “A good can is all about cleanliness!”

And here is a handout from a class that my friend Teri Davis taught.  She gave me permission to post this on the blog.  There are some delicious and interesting recipes at the end of it.

Why do we need to use pressure canning?  

Simply cooking food doesn't ensure that it is free of bacteria. Once you can the food, you are putting the food in a perfect environment for bacterial growth. Botulism is one of the ugliest germs that grows in a can which has been improperly stored – and botulism can kill people! Even boiling water will not kill botulism spores. We use a pressure canner to reach temperatures much higher than 212F/100C that will ensure all of the botulism spores are completely eradicated.

Any time you press on the center of the lid of your home canned foods and the seal has been popped, you need to throw that can out. The popped seal means it is filled with gas, and the gas has been created by botulism spores. There are very few times that I have properly stored a can with pressure canning and had the seal pop still. It stinks when that happens, but the food is not safe to eat.

There are two methods to begin canning:

1. Raw Packing – the food is not cooked before it is put into the cans. Instead, it is cooked by the heat of the pressure canning process. Why use it? Raw packing is convenient!

2. Heat Packing – the food is cooked before it is put into the cans. Pressure canning is still necessary to reach high enough temperatures that will kill all of the bacteria in the food. Why use it? Make a large pot of soup or chili, but it's too much? Can the leftovers!

Every pressure canner will have some kind of locking mechanism and a pressure valve.

Home canning jars with lids. Save money and avoid brand names. I promise the off-brand Walmart jars are just as good as the Ball brand jars!

Jar tongs for lifting hot jars.  

Wide-mouth jar funnel to help decrease the mess caused by filling the jar. Again, not absolutely necessary.

Jar labels – you always want to label what the food item is and the date that you canned it.  You can get fancy, or just use a sharpie on the lid.

Some people suggest running your jars through a sanitizing wash in the dish washer. Others suggest a rinse with soap and hot water, and a few are fine with just really hot (or boiling) water. Whatever makes you feel peace of mind is what you should choose. I usually just use really hot tap water and rinse a jar two or three times. Also rinse the lids

Whether you’re raw packing or heat packing, you need a recipe that contains liquid. The liquid is what heats up inside the pressure canner, killing all of the bad bacteria. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which we’ll talk about later.

Either way, you’ll fill the jar with your food of choice. I don’t like to waste anything, so I pack that bad boy really tight with the solid part of the recipe. I then spoon in the liquid part until the liquid reaches one inch below the rim of the jar.

It doesn’t matter if the liquid doesn’t fully cover the solid food. This space without liquid is called “head space” and is for liquid expansion when the jar is in the pressure canner.

Wipe the rim of the jar really well to remove food and liquid from the grooves. You want the lid to make a really tight seal and having food there will inhibit the seal. Put the lid on the jar and screw it tight. Place the jars in the pressure canner and follow the directions that came with your specific pressure canner. Each model is different.

If you need to find out what the suggested times and pressures are for a certain food, Google it! I find all of my recipes online, including the canning times. A lot of the time, the Ball home canning website has what I’m looking for.  Sometimes I find what I need in people’s home canning blogs or youtube videos.

The exceptions to the canning rules:

Foods with low (acidic) pH don’t need to be put in a pressure canner because the environment isn’t favorable for bacterial growth. Examples of these low pH foods are apples, tomatoes, and citrus fruits. Instead of using a pressure canner, use the hot water bath method.

(There is a fun cake recipe below that doesn’t use either heating method… but it still works!)

You should have enough knowledge to get started with your pressure canning. If you have any questions, Google them!  Reading through people’s blogs also give you lots of good ideas, tips, and tricks. There are hundreds of different canning methods, so find the one(s) that work best for you.


Here are some of my favorite recipes!

1. Shrimp and veggies

1 package cooked medium shrimp, thawed and tails removed

2 or 3 fresh zucchini, sliced into bite-size chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter (or alternative oil)
Water (amount varies)
Spices: Basil, salt, and pepper to taste

Put a large pot on the stove at medium temperature. Add butter (or other oil) until hot, followed by
zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and spices. Put a lid on top, occasionally checking on the food and stirring.
Once the zucchini and onions become soft, add the shrimp. Add enough water to cover ¾ of the food in the pot. Add more spices to taste at this point.  Reduce the heat and put a lid on the pot while you ready your jars – I suggest pints. Fill the jars with the food, but keep the broth level at ¾ of the volume. It doesn’t matter if some of the food is not covered in broth.  Can at 10lbs for 45 minutes.


