Fresh Milk

So often in today's world of convience we forget about how our food history was shaped: by the men and women who walked miles to have the best cream to make the richest cheese, woke at dawn to feed the hogs, and move the cattle on to the freshest pasture to graze, tend to the corn, plow the hard dry soil for new seeds to be planted, and cut the wool from the sheep to make clothing and blankets. These practices are not so far removed from our present day when I think about what life may have been like for those settlers in the 1600's even into the early 1900's before cooking was a commodity. So I have really taken to heart the new found pride I have found in cooking "Old World" food. Really what I am doing is applying new age technology to these original ideas. So here is my latest...

Homemade Cottage Cheese. First things first -- in today's world cottage cheese is produced using skim milk which is processed in a plant. What I use is whole "raw" milk form a local farmer. She has three Jersey cows which is a breed of cow from the Isle of Jersey, Britain. They are a smaller breed and produce a high butter fat content milk, great for cheese, creams and butter.
Step 1. Find raw milk. If unavailable you may use store bought skim milk. Please look for raw milk.
Step 2. Measure all of your ingredients, 1 gallon milk, 1 lemon zested, 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, cream for texture and salt to season. Very important!!! Place your colander and cheese cloth in the sink for easy draining.
Step 3. Bring your milk up to 155 to 165 degrees stirring constantly about 10 minutes at medium heat. You can make it!
Step 4. Add lemon zest.
Step 5. Add vinegar and turn off heat.
Step 6. Stir until curds form, and pour through cheese cloth.
Step 7. Add cheese curds to stainless steel bowl and add cream to help cool, and determine consistency
Step 8. Once cool place in plastic container and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 9. Add more cream to desired consistency
Step 10. Enjoy!!!!
Step 11. Make more.
Step 12. Share it with friends!

And that's it a simple 12 step homemade cheese recipe. Enjoy. Until next time... Happy cooking.
+http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCJj7b6JlJQ This is the video to follow along with enjoy.