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Homemade Mozzarella

5/31/2017

2 Comments

 
During my early twenties I spent time in Italy milking on different dairy farms.  One of the farms I milked on was a Water Buffalo farm and after milking we would make batch after batch of the very best 'Mozzarella di Bufala' or Buffalo Mozzarella.  I fell in love with Water Buffalo that summer and dreamed of one day having my own buffalo dairy.  This recipe is made with cows milk that you can buy right at the grocery stores. Though its not as yummy as Mozzarella di Bufala its still very good. 
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Equipment:
  • Thermometer
  • Rubber Gloves
  • Measuring Spoons
  • 2-1 Cup Measuring Cups
  • Slotted Spoon
  • Large Spoon
  • 1 quart Microwavable Bowl
  • Colander
  • Cheese Cloth
  • 6 quart Stainless Steel Stock Pot
Ingredients:
  • 1 Gallon Whole Milk as fresh as possible (at least 10 days out from its expiration date and Not Ultra Pasteurized)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Citric Acid
  • 1/4 Rennet Tablet
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cheese Salt
  • Water ( Not Chlorinated)
Note- Ultra Pasteurized Milk has been heated to high temperatures and the cultures natural in milk has been killed by the high temps and the milk will not make cheese.
Preparation:
Sterilize all equipment this can be done by running it through your dishwasher.  
Mix 1/4 of a rennet tablet with 1/4 cup of cold water in a measuring cup
Mix 1 1/2 tsp of citric acid with 1 cup of cold water in your second measuring cup
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Heating the Milk to 85 Degrees
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After the Addition of Rennet
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Resting
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Post Rest
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Drained Curds
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Lifting the Curds to Drain Whey
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Curds after Whey has been Drained
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Folding and Kneading the Curds
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Formed Ball
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Ice Bath

Heating the Milk and Developing the Curds

Step 1- Pour the Milk into your pot and slowly over a medium low heat, heat the milk to 85 degrees.  This will take about 10 minutes.
Step 2- When the Milk has reached 85 degrees pour in the citric acid water mix.  With your slotted spoon slowly stir the milk for 20 seconds
Step 3- When the milk reaches 100 degrees (this will take about 5 minutes) stir in the rennet water mix.  Using your slotted spoon gently stir for 30 seconds.
Step 4- Continue to heat the milk until you reach 105 degrees.  Then turn off the heat and cover.  Let the milk sit for 10 minutes. 

Draining the Curds

Step 1- Line your colander with your cheese cloth and pour your curds and whey into the cheese cloth lined colander
Step 2- Lift up the cheese cloth and allow the whey to drain from the curds.  This may take a few minutes.  You can gently press the curds to remove excess whey.  

Kneading the Curds

Step 1- Transfer the curds to a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minutes.
Step 2- With a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from the heat gently fold the curds.  If whey comes out of the curds simply drain the whey from the bowl. Continue to fold and kneaded the curds.  You can use a large spoon if the curds are to hot to handle.  Microwave the curds for 30 seconds at a time folding a kneading each time you microwave the cheese.  The goal is to reach 135 degrees and for the cheese to start to look smooth, shiny and start to firm up.   

Stretching and Forming the cheese

Step 1- The cheese must be at 135 degrees to stretch.  If its not hot enough microwave it for another 30 seconds.  Add 1 1/2 tsp of cheese salt to the cheese and work it into the cheese by folding and stretching the cheese.  
Step 2- Holding the cheese up letting it fall and then pulling the bottom back up to join the top.  Like stretching salt water taffy.  The more you stretch the cheese the firmer it will be.  
Step 3- Form a ball by pulling the edges of the cheese and tucking underneath to form a smooth top and sides.
Step 4- Place the cheese ball into an ice water bath for 15 minutes.  Remove pat dry and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate.
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2 Comments

Strawberry Harvest

5/30/2017

3 Comments

 
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Few things in life can truly compare to the taste of the first ripe strawberries of the season.  Strawberries were the first crop I ever grew and sold on my own.  They own a special place in my heart, I'm sure that's what makes them taste that much sweeter to me.  When I was 6 years old with the help of my father and brothers I planted my first patch of strawberries with the goal to sell enough strawberries to take a family vacation to Disney.  I used my little brothers red wagon to set up a produce stand at the end of our farm lane to market my berries to the neighbors.  I could be found on the weekends peddling strawberries at my brother little league ball games much like the Beer Man at the O's games.  When I think of Disney I will always think of the Strawberries that got us there.