2. Beef Stew

1 lb (give or take) of sliced beef for stews
10 baby carrots, chopped in half

1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 cups chopped potatoes
Water (amount varies)
Other veggies: green beans, corn, beans, etc. can be used.
Spices: 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, salt and pepper to taste

I throw all of the ingredients in my crock pot for a good 10-12 hours and let it sit without bothering it. Make sure the water covers the ingredients.  Prepare your jars – I stick with the pint size. Fill the jar with food and only ¾ of the jar with the broth. It doesn’t matter if the food is not completely covered with broth.  Can at 10lbs for 75 minutes.


3. Beef Boneless Ribs

At least 1 lb of boneless beef ribs

1 cup red wine

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 F. Put all of the ingredients into a glass casserole dish – make sure you flip the ribs over a few times to make sure they get coated with the broth.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven, flip the ribs over, and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes

Prepare your jars – I stick with pint-size. Remove the ribs from the oven, and chop them into bite-size
chunks. Put the ribs into the jars, making sure to pack the meat down each time. I fit about 2.5 or 3 ribs into each jar. Fill the jar ¾ with broth.

Can at 10lbs for 75 minutes.


4. Chicken Salad

1 lb boneless chicken breast

water (varies)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts)
Handful of raisins, a little less than ¼ cup

water (varies)
First set of spices: 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, salt and pepper to taste
Second set of spices: 1 Tbsp dillweed, salt and pepper to taste

I put the chicken breast and first set of spices in the crock pot and let it sit for 8-10 hours. I add water until it fills about 1 inch of the crock pot.

Let the chicken cool until it’s a good temperature to touch. Pull the breast (or chop) into bite-size cubes.

Add the raisins, onion, almonds, and second set of spices. Mix until even.

Prepare your jars – I do 8oz or pint size. Fill the jars with the chicken salad, then add enough water to fill ¾ of the jar

Can at 10lbs for 20 minutes.


5. Italian Pork Roast

Any size or weight of any size pork roast
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
Water (varies)

Italian Seasoning

I put the pork roast with seasoning in the crock pot for 12 hours. Add enough water to cover ½ of the roast.

Prepare your jars – I stick with pint size. Pull the pork roast apart, or chop into bite-size chunks. Put the meat in the jars and continue to pack it down as you add more.  Add enough broth to fill 3/4 of the jar.

Can at 10 lbs for 75 minutes.


6. Cake in a Jar

You can do the cake-in-a-jar with any cake or bread recipe. I stick with the 8oz jars because the sides of the jars go straight up and down, so there would be no weird angle to try and fit a spoon inside the jar when your hubby eats the cake.

Make the cake/bread batter per the recipe instructions.

Prepare your jars and put a small pot of water on the stove to boil. (Your lids will stay in this pot of boiling water until the moment you take them out to cap the jars closed.)

Put your jars on a cookie sheet so it’s easier to transfer in/out of the oven - Fill them half-way with cake or bread batter. Putting any more batter will result in cake rising out of the jar, and will not be fit for capping

Bake the cake in the jars at the temperature on the recipe. The jars will not be in the oven for the same amount of time as the recipe requires – you just have to keep an eye on the cake. When you see the cake rise and turn golden-brown, start the toothpick test. Stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and remove it; you know the cake is done when the batter doesn’t stick to the toothpick.

Remove the jars from the oven, and immediately cap with the lids from the boiling pot of water. Obviously, the jars and lids will both be piping hot, so you’ll need to use lots of towels and pot holders to seal the lids

Let the jars cool on the counter. As they cool off, they will vacuum themselves shut. You’ll hear the cans suction closed, and you’ll know that they’re good to go!

Send a tub of icing in the care package with the jars of cake so that hubby can apply it himself when he opens the jars!

Meeting 5a: Making Sour Cream

Homemade Sour Cream:

Put together by Shannon Davis.  

