How what the cows eat affects the milk

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  • #1832 Reply
    Roger B
    Participant

    I use raw milk from a neighbouring farm.
    I started making cheese halfway through June and noticed that the cows are fed on hay and silage. The fields around the farm do not appear to be grazed but are used for making the feed.
    The milk tastes great but the curds have been very slow to set (around two hours) and have not been firm but rather soft.
    I am getting around 1.2kg of cheese (before aging) per 10 litres of milk.
    Does all this sound about right?
    I am tempted to try another source of milk as an elimination.

    #1844 Reply
    Curd Nerd
    Keymaster

    Hi Roger

    In terms of your yield, things seem ok there. But your set time doesn’t sound great.

    I recently wrote an article about how the seasons (and what the cows are eating) can affect your cheese making. You can check it out here.

    I agree that it would be worth trying another milk source and see if your set time improves. If not, then there may be another part of your process that needs altering.

    Good luck! Let us know how you go.

    #1872 Reply
    Roger B
    Participant

    Thanks Rachael

    For my last cheese, a red Leicester, I used a new starter culture (Flora Danica) and a new Rennet (calves) – I had been using tablets.
    Whilst the cheese is successful the curds still took nearly 2hrs 30mins to set satisfactorily.
    Having eliminated these ingredients I will definately tyr a different source for my milk.

    For anyone in France – try Alliance Pastorale for all your needs (no connection).

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