We've LOVED our access to raw unpasteurized milk. While before we had it we were both pretty lactose sensitive, now we're enjoying all sorts of cheeses, milk, creme, and yogurt without a grumble from the belly. The living enzymes in the unpasturized cheese have made all the difference for the two of us.
Tonight we began our first cheddar. It will take a total of 3 months. And any time one allows it to age beyond that will increase the sharpness of the taste. The two photos here show two stages of the cheese's development. These were taken only an hour apart in time. The second photo appears dryer and less globy, this is because it's been salted. Now it will sit with a weight on it and become something that resembles a cheese wheel.
If your curious about the progress of the blue cheese we began a couple of weeks ago, it stinks like a locker room full of athletes foot! I understand this is normal if not pleasant. Good thing our cheese fridge is far and away from the parts of the house we spend most of our time in.
1 comment:
Not to be a spoilsport, but any enzymes present in milk would be denatured when it hits your stomach acids. Exactly as lemon juice curdles (denatures) milk proteins, one's stomach juices do as well, and more effectively because they're much stronger than citric acid.
The human body is smart, if you eat a fair bit of milk products consistently, your body will up the lactase production in response (if you're lucky to have any lactase at all after childhood.) So you probably have adjusted to the cheese diet.
Also, many naturally ripened cheeses have a lower lactose content because the bacteria in them have used it as food for their work. So a good quality cheese shouldn't be a problem even if one is lactose intolerant. Industrially processed cheeses on the other hand... all bets are off.
Oh and speaking of cheeses...
I mentioned once long ago a Lebanese cheese that has Nigella seed in it.
I went to the local arabian market and wrote the name down. It's called Nabulsi, meaning "From Nablus" where I suppose the tradition of making that cheese came from originally.
I've never tried it but I always see it in the Islamic market. It's a small round cheese (approx. 4 inches diameter) with the flat surfaces (top and bottom) sprinkled liberally with nigella seeds. I suppose there's some inside the cheese as well.
Nigella seed is easy to grow, and since you're making your own cheeses... perhaps some Nabulsi is worth considering...
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