Recipe I (from allrecipes.com):

 Ingredients:

• ¼ cup milk (I used whole milk)
• ¾ tsp white vinegar
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Combine the milk and vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the heavy cream into a jar. Stir in the milk mixture, cover the jar, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Chill before using.

It’s not as thick as store bought sour cream, but it really does thicken up after 24 hours. It also doesn't last as long as store bought. It keeps in the fridge for about a week, but it is best used within the first few days of making it before it starts to loosen up.

Since the milk and vinegar mixture is a simple recipe to make buttermilk, you can substitute ¼ cup buttermilk for the milk and vinegar.

Recipe II:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 1-2 TBS lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Pour cream into bowl. Add lemon juice and whisk briskly until it becomes thick and creamy.  If it’s not thick enough, add more lemon juice. It won’t be as thick as store bought, but you can use it just like regular sour cream. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Best used within 2 or 3 days of making it.

Meeting 5b: Making Kefir

 Milk Kefir:

Taught by Jeannine Tripp

Basics:

1.    Transfer the kefir grains to up to 4 cups of fresh milk

2.    Cover with a coffee filter or cloth secured by a rubber band

3.    Place in a warm spot, 68-85 degrees, to culture

4.    Culture until milk is slightly thickened and aroma is pleasant, generally 24 hours

5.    After culturing is complete, separate the kefir grains from the finished kefir

6.    Place the kefir grains in a new batch of milk.

7.    Store the finished kefir in the refrigerator.

Second Ferment:

The first fermentation takes place when milk kefir grains are added to milk and culturedfor 12-24 hours.

A second fermentation takes place after the grains are removed. Fresh milk kefir is cultured at room temperature for another period of 8-12 hours, with flavoring additions ifdesired.

fermenting the kefir a second time, with added ingredients, can mellow the flavor of thefinished product somewhat. With so many choices available, milk kefir can be enjoyedas a sweet treat or savory snack.

B vitamins are said to increase, and the minerals calcium and magnesium are said tobecome more bio-available to the human body when a second fermentation is performed.

What flavor may be added for the second fermentation?

The sky is the limit! Because the kefir grains are removed before the secondfermentation there is no risk of contaminating or harming the grains in any way. Here are some flavoring idea:

•               citrus fruit zest

•               chopped fruit

•               vanilla + cinnamon

•               cocoa powder

•               pumpkin pie spice

•               garlic or onion (for use in savory kefir dip)

Pleas note: If adding ingredients that contain sugars, like fruit or honey, the finishedkefir may become more carbonated. To avoid a fizzy finished product, add sweeteners just before consuming.

How to use:

•               add to your favorite smoothie

•               strain and use instead of sour cream or cream cheese (here is a link for making kefir sour cream. http://busy-at-home.com/kefir-sour-cream-recipe/)

•               use instead of buttermilk in recipes

•               use in homemade ranch dressing

•               drink plain with a little salt

Tips:

•               pick one brand of milk and stick with it. Kefir loves consistency and will taste way better.

•               use plastic or stainless to strain and mix. Plastic is best. 

Recipe:

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 cup some combination of: sour cream, yogurt, homemade mayo, buttermilk or kefir(I use 1/2 cup mayo & 1/2 kefir)

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 cloves crushed fresh garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon dried chives

a few shakes cayenne pepper

black pepper to taste, preferably fresh ground

salt to taste

Meeting 5c: Making Yogurt

Yogurt Making:

Taught by Katy Clatyon

Methods:

Two methods that will give you the most consistent results are using a yo gurt maker or a crockpot.

Ingredients:

-          1 quart- 1 gallon of milk. You can use whole, 2%, 1%, skim or powdered milk.  The higher the fat content of the milk the more curd will be turned into yogurt.  Some tips to remember: if using skim milk, add ¼ cup of instant powdered milk per quart of milk before heating. If making milk from milk powder, add an additional 1/3 cup of powdered milk per quart of reconstituted milk.

-          1-2 TBS of plain commercial or homemade yogurt with live active cultures (make sure gelatin has not been added) or 1 envelope of freeze dried yogurt starter. If using homemade yogurt as your starter it can only be used up to 3 generations, anything past that and your results can become skewed. Yogurt can be frozen in ice cubes trays and then removed when ready to use. 1 frozen block = 1 TBS.

