57 hours to go

Sorry again for missing a couple postings ... with graduation coming, everything is becoming a lot busier for me.

In the past couple weeks we have made a couple of cheeses that I have only made once before so I really had to think about the make processes for these cheese. Most cheeses follow the same steps but there are small differences that make them different cheese. With only making cheese twice a week and making a wide variety, I always really have to think about the differences because some are so small. I finally feel like I am getting the hang of all of the small stuff and am becoming more confident in my cheesemaking abilities.

As of now I have 183 hours done towards my cheesemaker's license with 57 hours still to complete, but I feel like I have been making cheese forever. With graduation this Sunday and exams to follow, and then starting my new full time job, I am a bit concerned about getting all of my hours so it might take me longer to get my license than expected but I will eventually get there.

This past week I took an ice cream makers course through the Center for Dairy Research. I really learned a lot about ice cream and many of the subjects crossed with what I knew about cheese. It was very interesting to learn how to make another dairy product but the best part of the course was all the ice cream we were able to evaluate … what a great class!

Thanksgiving cheese curds

More cheddar today but it works out well because I was hoping to take cheese home for Thanksgiving so my family could try some. My mom always asks if I can bring home anything I made, but she forgets that most cheese has to age before it's ready to eat, with the exception being cheese curds, of course. So at this year's Thanksgiving we'll have turkey and the other traditional foods and we'll also have cheese curds…what could be better? I just hope my family likes them.

Today I noticed that even during the down times Gary is always running around doing something else and barely ever takes five minutes to relax, so today Gary had me update inventory sheets from the upstairs and downstairs coolers. I always knew he had a lot to do with inventory management but I never realized the amount of records he kept and the other inventory systems he had in place.

Every time Gary makes cheese he has to think about what he has in the coolers and how far along it is, what has been selling or not, what the dairy store needs and many other factors that will affect his decision. To me this alone seems like a daunting task especially because the dairy plant sells a majority of its cheese around the holiday season in cheese boxes.

So I could only imagine what it would be like to run an entire cheese plant like Gary did for many years. I always think of farmstead producers who are farmers first and cheesemakers second and the challenge it is to do both. The more cheese I make the more I appreciate all the work that goes into on the farmer and processing slide. It once again just shows that being a cheesemaker is more than just a job but something you need to really be passionate about.

The Perfect Cheese

Sorry that I have missed a couple entries. Trying to balance between school, work, graduation and everything else means I have gotten a bit behind on my entries.

Today we made brick, which to me is one of the easiest cheeses to make because it is a pretty simple and fast process! With the extra time, Gary cut open some Swiss to see how it had developed.

Of all of the Swiss cheese I had seen Gary cut open, this one had definitely developed the best. I wish I had a camera to take a picture of Gary's face and how excited and proud he was. He couldn't stop talking about how well the eyes had formed and he couldn't ask for it to turn out better.

He then proceeded to show everyone around and talked about this perfect cheese. He even said that you will never see anything as beautiful as that cheese. At that point I realized what it really takes to be a great cheesemaker, not only the knowledge to make great cheese but the dedication and the passion for it.

I now realize why Gary is so particular about every little thing because even the smallest change affects the cheese. Cheesemaking isn't just another job -- it is something you really have to be dedicated to and have to continue to educate yourself.

Milk bottling

This week Gary is on vacation (well deserved) which means I wasn't making cheese this week but got to try something new.

Instead of making cheese I got to work on the other side of the plant with the pasteurizer operator and take a look at the milk bottling set up. It was exciting to work in another area of the plant and learn something new. I am still amazed by all the pipes and buttons involved with the plant!

I can't imagine designing and building a dairy processing plant without messing up and connecting something wrong. But as the morning went on I learned the basics about the pasteurizer and how the milk was directed to certain areas of the plant. It was really interesting to see how it all fit together, normally all I see is the milk that comes to the vat and have no clue about the rest of the plant.

After spending a bit of time on the pasteurizer, I worked with the milk bottling machine. The automation and tasks performed by these machines are amazing. I learned about the entire process from putting the bottles into the hopper all the way until the milk is put in the crates.

The operator told me of the first time he worked with the machine and how it took him a long time to figure out the problem when the machine broke down. It was interesting to see what else happens in the plant besides the activities of the cheese vat area.

The Science of Cheesemaking

Today we were making cheddar -- which sounds pretty boring, but the best part of making cheddar is the reward of getting to take home some fresh squeaky cheese curds.

That indeed may be the best part of cheesemaking … eating the cheese you make! I am always a big hit when I bring home my roommates fresh cheese curds -- they always ask me twice if I really made them or not!

Besides the cheese, Gary taught me more about the cleaners that we use. I had learned some of it during my short courses before my apprentice work had started, but it was a good reminder.

Gary reminded me that alkaline clean fats and acids while acids clean mineral scale. We use sanitizers to reduce the growth of microorganisms. In high school, science wasn't my favorite subject so it was good to have a refresher about pH. Alkaline has a pH over 9, acid under a pH of 5 and a product with a pH of 6-8 is neutral.

The most interesting thing I learned was how to calculate the amount of chlorine needed for use in a certain size tank. The proper amount is 100-200PPM. In general, the rule of thumb is 2oz per 10 gallons. The equation to find out the capacity of a wash tank is to multiply the length x width x depth.

So of course Gary told me to take the tape measure and figure out how much we should use. I was a bit nervous that I would fail my first "quiz" but after I calculated it all out I actually did get it right. So at the end of the day I learned something new and useful and got to bring home some great cheese curds.

Making Colby

It was easier to get out of bed today because I was looking forward to making Colby, a cheese I haven't made before.

As the day went on, I realized Colby is very similar to making a stir curd cheddar but develops into a softer, moister, and milder cheese than cheddar. During the day I did decide that the Colby/cheddar making process really isn't my favorite. I don't mind all the shoveling and raking of the curd but the part I really dislike is putting the curd into the forms.

Gary and I have a system….he buckets the curd from the vat into the form and I pack the curd into the forms, close the cheese cloth, put the lid on and put the form on the press. Sounds pretty easy but I dread it every time. It is very important to have the curd packed into the form tightly so the block forms right and so the lid goes on and I just don’t ever feel like I can do it fast enough.

But the part that is the most frustrating to me is trying to get the lid on the form so I stack the following form on top of it. For some reason the lids never want to fit on the right way and that's when I fall really behind. It's not that big of a deal but I just don't like holding up the process.

But from there we just turn and press the forms making the rest of the process pretty simple. And it's another day of cheesemaking complete.

Back to the Vat

So after a long week of World Dairy Expo I had to drag myself out of bed to go make cheese. As I walked to the plant in the dark and cold weather I was having a really hard time getting excited to go make cheese after having a week off. I was a bit worried that I would be a bit rusty because it felt like such a long time since I last made cheese. I was just hoping I wouldn't start making all the stupid mistakes I did in the beginning.

Also in the back of my mind was the presentation and exam I had to take once I was finished making cheese that afternoon, both of which I felt very unprepared for. So when I walked towards the vat and I saw the pump for making brick cheese I was feeling a bit more relieved.

Making brick cheese is a lot easier and faster than other cheeses because you can pump the curd and whey onto the pressing table instead of having to put in forms. I was also excited to make brick because I knew the steps and was familiar with the process -- making an easier first day back. Before I knew it we were already turning the forms and putting the blocks into the brine and the day was almost complete plus we were ahead of schedule leaving some time to study before my exam.

It didn’t take long and I was back into the swing of things and didn't really miss a beat.