Little Green Cheese | Cheese Making at Home

This week's episode has many questions from Curd Nerds just like you! Firstly, the question of the week is from John who lives in Denmark.  He asks about the differences between Cheese wax and Paraffin. OTHER QUESTIONS ANSWERED DURING THE SHOW ARE; Sue praises Rachel’s ( LGC episode 051 )work regarding her house cows.  She shared a little about her own experience with house cows and how they...

During this episode, I talk to Brendan Heffernan, a fellow home cheesemaker who I met on the Curds n Whey Downunder Facebook group.  We have a great chat about how he got started and some of the interesting challenges he faced on his curd nerd journey.  It was a lot of fun and a pleasure to talk to Brendan.  You can find Brendan chatting to the rest of us curd nerds on the Curds n Whey Downunder F...

This week, I talk to Rashel Harris from Texas, USA.  She has been cheese-making for over six years using the milk from her own Jersey cow and has made many different kinds of cheese over the years. In fact, it was Rashel's 10 part YouTube series that I used to better understand how to cloth band a cheddar!  How lucky was I when she reached out to me whereby I asked her on the show?   SOME OF...

This week's episode is all about finding help for your cheese-making problems. From Facebook to Forums, this episode is a guide on where you can get help. Cheesemaking help resources mentioned in the show; FACEBOOK Learn to make Cheese Curds ‘n’ Whey Downunder FORUMS cheeseforum.org YOUTUBE Cheeseman.tv WEBSITES Little Green Cheese Curd Nerd Artisan Cheesemaking at Home Much to do about Chees...

Well, great news.  The cheese-making podcast is back.  I've managed to rearrange my priorities to put the podcast near the top of the pile again! Today's episode is about making cheese with goat's milk and what other techniques you may need to use if using it in lieu of a cheese-making recipe that stipulates cow's milk. I also talk about the different properties of cow, goat, a...

This episode was taken from a livestream Ask the Cheese Maker show, which was broadcast on YouTube.  Don't forget that you can find all my live shows and video tutorials at youtube.com/GavinWebber . I will be recording one Ask the Cheese Maker session each month and repackaging them for the podcast.  I am also going to record a regular formatted podcast episode on the alternate fortnight, so...

Today I’m going to answer the question that is on everyone’s mind.  Is cheese addictive?  Well it just so happens that it is indeed addictive due to the casomorphins that are formed when we break down the casein in cheese within our stomachs.    Great news for all us curd nerds because now we have an excuse for our addiction!  You can read the full article here . Community announcements this week...

In today’s episode I talk about the subtle differences between the main acid coagulated cheese that should be a staple in the home cheesemakers repertoire; Paneer, Whey Ricotta, Whole milk Ricotta, and Ricotta Salata. Cheese news is about a Listeria infected cheese recall from Whole Foods, and what the signs of infection are. This week’s questions are: Charlotte from South Africa: Why don’t I use...

During the show, I talk about the importance of cutting your curd a consistent size and the effect of cooking the curd has on your final cheese.  It's a follow-up to an email I received from a customer who was having problems when draining their curd.  She was making Feta at the time and wasn't aware of the importance of curd size and stirring to expel some of the whey before draining. M...

Waxing cheese is fairly straightforward, but Timothy asks what type of cheese can you wax.  I step through the various cheese that I wax and why, and the process I go about waxing them.  You can check out my method of waxing cheese in this video tutorial . The cheese news is about those naughty cheesemaking criminals in Russia . Today’s Q&A is about the following topics; John asks about vacuum...

Prompted by a voicemail from Wayne, I talk about how to add herbs and spices in cheese.  From chilli, sage, red and green peppercorns, to cumin and caraway seeds, you can add a lot of variety to your cheese above and beyond the traditional recipes. Today we cover for following questions; Denis asks about thermostats and whether you can use them for cooling and heating. Brian asks how much salt to...

Did you know that there are ways to ripen your cheese depending on the type of cheese you make?  During this episode, I cover the four main ripening process classifications and describe them in detail. They are; Bloomy-rind & interior mould-ripened cheese Washed rind cheese Natural rind cheese Waxed rind cheese Cheese news centres on the global oversupply of dairy products and the Cricketer Fa...