Process:

Yogurt Maker- When using a yogurt maker, you will want to heat your milk in a sauce pan until it reaches the between 185 degrees F to 190 degrees F.

Remove the sauce pan from heat and let the milk temperature cool until it reaches a temperature between 110 degrees F to 115 degrees F. Add your starter to the milk and mix well.

Place the mixed liquid into your yogurt maker and cover.  Turn on the yogurt maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Let the yogurt chill in the fridge for several hours before serving.  Once it has chilled you can add flavorings. Plain yogurt will keep in the refrigerator 10-14 days.

You can strain your yogurt to make it thicker.

Crockpot- When using your crockpot you can heat the milk on high or heat in a sauce pan until it reaches 180 degrees F. 

Remove the lid and turn off the crockpot (if heating your milk in the crockpot) to let it cool down.  If heating in a saucepan, remove from heat and let it cool down.  You will want it to cool down until it reaches 120 degrees F. Add your starter.

Place back into the crockpot if heated in a saucepan.  Place the lid back on and cover with a towel and let sit covered with a towel, crockpot turned off, overnight. 

In the morning, you will remove the inside ceramic base of the crockpot and place it in the fridge to let the yogurt chill.

If straining, do so after it’s chilled and before you add your flavorings.  The liquid that is strained from the yogurt is called, whey.  The whey has an acidic taste and makes the yogurt sweeter when strained.  Whey can be used in baking and as a substitute for buttermilk.  I have a great waffle recipe that I use.

When you use powdered milk it will be runnier and will not have the same whey content, so you will not be able to strain it as well. You will want to make the reconstituted milk more concentrated; you can experiment until you get the right consistency.

Flavoring (per Quart of yogurt):

You can add honey, fresh fruit, sugar-free vanilla syrup (store bought) or you can make your own fruit syrup to add.  My recipe that I’ve played with and enjoy is as follows:

¼-1/3 cup of Granulated Sugar (you could try honey)

1 cup of frozen or fresh fruit

Combine sugar and fruit in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, let boil for 2-3 min.  Put through a strainer if you like a smoother yogurt. If you like fruit chunks add to yogurt as is once the syrup has cooled.

Whey Waffles:

These waffles are so light and fluffy. This will make 4-6 waffles.

¼ cup of melted butter

2 cups flour (I will do 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat)

1 TBS sugar
2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups of whey (or buttermilk)

3 large eggs

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients. Stir until just combined, the batter will be lumpy.  Ladle batter into your waffle iron!  Enjoy!

Meeting 5d: Basic Cheese Making

Cheese Making For Beginners:

 Taught by Katy Clayton.  
                     

Basics:

There is several ways to classify Cheese.  The age of the cheese, the type of animal milk used, and the hardness of the cheese are all ways of classifying cheese.

Age: The age of the cheese will depend on how much time is given from production to consumption. Some examples are:

Fresh- Cottage, Ricotta and farmer cheeses

Quick Aged: Farmhouse Cheddar

Aged: Sharp Cheddar, Bleu and Parmesan

Type of Animal Milk: There is several type of milks used; cow, goat, sheep and water buffalo milk.

Hardness of the cheese: The hardness of the cheese will depend of the moisture content of the cheese. Some examples are:

Very Soft: Mascarpone and Neufechatel

Soft: Brie and Feta

Semisoft: Baby Swiss and Butterkase

Semihard: Gouda

Hard: Parmesan and Romano

Milk:

As you are preparing to begin making cheese you will need to decide what kind of milk you will use.  That can depend on what you have available and cost. Cow’s milk is the most readily available.  There’s pasteurized or raw cow’s milk.  Pasteurized milk is the cheapest and more readily available to us.  When using pasteurized milk you will need to compensate for the breakdown of the proteins that happen during the pasteurizing process.

After you’ve decided what type of milk you are using you will need to decide whether to use skim or whole milk.  Skim milk is better when making hard cheeses. When using it in softer cheese recipes, you will have a lower fat cheese but it will produce less cheese.  Whole milk has more fat content and will produce a higher yield.  In addition your cheese will be creamer and richer in flavor.

