Fresh Homemade Farmer's Cheese
With just a half-gallon of whole milk, a splash of vinegar, and a pinch of salt, you can make a soft, fresh farmer's cheese right in your own kitchen - no special skills, no fancy equipment, and no goats required. This is simple, old-fashioned cheesemaking the way farm kitchens have always done it: ready in an afternoon, gone by evening. Stir in a handful of fresh chives or whatever herbs the garden has to offer, press it into a round, and set it on a board with crackers and fruit.
Cost $5
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Long-handled spoon for stirring
- Instant-read or candy thermometer (optional, but helpful)
- Cheesecloth
- Colander
- Large bowl (to catch the whey)
- Ladle
- Knife and cutting board (for herbs)
- Two plates (if pressing into a wheel)
Ingredients
- - ½ gallon pasteurized whole milk not ultra-pasteurized
- - ¼ cup white vinegar
- - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- - 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives dill, or wild garlic chives (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium to medium-low, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Heat until small bubbles form around the edges and the milk is steaming and very nearly at a boil - around 190°F if you're using a thermometer. Remove from heat.
- Pour in the vinegar and stir gently. The milk will begin separating into curds and whey within moments. Give it one slow stir, then set it aside and let it rest, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
- While the curds rest, line a colander with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.
- If you're adding herbs, stir them gently into the curds now.
- Ladle the curds and whey into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Let it drain for a few minutes, then gather the cloth around the curds and squeeze gently. Press more firmly for a crumblier cheese; leave more moisture in for something spreadable.
- Transfer the curds to a bowl, stir in the salt, and taste. Add a spoonful of reserved whey if the cheese seems drier than you'd like.
- To serve loose: transfer to a bowl and use immediately, or refrigerate.
- To shape into a wheel: keep the curds in the cheesecloth and press into a round mound on a plate. Set a second plate on top and press gently to form a disc about 1 to 1½ inches thick. Refrigerate, still wrapped, for at least one hour before unwrapping and serving.
Notes
Keeps in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.