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Earliglow Strawberries were my favorite berry when I was 6 and they still are today.  They are a June bearing variety meaning they produce one large crop of berries in the spring.  I find in Delaware mine are ready to pick mid May.  The berries are smaller then the varieties that you find in the grocery store but packed with so much flavor they are well worth the smaller size.  This variety is normally ending its harvest about the same time other June bearing varieties start to ripen, you can extend your harvest by planting a second June bearing variety.  I like to use Jewel as my second variety.  I personally have never had luck with Day Neutral Strawberries (they produce all summer) so I stick with June bearing.


​Strawberry  Jam

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This is an old Strawberry Jam recipe my father made that was taught to him by his Grandmother Anne.  My father swears that to make good jam you must make it in small batches.  I break this rule all the time and triple the recipe, so go ahead.  Back in Great Grandmothers day the peels of green apples were used instead of commercially produced pectin, I find store bought pectin to be easier to deal with and more consistent.  Strawberries must be picked ripe and have no white tips this is a must to make good jam.  Strawberries from the grocery store will not make the best jam so if you don't grow your own strawberries buy them from a local farm that picks them ripe.  The amount of sugar is a range. I find with my own Earliglow strawberries I can use a lot less sugar.  Slowly added the sugar and give it a few minutes to dissolve, taste and added more until you get the sweetness you prefer.  I added Balsamic Vinegar to brighten the flavor of the berries.  If your unsure about adding it, leave it out you will still have a great jam.  When I make jam to sell I make it both ways, with and without but I prefer the batches with.

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  • 2 Quarts of Strawberries Rinsed and Hulled
  • 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice 
  • 6 Tablespoons Classic Pectin (I like Ball Brand)
  • 3.5 to 7 Cups Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon high quality Balsamic Vinegar or Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
Add the Strawberries to a heavy bottom 4 quart pot. Crush the berries with a potato masher.  Mix in lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stir constantly.  Add the pectin and bring to a boil, stir constantly.  Start adding the sugar slowly and taste after each addition until you have found your desired level of sweetness.  Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute, continue to stir.  Check the gel on a cold plate.  Stir in the Balsamic Vinegar and remove from heat. Do a quick check to make sure you are still happy with the flavor of your jam, you can still place it back on the heat and add sugar if needed.  You will have foam and don't toss it out, skim it off the top and refrigerate for future use.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4" head space and process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Need ideas on what to do with the foam?  Toss in a blender with Ice, Rum and Strawberries for a Daiquiri.  Add it to a fruit smoothie or top plain yogurt with it.


Grandma Mary Jane's Strawberry Frosting

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My Grandma Mary Jane always made this frosting during strawberry season with fresh picked strawberries from her garden.  The recipe was passed down to her from her Aunt Mame. Throughout May and June this cake could be found in my moms refrigerator in a metal 9 by 13" baking pan that had a metal lid that slid open and closed.  A butter knife was always left in with the cake so we could sneak into the fridge at anytime and cut off a piece.  My brothers birthday is right at the end of the strawberry season and my mother would make a white layer cake with this as the frosting for his birthday cake.  
​This is frosting great on white, yellow, chocolate or lemon cake.   
  • 1 Cup of Hulled and Sliced Strawberries
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
I like to start by whipping the sugar and egg whites together for a few minutes, then tossing in the berries and vanilla.  You will need to beat for a very long time until stiff peaks form. At some point you will think this is not going to turn into a frosting but don't give up keep whipping it. Frost your cake and refrigerate.
A Note about Raw Egg Whites:  The FDA recommends only cooking foods containing eggs thoroughly to prevent illness from bacteria.  Pasteurized in shell eggs can be substituted for the raw egg white.   
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3 Comments

Notes from La Bella Farm

5/24/2017

4 Comments

 
What a week!  Sheep have been sheared, new lambs were born, spring harvest is underway along with all the other daily farm chores!