Cheese-making Supplies:

Acidifier: This will help to convert the milk sugar to lactic acid and “ripen” the milk.  This is usually done, using a special bacterial starter culture.  The two that are most common are mesophilic culture and thermophilic culture.  You can buy these online through Amazon; there is also a local carrier here in FV who sells almost all of the cheese supplies you will need.

Rennet: Rennet is an enzyme found in the 4^th stomach of a newborn calf or kid that separates the milk into curds and whey. There is also vegetable rennet that can be used.

Lipase: Lipase is also an enzyme; it releases fatty acids that create aroma and tastes for certain cheeses.  Lipase is destroyed when milk is pasteurized.

Citric Acid: Citric Acid is used for fashioning mozzarella cheese.  It will help with making the curds stretchy.

Calcium Chloride: Calcium Chloride helps pasteurized milk to develop a firmer curd setting, making it easier to cut the curds.

Salt: Coarse, non-iodized cheese salt draws moisture from the curd, quickens the aging and gives flavor to your cheese. Iodized salt will slow the aging of the cheese.

Flavorings: If making orange, yellowish cheese you will need a flavoring and coloring called Annatto. Annatto is a dye derived from a tree and is used to give cheeses and butter its rich coloring.

Other Supplies: You will also need a large stainless steel, enameled or glass pot; a slotted spoon, measuring cups, non-chlorinated water, a colander, butter muslin or cheesecloth, a digital thermometer, a cheese press and possibly cheese wax.

When beginning cheese making, two of the easiest cheese to make at home are, Farm House Cheddar and Mozzarella.

Recipes:

Ricki’s 30-Minute Mozzarella

From Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

The following recipe is a quick and easy way to make fresh Mozzarella at home in less than 30 minutes. Make sure the milk you use for this cheese is NOT ultrapasteurized, otherwise you will end up with Ricotta instead of Mozzarella.

 Ingredients

2 level teaspoons citric acid
1 gallon pasteurized whole milk (see Note in Step 1 below)
 ¼ teaspoon lipase powder (see Note in Step 1 below), dissolved in ¼ cup cool water and allowed to sit for 20 minutes, for a stronger flavor (optional)
¼ teaspoon liquid rennet (or ¼ rennet tablet) diluted in ¼ cup cool, unchlorinated water
1 teaspoon cheese salt (optional)

Preparation

• Add the citric acid to the milk and stir thoroughly. (If using lipase, add it now) Note: You may use skim milk, but the yield will be lower and the cheese will be drier. If you add lipase to this cheese, you may have to use a bit more rennet, as lipase makes the cheese softer. Try the recipe without it and experiment later.
• Heat the milk to 88 degrees F. (The milk will start to curdle) 
• Gently stir in the diluted rennet with an up-and-down motion, and continue heating until the temperature reaches 105 degrees F. Turn off the heat and let the curd set until you get a clean break when you insert the thermometer at a 45 degree angle. This will take only a few minutes.
• The curd should look like thick yogurt. If the whey is still milky, wait a few more minutes.
• Scoop out the curds with a spoon and put them into a two-quart microwave-safe bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands, pouring off as much whey as possible. Reserve the whey.
• Microwave the curds on high for one minute. More whey will precipitate from the curd. Again, drain off all excess whey. Quickly work the cheese with a spoon or your hands, forming it into a ball until it is cool enough to touch. (Wear rubber gloves; the cheese has to be almost too hot to touch before it will stretch.)
• Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each. After each heating, work the cheese into a ball until it is cool enough to touch. Drain all excess whey each time.
• Knead quickly like bread dough until it is smooth. Sprinkle on the salt, if desired, while you are kneading and stretching. When the cheese stretches like taffy, it is done. If it breaks, the curds will need to be reheated.
• When the cheese is smooth and shiny, it is ready to eat. Although this mozzarella is best eaten right away, if you must wait, cover it and store in the refrigerator.
• Yield: ¾ to one pound

Tip: For a firmer cheese, use more rennet. If your cheese is too hard, use less rennet. If the curds turn into the consistency of ricotta cheese and will not come together, change the brand of milk; it may have been heat-treated at the factory to too high a temperature. Most of all, be patient. When you get this to work, you will never stop eating it.

Farmhouse Cheddar:

This recipe was adapted from the Reformation Acres Blog.