Today I step through the six different cheese classifications.  I sourced this information from the very good cheesemaking resource titled The Cheesemaker’s Manual – Margaret Peters-Morris .  It’s more technical than I usually read for home cheesemaking but it has many hard-to-find recipes within its pages. The cheese classifications that I step through are; Fresh unripened cheese Rennet coagulate...

Colin Giddy is a home cheesemaker from Morrinsville, New Zealand. He describes his inspiration for making cheese, how he has made many different types of cheese, and some of the challenges that he has encountered along the way. Here is a little bit about him in his own words; “ A Little History of Us Linda and I started making cheese after watching a program called Country Calendar on TV. A Lady c...

This week I have an interview with home cheese enthusiast, Darren Aldridge from Box Hill in Melbourne. He has been making cheese since 2013 and has a few different types under his belt. ASK A QUESTION FOR THE PODCAST Don’t forget that you can leave a voicemail message that I will answer and feature during the show.  Just remember that I cannot answer them straight away, so please don’t expect an i...

The food standards are changing here in Australia, and commercial cheese makers will be able to make a wider range of raw milk cheese.  I play an interview with Tom Ross from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture who explains the changes to the regulations. You can read the original article here; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-03/raw-milk-cheese-regulation-changes/6066280 I also talk about tw...

During the show I talk about 7 mistakes everyone makes with cheese, and article in Business Insider Australia which I expanded upon.  I believe that my version is much better. You can find the orginal article here; http://www.businessinsider.com.au/storing-and-serving-cheese-2015-2 I also promote the Canadian Amateur Cheesemaking Competition coordinated by Ian Treuer from www.muchtodoaboutcheese.c...

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Little Green Cheese Podcast. I hope you had a great holiday break and are ready for another season of podcast episodes about cheese making at home. During this episode, I talk about what I was doing over the summer break, which included making zero cheese due to the heat here Down Under, but I did manage to build an eCommerce store that now sells cheese making kits,...

A choc-o-block episode for you this time around. I talk about how my cheese fridge is holding up after about a year of use, and how I have found the stability of the temperature and the relative humidity. I also introduce my new line of Cheese Making Kits, equipment, and ingredients that I have on www.littlegreenworkshops.com.au .  This is the main reason that I have not been podcasting very much...

Did you know that there are three types of coagulation in the cheesemaking process?  Well let me enlighten you in the episode that covers the basics of coagulation and tips for getting your curd to set just right. This weeks news is a cheese-making resource that I recently stumbled upon.  ChannelCheese.tv is a television show that airs on TVS44 in Sydney.  Hosted by Alison Brien, the show travels...

This week I have a special guest, my daughter Amy who talks about her experience during my very first Mozzarella workshop many years ago. I also answer questions about waxing, humidity, moulds, aging of camembert, and leaf-wrapped cheese. Also, a call out to Ian Treuer who’s cheese-making blog “ Much to do About Cheese ” is quickly becoming a knowledge base for the home cheesemaker. I also announc...

This week's topics are Cheese body defects such as mechanical holes, dryness, or too much moisture in your cheese.  I offer solutions on how to remedy these common issues. The news comes from Madison, Wisconsin, USA.  One artisan cheesemaker has decided to stop the production of one of his raw milk cheeses due to unclear FDA regulations. You can read the transcript at this link; http://www.ch...

This weeks feature is a review of the podcast that appeared in episode 90 of the Reaction Podcast by a couple of non curd nerds!  Just be forewarned that there is swearing during that 5 minute segment, but if you can handle it, then it is well worth a listen just for the laughs. The news clip is from ABC Rural News and is about Lyndall Dykes who is the owner of The Cheesemaking Workshop.  She teac...

During the show I talk about the importance of sticking to the recipe. Please forgive me if I sound a little harsh, but it is very important to not vary too much from the recipe.  Otherwise, how are you going to repeat that amazing taste four months down the track especially if you deviated too much and didn’t record your changes? This weeks new is from Tasmania.  Ian Fowler comes from a very long...

SSo where do rennet and lipase come from and how are they sourced?  I think you may be surprised at the answer. During this episode, I cover the types of rennet and lipase, and how they are manufactured for cheese making.  Yes, before you ask, there is a vegetarian option for both enzymes! ASK A QUESTION FOR THE PODCAST Don’t forget that you can leave a voicemail message that I will answer and fea...