All posts tagged cheese

Three Things Thursday: 2 November 2017

My weekly exercise in gratitude – three things that are making me smile – feel free to steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog [or Twitter account or Facebook page or diary or life in general] with happiness.

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say “cheese”

First, yummy cheese. The little cheeses were not maturing in the way I had hoped, so the other day we decided to sample one of them… and it was delicious, with flavour of a mild Caerphilly and a feta-like texture. With the poor growth of white mould needed to create brie, I abandoned this idea and brought forward the next stages, so I chopped up half of one cheese for preservation in olive oil, I wrapped one in Calvados-soaked nasturtium leaves and I wiped one down with Calvados and then oiled the surface. The other half of the first cheese we ate as cauliflower cheese and it was a great success.

Second, a pay-out. Now, I know that this weekly post is usually about the little things in life that make me smile, but I was delighted to get a cheque yesterday, covering compensation for a mis-sold financial product. I may be smiling even more soon, because there’s a second claim still to be settled! Actually, it would have been good never to have been duped by my bank in the first place, but at least they have been forced to put things right.

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and there’s a whole ball still left

Third, passing it on. A while ago I was given some yarn, which I completely forgot about. However, I came across it the other day and realised that it would be perfect for a surprise gift I wanted to make. When posting my most recent lot of parcels, the lady in the post office admired my fingerless mittens and told me how cold her hands get… so next time I go to do my post I have a little gift to take for her. I whipped them up yesterday evening, so the kindness of a gift of yarn (thank you Katy the Night Owl) has been converted into the gift of warm hands.

So, that’s what’s making me happy this week. How about you?

-oOo-

Emily of Nerd in the Brain originally created Three Things Thursday, but it’s now being hosted by Natalie of There She Goes.

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by The Snail of Happiness on November 2, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on November 2, 2017

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17 for 2017 – October Update

Debbie loved her surprise gift

October has seen several of my 17 for 2017 goals achieved, but one that I had hoped to complete has not got done and one has been entirely abandoned. Anyway, here’s progress so far:

Seventeen… Love Rocks or other little random yarny/sewn gifts. Two this month and one in the offing, so the current total is 10.

Sixteen… batches of homemade biscuits. This goal is complete.

Fifteen… cheeses.  With my training course and the five cheeses that I brought home and am maturing in various ways now, this goal is complete.

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so many cheeses this month

Fourteen… pairs of knickers. None this  month, so the total is still six.

Thirteen… mends. Target reached in May.

Twelve… letters to friends. Target reached in June.

Eleven… new items in my Etsy shop. Complete and more than exceeded now that I’ve got into the habit of doing this. And I’m delighted to say that sales are slowly increasing too.

Ten... plants given to good homes. Target reached in May.

Nine… has been abandoned… Forced enjoyment just wasn’t working for me!

Eight… meals using only our own produce. Target reached in September.

Seven… visits to see “social media” friends. Target reached in September

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 finished near the beginning of the month

Six… Pairs of socks knitted, using at least three different patterns. One pair completed earlier this month, plus two pairs in progress, so the total is 4 plus two on the go… and I have used three different patterns.

Five… book chapters written. None yet, and I really don’t think I’m feeling sufficiently motivated about this at the moment. I just don’t seem to have enough dedicated time to settle down to make plans and get writing as other things keep being more urgent.

Four… blankets for charity; knitted or crocheted. Target reached in February.

Three… sessions in the loft, sorting out some of the accumulated ‘stuff’ up there. Still two. Although I have been up there and done some more sorting I can’t really describe it as a dedicated ‘session’.

Two… patterns published and on sale. I failed to get on with the second pattern in the past few weeks, although there really isn’t much more to do. The total, therefore is still 1.

 One… gardening apron. Completed in April.
 So that’s it for now. If you have a 17 for 2017 blog post or an update on your progress, do leave a link in the comments.
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by The Snail of Happiness on October 31, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on October 31, 2017

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A supply problem

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non-homogenised milk… complete with cream

The best laid plans are often scuppered by circumstances beyond our control… and so it has been this year with my cheese-making.

I love making cheese and I was happily enjoying doing it using milk from a farm just down the road until the summer. And then it all came to an end. The milk I was using was linked to a food-poisoning scare at the local farmers’ market and sales ceased. Now, we and many other local people had been drinking and using this milk for over a year without incident, including during the time the problem occurred. I haven’t been able to find out whether there was any conclusive link between the milk and the food poisoning, but the upshot is that the farm has stopped selling raw milk and have not yet decided whether they will ever start again. Whilst this should have been nothing more than a set-back for me, it’s actually turned out to have completely scuppered my home cheese-making.

