# What did I make??



## Pronking Publius

I left about a gallon of raw milk in a 2.5 gallon stainless steel for exactly two days just to see what would happen....what it would smell like, what the consistency would change to etc. After day one it sort of smelled like bread that was rising. On the morning of the second day it started to smell sour. When I opened it up exactly two full days after I set it there, I could see whey on the top and there was a lot of nice-looking curd that I just hung in some cheesecloth. It's been hanging a few hours and I would say the curd is at least the size of a softball. I didn't put any cultures in or anything....just set out raw milk for two days with the lid mostly on in temps that were probably the mid seventies or so. 

What did I just make? And more importantly, think its safe to eat?? I'm wondering if I should eat it as cream cheese, or press it etc. Think I'll try it maybe, then press it. Hmm.


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## fmg

I that would be considered "quark", but not 100% sure. I'd try it probably, but it would make me nervous, so I'd probably just try a small amount and see how my tummy felt before eating more.


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## Pronking Publius

I tried a little and it tasted fine. It was like cottage cheese sort of when I mashed it all up. I left another gallon of raw milk out for like 6 or so days. After 2 days the whey and curds clearly separated and became more and more separately pronounced every day after that. I finally got around to dumping it today, and sure enough, I didn't try it, but it smelled and looked just like regular old cheese. It just floated on top of the whey and looked like it would be cream or something when I dumped it, but no, it was pretty firm cheese. I'm not so daring, but it makes me wonder. I'm going to look into more natural methods of cheesemaking and see what I can find. It's sort of fun making what looks like cheese just by leaving milk out! But again, I have to look into it a bit more before I think about eating it and see if that method is kosher or not.


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## mountaingoats12

Isn't that how sour cream is made, sort of?


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## hsmomof4

You made clabber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clabber_(food)


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## doublebowgoats

I use that method to make a delicious homemade ranch style dip/dressing. I don't actually drain it though, I just scoop off the thicker stuff on the top and it has the consistency of buttermilk. The other part I use to make bread or pancakes


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## WindmillFarm

*Clabber is good*

When I was growing up, my Grandmother made all of our butter, sour cream and cottage cheese from clabber. Raw cow's milk was put in crocks and kept in a screened cabinet until a leathery surface formed on top. The surface was removed and the remainder poured into the churn or into fine cheesecloth, then hung to drip.


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## Kepi

*Regularly have the same results*

I often leave milk to 'sour' to make a 'joghurt' sometimes a skin will form over the liquid but I am led to believe that as long as it is white then not to stress over it. Again if I get a skin I simply use the liquid to make cheese for personal use. I've been doing it for a few months now and I'm still alive and healthy


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## ksalvagno

Look up clabber. If you leave the milk out, you should be covering the opening so that air can get in but not other things.


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## Kepi

Pronking Publius said:


> I tried a little and it tasted fine. It was like cottage cheese sort of when I mashed it all up. I left another gallon of raw milk out for like 6 or so days. After 2 days the whey and curds clearly separated and became more and more separately pronounced every day after that. I finally got around to dumping it today, and sure enough, I didn't try it, but it smelled and looked just like regular old cheese. It just floated on top of the whey and looked like it would be cream or something when I dumped it, but no, it was pretty firm cheese. I'm not so daring, but it makes me wonder. I'm going to look into more natural methods of cheesemaking and see what I can find. It's sort of fun making what looks like cheese just by leaving milk out! But again, I have to look into it a bit more before I think about eating it and see if that method is kosher or not.


Think about how cheese was made before rennet, vinegar citric acid etc....... I am using about 12 litres of milk a day at the moment and with the other tasks (planting, grasscutting etc) plus the hot days I've have milk 'turn' basically it's turning acidic, just the way you would do it when adding vinegar or citric acid to form curds.

I generally heat the curds that have formed, adding salt, and then going through the usual process of draining, pressing etc. The resulting cheese is fine, it may have a tangier flavour but essentially is the same as cheese making from joghurt.

If you aren't too comfortable about the possibility of something lurking in the curds,then, simply pasteurise and it will kill whatever is in there 

If you have any questions feel free to PM me, I'm an enthusiastic beginner that is making cheese daily and experimenting with different types, already have curd cheese, blue cheese, camembert, riccotta, gjetost, and what is turning into a nice little cheddar under my belt.


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## Kepi

WindmillFarm said:


> When I was growing up, my Grandmother made all of our butter, sour cream and cottage cheese from clabber. Raw cow's milk was put in crocks and kept in a screened cabinet until a leathery surface formed on top. The surface was removed and the remainder poured into the churn or into fine cheesecloth, then hung to drip.


Making butter from clabber! do you have any instructions?


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