Shearing

If you ever watch a professional sheep shearer shear its pretty amazing they can shear a sheep in minutes and make it look easy and painless.  The truth is for a novice shearer its a slow, painful process and I chose to leave the shearing to the professionals and hired a shearer.  With the 90 degree weather leading up to shearing day the Ewes were hot and ready to lose the wool.  Getting ready for shearing was an easy process we simply had to catch the sheep in the morning and let them fast for 12 hours.  Empty bellies makes it more comfortable for the ewes while they are sheared.  
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Shearing went fast, easy and stress free for the Ewes!  Post shear the girls were very happy to get back in the field and graze.  The lambs were happy to be reunited after being separated from the ewes for 30 minutes.
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​Hog Island wool varies from medium to medium-course.  The fleeces are easy to card and can be spun or felted. Wool from Hog Island Sheep is very nice for hand spinners.  Raw fleeces are available for a limited time.
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The first four lambs born are now two months old!  While the Ewes were being sheared the lambs all got vaccinated.  Washington is always begging for attention, he lined up first to receive his shot and kept rejoining the cue after.  We vaccinate for Clostridium perfringens (a bacteria disease) and tetanus.  Lambs can die suddenly from Clostridium and treatment of sick lambs is generally not successful so we believe vaccinating is important to the health and well being of our flock.

Spring Harvest

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We are very spoiled with being able to grow produce year round and always having our own fresh veggies and fruit to eat. Spring harvest is underway and the young greens, peas and strawberries have been such a treat this past week.  We are making room for summer plantings of zucchini, cucumbers, string beans and winter squash.  With this weeks rain the potatoes are growing fast and are ready for hilling.   The first artichoke of the season is ready to be picked, I always have such a tough time deciding should I eat it or let it bloom.  Spring flowers are in full bloom and new seedlings are popping up that will be our summer cut flowers.

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We grow Imperial Star Artichokes each plant typically produce 6 to 9 small artichokes.  They are perennial to zone 7 and will produce artichokes the first year during late summer/fall and then during the spring each year after.  I find artichokes to be fussy to get started but very hardy once they are established.  If you start them from seed, start at least double the number you want. I seem to have half of them die when I transplant from plug trays to pots.  We live in zone 7 so we mulch the plants heavily in the fall and do occasionally lose a plant over the winter.    

Mila's Lambs 

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At last Mila had her lambs.  She has been impatiently waiting for her lambs to be born, so impatient we thought she might steal a lamb from Topanga.  Topanga has been a very laid back mother letting her lambs run wild and often wondering off and leaving her lambs behind.  Aunt Mila came to the rescue several times and reunited lost lambs to an unconcerned Topanga.  Mila went into labor late in the evening.  Our sheep are normally very quite so a baa during the night means something is wrong.  We headed out with flashlights in hand to check on her and just our luck it was a difficult lambing. Mila's first born Abigail was very small only 6.3lbs and wasn't moving, our smallest lamb to date was 10 lbs at birth.  As Mila continued to try to get Abigail up and nursing she was also struggling to give birth to another lamb.  You don't realize how much you miss electricity until you have to pull a lamb in a pitch black barn while trying to hold a flashlight.  Mila's second lamb was an even smaller 5 lb male lamb that we named Adams.  Adams may have been small but he was very strong and started trying to stand shortly after Mila cleaned him off while his older sister was still laying limp on the ground.  In the end I had to hand feed colostrum to Abigail and after several feedings she was able to stand on her own.  

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Mila, Abigail and Adams could only go out on supervised visits to the pasture the first two days.  A hawk took notice of the small size of the lamb and he quickly got the idea they would make an easy to catch for lunch.  After two days of chasing off the hawk he finally gave up and moved on.  Mila was still nervous to leave the lambing jug and would not leave the barn at all.  She would go straight back to the lambing jug after only a few minutes of freedom.  Finally this weekend Mila must have decided she was tired of hiding in the barn and came out into the pasture with the rest of the flock.  The other lambs were excited to meet Abigail and Adams and they received a few good headbutts from Mila when they got to rough with her lambs.
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4 Comments

    Author

    Laura Marie is the owner of La Bella Farm.

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Photos by L.M. Kramer