The real problem is that, to make cheese, you need non-homogenised milk. It doesn’t matter whether it’s pasteurised or not, but it mustn’t be homogenised… which almost all commercially available milk is. I hunted the internet, but I’m not having much joy. You can buy it from a posh supermarket that we don’t live anywhere near, but it really isn’t commonly available. I thought that I had found another local farm to buy it from, but further investigation revealed that their milk too was homogenised.

I can only assume that homogenisation is so common because it allows milk sellers to control exactly how much butterfat there is in the milk. Sadly, it means our milk is one further step removed from being ‘natural’ and so I can’t make cheese. The other depressing upshot is that our milk for general use is now arriving in plastic packaging – something I had completely eliminated by collecting our milk in my churn direct from the tank on the farm.

So, my quest continues and in the mean time, I’ll have to buy my cheese ready-made, and eat the stock I’ve already got maturing.

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fortunately, this monster is now in the fridge maturing

17 Comments
by The Snail of Happiness on October 29, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on October 29, 2017

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Three Things Thursday: 26 October 2017

My weekly exercise in gratitude – three things that are making me smile – feel free to steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog [or Twitter account or Facebook page or diary or life in general] with happiness.

First, drizzle. Now, this in not something that usually makes me smile, but after reading Jill’s post over at Nice Piece of Work this morning, I’m feeling very grateful that water is not something we lack here in Wales.

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drizzle, adding some sparkles

Second, mould. Again, not usually something that makes me smile, but the appearance of the first white mould on the brie that we made last week is certainly a cause for celebration.

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small, but perfectly formed

Third, my name in a book. I only remembered the other day that helping to fund the craftivism book meant that I would appear in the list of supporters in the book itself. It’s not the first time I’ve seen my name in print. I have, on occasion appeared in book acknowledgements and a couple of times as an author, but not usually as The Snail of Happiness!

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I’m in under ‘S’ for Snail

I also smiled to note that Slartibartfast had contributed too.

So, that’s what’s making me happy this week. How about you?

-oOo-

Emily of Nerd in the Brain originally created Three Things Thursday, but it’s now being hosted by Natalie of There She Goes.

11 Comments
by The Snail of Happiness on October 26, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on October 26, 2017

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Finessing my affinage

Affinage? That’s maturing your cheese once it’s made.

In my experience, this is where the real skill is when making cheese. Up to this point you are scrupulously clean,  follow a recipe, watch your pH and handle your cheese appropriately – trying to standardise as far as possible from one batch to another to avoid variations in your end product. But what you do next can turn a simple cheese into a masterpiece. At this point, variations in temperature, humidity and surface treatment can create wildly different cheeses even from a single batch.

This was exactly the point of bringing home the four small brie cheeses that we made this week. Each of us has four cheeses and each of us is going to record what we do with them and report back.

A. is going to keep things simple and taste hers at different ages, although she might decide to try something different with one or two of them. P. is going to taste one at a young stage, surface treat one of hers with extra white mould (there’s already some in the cheese) and keep the other two under slightly different temperature regimes to see whether they develop differently. My four cheeses are going to be treated as follows:

  1. Charcoal-coated, kept at about 10-12C
  2. As-is, kept at about 10-12C
  3. As-is, for 3 weeks at about 10-12C, then tasting and trial storage in oil (with herbs?)
  4. As-is for 3 weeks at about 10-12C, then wrapped in calvados-soaked nasturtium leaves and matured for a further 3-4 weeks at 10-12C

Ash-coating of cheeses is common on the continent and I have enjoyed eating many such products, so the first treatment makes use of some food-grade charcoal powder that I already have. The third treatment is the sort of thing that you do with feta and I thought it might result in a good flavour. The final treatment is my most experimental, but using alcohol-soaked edible leaves or flowers is an approach used by various artisan cheese makers. I toyed with using nasturtium flowers rather than leaves, but I decided that they were a bit delicate for a first try, although I may give them a go in the future. The leaves are currently macerating in calvados, where they will stay until I’m ready to wrap the cheese.

As for the big cheese, I’m keeping it simple. It’s currently on a rack drying at room temperature. By tomorrow the surface should be nice and dry and it should no longer be weeping any whey. I’m then going to use cheese coating on it – this is a breathable coating that protects the cheese from unwanted micro-organism contamination, but still allows the production of a rind with surface growth. I’ve never used it before, but the cheese is so big that it would be difficult to wax, and a challenge to store without risking surface contamination.

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It’s like waiting for cheese to dry!

Over the coming weeks I will report back about progress… wish me luck!

