CheeseXML 1.00
Farmer’s cheese (Almanac)
Ingredients
| Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized | 1 gal |
| Apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity | 0.5 cup |
| Non-iodized cheese salt | 1 tsp |
Process
| # | Steps | Plan | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat the milk to 87 °C Heat the vat to the culture temperature published for this make. | Heat · Milk preparation · Temperature: 87 °C (85–88 °C) | |
| 2 | Add acid Stir in the acid and wait until the whey clears. | Step code · Coagulation · Temperature: 87 °C (85–88 °C) · Until: Clear whey · Addition: Amount: 0.5 cup | |
| 3 | Ladle the curd Ladle uncut curd into the hoops. | Step code · Cutting | |
| 4 | Draw whey and hoop Draw whey to the grain and fill the hoop. | Drain · Draining · Flips: Turn: After: 5 min; Turn: After: 15 min | |
| 5 | Press Drain in muslin, salt, tie and hang 30 minutes for spreadable cheese or up to 2 hours for dry, crumbly cheese. | Press · Pressing · Pressing: Mass: 10 lb; Duration: 20 min | |
| 6 | Salt Salt the curd or the wheel. | Salt · Salting |
Farmer’s cheese (Almanac)
Acid-set cheese · Difficulty: 1
Batch scale
Scale factor:
Description
Old Farmer’s Almanac farmer’s cheese: 1 gallon whole milk to 185–190 °F, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 15 minutes rest, hang 30 minutes (soft) to 2 hours (crumbly), 1 tsp cheese salt.
Recipe details
- Style
- Acid-set cheese
- Country
- United States
- PDO
- No
- Schema version
- 1.00
- Type
- Home recipe
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Created
- 2026-09-09
- License
- CC-BY-4.0
- Author
- CheeseXML 1.00 reference set
- Units
- US
- Milk
- Cow milk, Pasteurized, Not homogenized
- Milk volume
- 1 gal
- Expected yield
- 1 lb
- Yield ratio
- 0.119826 ratio
- Active time
- 20 min
- Total time
- 2 h
- Scale
- For milk volume: 1 gal
Ingredients
- Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized — 1 gal
Role: Base milk · Kind: Whole milk
- Apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity — 0.5 cup
Role: Acid · Kind: Acid Acetic
- Non-iodized cheese salt — 1 tsp (Details: Salt: Salting in curd; Iodized: No)
Role: Salt · Kind: Salt
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot
- Dairy thermometer
- Slotted ladle
- Butter muslin / cheesecloth
- Colander
- Slotted spoon
- Hanging bag
- Cheese hoop / mold
- Cheese press
- Follower
Process
Heat the milk to 87 °C
Heat · Milk preparation
Heat the vat to the culture temperature published for this make.
Temperature: 87 °C (85–88 °C)
Add acid
Step code · Coagulation
Stir in the acid and wait until the whey clears.
Temperature: 87 °C (85–88 °C) · Until: Clear whey · Addition: Amount: 0.5 cup
Ladle the curd
Step code · Cutting
Ladle uncut curd into the hoops.
Draw whey and hoop
Drain · Draining
Draw whey to the grain and fill the hoop.
Flips: Turn: After: 5 min; Turn: After: 15 min
Press
Press · Pressing
Drain in muslin, salt, tie and hang 30 minutes for spreadable cheese or up to 2 hours for dry, crumbly cheese.
Pressing: Mass: 10 lb; Duration: 20 min
Salt
Salt · Salting
Salt the curd or the wheel.
Storage
Temperature: 4 °C; Shelf life: 7 d
Allergens
Allergen: Milk
Safety
Use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurize unknown raw milk. Sanitize equipment.
Source
Title: How To Make Cheese At Home — Farmer’s Cheese; Creator: Old Farmer’s Almanac / Julie Laing; Year: 2024; URL: https://www.almanac.com/how-make-cheese-home-step-step
Tags
Tag: For beginners; Tag: Ready the same day; Tag: Acid and heat; Tag: Vegetarian