The Morris Farm in Wiscasset will be hosting a beginning cheesemaking workshop on March 12th and 13th 2011. The class will be taught by cheesemaker Jessie Dowling of Appleton Creamery. In this hands-on workshop we’ll cover the basics of home cheesemaking. You will learn how to utilize the tools you have at home with ingredients you can find at the grocery store, your local CSA, or your local dairy to make delicious cheese, butter and yogurt. We’ll be making feta, jack, 30 min mozzerella, a lactic cheese, ricotta and more! The class will be held from 9-3 both Saturday and Sunday and you get to take home the cheese you make. The cost for the weekend is $100 for Morris Farm Members and and $120 for non-members. You can email info@morrisfarm.org to sign up, or for more information. More about the Morris Farm or to register online at: www.morrisfarm.org
Meeting — Little Falls Farm
We had a terrific meeting in Harrison at Little Falls Farm, a pretty unique place that produces 100% organic cheese by producing and using their own home-grown rennet.
Mark and Kevin from Pineland Farm gave a demonstration of titration (acid meter) and calibration of a pH meter. They will also bring some quality control tests they run, as well as some bacteria/coliform plates of raw milk.
Yogurt Shelf Life?
This just came into the Guild mailbox:
“I make yogurt in a licensed creamery and we’ve been seeing huge (infinite?) shelf lives for our yogurt, upwards of four weeks in the fridge, with a tangier taste but nothing evil going on. We’re currently putting a 2-week expiration date on our yogurt that we sell in stores, but we are tempted to make this date longer or to change wording so that retailers feel comfortable letting stock hang around. I’m curious to see if anyone in the cheese guild has had any experience with this issue, as there apparently aren’t any state guidelines to which we can refer, and the MMDC doesn’t bring up shelf life, either.
Thanks very much for any help you can offer.”