 

26 Comments
by The Snail of Happiness on October 21, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on October 21, 2017

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Three Things Thursday: 19 October 2017

My weekly exercise in gratitude – three things that are making me smile – feel free to steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog [or Twitter account or Facebook page or diary or life in general] with happiness.

First,  a bit of yarn storming. Welsh cob and adjacent bench in Aberaeron. Complete with strategically placed pompoms!

Second, sending a gift (I didn’t have to sit on this one!)

17 RCKs 10

I hope this will make the recipient smile too

Third, cheese… lots of cheese… that we made!

Cheese making

So, that’s what’s making me happy this week. How about you?

-oOo-

Emily of Nerd in the Brain originally created Three Things Thursday, but it’s now being hosted by Natalie of There She Goes.

18 Comments
by The Snail of Happiness on October 19, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on October 19, 2017

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Three Things Thursday: 27 July 2017

My weekly exercise in gratitude – three things that are making me smile – feel free to steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog [or Twitter account or Facebook page or diary or life in general] with happiness.

First, the house is full of wood. Tim has arrived to start installing the cupboards; there is the sound of sawing and drilling in the kitchen and soon there will be loads of space for all my preserved food.

It’s a good job we have a long hallway.

Second, successful cheese. Yesterday we sampled a cheese made in January and I am very pleased with the result. This is a Tomme-style cheese and quite straightforward to make (for a hard cheese). It is not pressed and has developed a good texture and flavour – I will be making lots more of this.

Say ‘cheese’

Third, cooking from the garden. I shared pictures of our crops the other day and some of them have already been consumed. I am always happy to cook things that I have grown myself.

Here’s some I grew earlier

So, those are three things making me smile this week. What is making you happy?

-oOo-

Emily of Nerd in the Brain originally created Three Things Thursday, but it’s now being hosted by Natalie of There She Goes.

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by The Snail of Happiness on July 27, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on July 27, 2017

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17 for 2017 – June Update

Progress continued with some of my 17 for 2017 goals in June, and, like May, another two sets of goals were achieved. This is my progress to date:

Seventeen… Love Rocks or other little random yarny/sewn gifts. One more this month, which I’ve just sent off to the recipient. Total 7.

Sixteen… batches of homemade biscuits. I made my final batch this month, so this goal is complete.

A cheese underway

Fifteen… cheeses.  I made one lot of Bel Paese-style cheese. The total now is ten.

Fourteen… pairs of knickers. None this  month, so the total is still six.

Thirteen… mends. Target reached in May.

Twelve… letters to friends. This month, I wrote six letters – half of my target and reaching my goal. But don’t worry – if I’ve promised you a letter, you will get one since I’m on a roll now.

Eleven… new items in my Etsy shop. None this month. The total is still eight.

Ten... plants given to good homes. Target already reached in May.

Nine… games of Scrabble. None yet.

Eight… meals using only our own produce. None yet, although we’re getting closer now that we’re harvesting more.

Seven… visits to see “social media” friends. None this month (although lots of people came to visit us), so the total is still six.

No finished, but started in June – a sock

Six… Pairs of socks knitted, using at least three different patterns. I’ve started a pair this month, but it’s not finished yet, so still only one pair made

Five… book chapters written. None yet.

Four… blankets for charity; knitted or crocheted. Target completed in February.

Three… sessions in the loft, sorting out some of the accumulated ‘stuff’ up there. None yet.

Two… patterns published and on sale. No new pattern this month, so just the one published in January.

 One… gardening apron. Completed in April.
I’m feeling rather pleased with my achievements again this month – especially all the letters.
 If you have a 17 for 2017 blog post or an update on your progress, do leave a link in the comments.
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by The Snail of Happiness on June 30, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on June 30, 2017

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17 for 2017 – May Update

May turned out to see lots of action with respect to 17 for 2017, including another two sets of goals achieved. So, this is progress to date:

17 RCKs 5

A gift vaark

Seventeen… Love Rocks or other little random yarny/sewn gifts. I could claim that this goal has been completed, having put dozens and dozens of hearts in the community garden in Chorlton last Saturday, but I’m only counting this as one ‘act’. I also made a little vaark which was sent as a surprise to one of the administrators for the 60 Million Trebles project. Thus, the total so far is six.

Sixteen… batches of homemade biscuits. Three lots in May means I’m just a single batch away from my goal.

Fifteen… cheeses.  I made two lots of Bel Paese-style cheese – it’s really simple, is ready after just six weeks and it’s great for cooking. Th total now is nine

Fourteen… pairs of knickers. None this  month, so the total is still six.

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Mended with a swirl or two of Sugru

Thirteen… mends. Leggings, pyjamas and two different sets of headphones this month means that I’ve reached my target for the year.

