# Chevre



## carlidoe

I am on Hoegger's website right now ordering rennet and cheesecloth. I am ready to make my first cheese!! Well, almost :/ I am wanting some of you pros to share you chevre recipes with me. I need one that would be good for a beginner. 
Also, what type of molds do you use (please include size) how do you store it in the fridge, and how long will it keep? I want to use molds so I can serve "pretty" cheese to friends and family. 
Thanks,
Carli


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## Rose

Go to H.E.B. and shop in their plastic ware section. I found some really pretty heavy plastic cups for making cute chevre in. MUCH cheaper than purchasing them online. I used a Black and Decker drill to make holes for the whey to drain out.

I think they were fifty cents each.


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## buckrun

Holy Goat Alice! I have a whole stack of the blues ones myself!
Work so good!


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## Rose

To answer your other questions, *most* of the time I drain chevre in a bag, suspended over a pail. Then, after it's done draining, I spoon that into those Glad or Ziplock containers that have replaced Tupperware. It keeps at least a week or ten days before growing mold. But, we eat it sooner than that unless it gets shoved to the back of the fridge.


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## carlidoe

ok great! thanks for the info. I didn't buy molds, they were $5 each!! crazy..so I looked for something to drill holes in


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## MiaBella Farm

We hang our cheese in bags made for that purpose. Then salt with cheese salt. Spoon into 8 oz containers & sell. If we want to add spices we do that at least a day before we sell so the spices have time to mesh with th chevre. Chevre should last about 2 weeks but depends on the temp of your frige. We have some that is a month old & tastes fine, no mold no off flavor at all. We get our culture from Dairy Connection.


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## carlidoe

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/140-Chevre-DS-5pack.html

Someone on this forum suggested this culture so I ordered it. Hopefully it works out! If not I will try another. Thanks for mentioning that about when to add the seasoning, useful advice there.


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## Rose

I use that one a lot. There is also one called Fromagina that is excellent. Just a tad sweeter.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/144-Fromagina-DS-5-pack.html


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## mamatomany

Those cultures from New England Cheese Connection says it will set up 1 gallon of milk. Has anyone tried 1.5 gallons to see if it sets up the same?


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## carlidoe

Ok well, I got my culture in the other day and I'm proud to say that I have a gallon of milk setting up as i write this! yay! 

I bought a lot of cheap 8oz plastic containers. Do I have to drill holes in them? What purpose do the holes serve?

Also, how much cheese salt for 1 gallon of milk? How do you mix it in?


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## carlidoe

Aaaah I think I figured out the cup with holes thing....I'm going to hang my chevre in butter muslin above a pail, so I don't need molds with holes for draining. So i can just spoon my finished chevre into the containers, correct?

I still need to know how to mix in the salt :/ Someone mentioned a food processor..


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## MiaBella Farm

We use an electric mixer, to figure the amount of salt, you need to weigh the cheese, then put in 1% of salt per pound

Let it sit overnight before you eat it to let the salt and cheese really get to know each other :biggrin

Same for any spices you add, it is better the next day.


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## MiaBella Farm

mamatomany said:


> Those cultures from New England Cheese Connection says it will set up 1 gallon of milk. Has anyone tried 1.5 gallons to see if it sets up the same?


Yes, you can use one packet for 1.5 gallons of milk.


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## carlidoe

This culture said you can let set 8-12 hours. That's big time gap. How long do you ladies let your's set up?


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## buckrun

We usually do 12 hours just because I start it right after morning milking and then hang it after cleaning up after supper since it drains over the kitchen sink.


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## carlidoe

K gotcha. Thanks for the info! I'm anxious!


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## Rose

It gets thick as it drains. If you want the cute formed cheeses, drain it in the cups with holes drilled in them so the whey drains out. It's not going to be as pretty if you drain it in cheesecloth and then put it in the cups.


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## Rose

I don't salt chevre. The recipes I use don't call for salt.


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## carlidoe

I see. Thanks for the advice. The curd looked great this morning, still had some whey left over. So I dumped it in the colander and stirred a few times. Everything worked perfectly! I added the salt and it tasted great! It did have that characteristic "goaty" flavor. I've tasted this is several chevres tasted in the past. 

How do your's taste? Give me links to your website if you sell cheese, I want to sample it!


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## Rose

I don't sell. I just have three does in milk, so I make cheese for friends and family.

Are you using your own milk? It's really important to use very fresh milk. 

The goat milk from the store (Meyenburg) is nasty.


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## carlidoe

OH yeah, that junk from the store is terrible. I use milk from my own goats . I didn't use the freshest milk in the fridge :/, I know I should have but decided to experiment with the older stuff. None of it was over 72 hours old, though. 

I only have one doe so its hard to keep a gallon of fresh on hand for cheese and also some for drinking. 

Its funny about my goat milk, when its fresh and raw, no odor or goaty taste at all..just wonderful and sweet. But I've noticed that when I pasteurize or process it in any way, that smell/flavor comes out. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad taste, just takes some getting used to. 

I read an article on chevre that said this flavor was characteristic of chevre. 

Anyone on here make cheese from pasteurized milk? How does the flavor differ from that of raw milk?


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## carlidoe

Rose said:


> I use that one a lot. There is also one called Fromagina that is excellent. Just a tad sweeter.
> 
> http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/144-Fromagina-DS-5-pack.html


Thanks for this. I'm going to order some today!


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## Rose

Because there are immune system impaired folks in my family, I do pasteurize. Beside chevre, I make Cheddar, feta, Monterrey Jack, Manchego, Haloumi, Gouda (once, because it's a LOT of work), and I have my first Gruyere in the brine today. 

The cheese I made today is Jalapeno Monterrey Jack, made with milk from my Mini-Mancha. The creamier milk made a BIG difference in how the cheese curds developed. Making cheese is fascinating, and it takes a LONG time to get into the more complex issues!


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## nightskyfarm

Your "goaty" taste is caused by your milk quality. For Cheese quickly cool your milk in clean jars by putting in the deep freeze first, do not freeze. Store your milk at a temperature below 40 degrees. Also, some goats have inherently goaty flavored milk after 24 hrs, but I still find it is more commonly caused by bacteria. Look at your milking habits and proper cooling revisiting these areas will make a huge difference in cheese quality.


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