Ingredients:

2 gallons of milk

½ tsp calcium chloride, dissolved in ½ cup of water

50+ drops of Annatto, dissolved in ¼ cup water (optional, only if you want the orange, yellow coloring for you cheese)

4oz. mesophilic culture (or direct set packet, freezer dried)

½ -1 tsp liquid rennet, dissolved in ¼ cup of water

1 TBS salt

Preparations:

·Add the milk to the large pot. 
·         Thoroughly dissolve the calcium chloride (DO NOT use chlorinated water)
·         Heat the milk to 90 degrees, stirring.
·         Add the Annatto if doing so, and add the mesophilic culture and stir until melted.  Cover the pot and allow sitting and ripening for 45 min.
·         Add dissolved rennet through the slotted spoon to try and distribute evenly.  Stir gently for one minute in a gentle up & down motion. Cover the pot and all to sit forming curds for 30 min.
·         Test for a clean break by using a knife.  It should lift clean and smooth and the void should fill with whey. If clean, cut the curds into ½ inch cubes. Allow to sit and heal for 5 min.
·         Indirectly heat the curds to 100 degrees F, in your sink, aiming for a rate of 2 degrees every 5 min. You will want the hot water that you fill your sink with to reach between 100-110 degrees F; stir frequently. The curds will shrink up a bit and the yellow whey will increase. This is the most labor intensive part of the process and will take about 45 min.  You may have to drain and refill the sink several times.
·         Hold at 100 degrees F for 5 min.
·         Strain the curds through a cheesecloth and colander.
·         Tie up the cheesecloth and let hang over a bowl for 1 hour.
·         Take down the cheesecloth and break the curds apart with your fingers.  Add the 1 TBS salt.
·         Line your cylinder with the cheesecloth on your press.  Add the curds and let press for 15 min at 4-5 pounds of pressure.
·         Take the curds out of the press, and turn it upside down in the press (still with the cheesecloth.  You will press at 10-12 pounds for 12 hours.
·         Remove from the press and unwrap.  Air dry for 1-2 days, turning at least twice a day.
·         Yield:  about 2 lbs.

Tip: Unwaxed, this cheese will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or grate and freeze. To age the cheddar, seal in wax for up to three months and store at a temperature of 45-60 degrees F.

Waxing and Aging:

When waxing you will need to find food grade wax, which is yellow, red or black.  You will need to melt the wax on a double boiler until it melts completely and reaches a temperature of 225-240F.  The cheese should be dipped for at least 6 seconds.  If brushing the wax on, be sure to not use a synthetic brush (its bristles will melt in the wax.)  Note: All wax is highly flammable.  Be sure to keep a close eye on it!  Never leave it unattended while heating.  Do not use a microwave to heat wax.)

When aging your cheese you can use your existing refrigerator, but it is 10-15F cooler than ideal and has a tendency to suck moisture out of anything that is not protected. 

To protect the cheese, place it in the warmest part of the refrigerator.  Use an airtight container to keep it from drying out. You can control the humidity in the container by using a wet paper towel crumpled in one corner.

The ideal temperature to age cheese at would be 52-55F.  You can modify an old fridge or use a wine fridge.

Local Cheese Making Supplier:

Homesteader’s Brew Supply

121 Raleigh St., Fuquay Varina

(919)290-3959

Open from 10am-7pm

Lissa's Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

 

This recipe came from Lissa Estes.  If you've been to the last two meetings and had a chance to try this bread then you know how amazing it is!  And not only is it AMAZING but it is VERY easy!

Lissa's Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

1 1/2 Cups  Water

1/4 tsp. Yeast

1 tsp. Salt

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

Hand mix in a bowl until flour is gone. Place a cloth or towel over the bowl for 8 hours (overnight works great too.) Punch dough down and place on a floured surface. Fold 4-5 times then transfer bread to a frying pan (the frying pan makes it easier to transfer to a HOT Dutch Oven,) and cover with cloth or towel. Dough might still be covered in flour....and that's OK!

Turn oven on to 450.  Place Dutch Oven in oven (including the lid) let the Dutch Oven get hot ( at least 30 min before transferring the dough.)

Turn dough into HOT Dutch oven topping with the lid. Let bake for 30 min. Remove the lid and let bake for 5 more min.