Twelve… letters to friends. None written this month, so the total is still six.

Eleven… new items in my Etsy shop. I’ve added just one item this month, the “Start a Revolution, Plant a Garden” embroidery that appeared in the craftivism display. This takes the total to eight.

10 plants rehomed 9

Lemongrass, grown from seed, off to a new home

Ten... plants given to good homes. Although I only gave the first plants away last month, I’ve already reached my target, with summer purple sprouting broccoli, lemongrass and chillies accounting for most of the plants that have gone off to new homes in May.

Nine… games of Scrabble. None yet.

Eight… meals using only our own produce. None yet, although there have been several meals that came close.

Seven… visits to see “social media” friends. My visit to Manchester took my total to six.

Six… Pairs of socks knitted, using at least three different patterns. None this month, so still only one made

Five… book chapters written. None yet.

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The squares for blanket six of four

Four… blankets for charity; knitted or crocheted. I’d completed this target by the end of February; however, I finished another this month and I’ve nearly finished one more.

Three… sessions in the loft, sorting out some of the accumulated ‘stuff’ up there. None yet.

Two… patterns published and on sale. No new pattern this month, so just the one published in January.

 One… gardening apron. I made this last month.
I’m feeling rather pleased with my achievements this month – how about your projects this year? If you have a 17 for 2017 blog post or an update on your progress, do leave a link in the comments.
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by The Snail of Happiness on June 2, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on June 2, 2017

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17 for 2017 – April Update

This month has involved a holiday and a lot of work, distracting me from ticking things off the list; however, here is the April update for 17 for 2017. This is where I am so far:

Seventeen… Love Rocks or other little random yarny/sewn gifts. I crocheted a little collection of flowers and hearts for the craftivism display at The Make It Shop, to be given away at the end of May. Although there were seven of them, I’m just counting this as one ‘make’ on my list. Most unusually, I completely forgot to photograph them, but I will do so once they are in the display. This takes me to a total of four for this target.

Sixteen… batches of homemade biscuits. Just one batch in April takes the annual total to 12. We took this batch on holiday with us!

15 Cheeses 7

April’s cheese in the mould

Fifteen… cheeses.  I experimented with making a new sort of cheese this month, using a thermophilic bacterial starter. It is smelling very good, so I hope that April’s solitary cheese will be a success. The total has now increased to seven.

Fourteen… pairs of knickers. None this  month, so the total is still six. I have decided I need to tweak the pattern a little as I have lost a bit of weight!

13 Mends 9

Bucket reinforced using Sugru

Thirteen… mends. Two mends this month – both involved using Sugru to rescue damaged plastic items, namely a bucket and a coat hanger. This takes me to nine different mends so far this year.

Twelve… letters to friends. None written this month, so the total is still six.

Eleven… new items in my Etsy shop. I haven’t added anything this month, The current total is still seven, but I’ve got some new ideas.

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Here they were, ready to go to their new home

Ten... plants given to good homes. Finally kicking off this aim, I gave away two tomato plants this month to the friend who looks after our hens when we are on holiday.

Nine… games of Scrabble. None yet… we took the Scrabble set on holiday, but somehow it never got used.

Eight… meals using only our own produce. None yet, although plants are flourishing in the limery now, so the future looks bright.

Seven… visits to see “social media” friends. One lovely visit to see Karen of the blog Sweet Baby Veg – more about this in a later post. My total is now five.

Six… Pairs of socks knitted, using at least three different patterns. I planned to knit a pair of socks whilst on holiday, but I could not find the right needles before I went, and so I didn’t manage even to start a pair. Of course the needles turned up as soon as I got home, so maybe I’ll do better this month. The total is still just one pair.

Five… book chapters written. None yet – I’m still not feeling inspired!

4 Blankets 5

A bonus blanket in progress (the fifth of four!)

Four… blankets for charity; knitted or crocheted. I’d completed this target by the end of February; however, I have another one underway at the moment – it’s the project I took on holiday in the absence of sock needles!

Three… sessions in the loft, sorting out some of the accumulated ‘stuff’ up there. None, but now the weather is warming up, the prospect of this happening is increasing.

Two… patterns published and on sale. No new pattern this month, so just the one published in January.

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It’s a bit grubbier than this now!

One… gardening apron. Yay – this one is done, and it’s getting lots of use.

Progress has been a bit slow this month, but I’m still moving forward – how about your projects this year? If you have a 17 for 2017 blog post or an update on your progress, do leave a link in the comments.

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by The Snail of Happiness on April 29, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by The Snail of Happiness on April 29, 2017

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