# So the wife had an idea...



## specknowsbest (Jan 5, 2014)

So my gal sure does well to make me proud! That statement aside, she had a very interesting idea last night, particularly because we both love it and, again, her idea, to use it as a bartering tool as it will likely be difficult if not damn near impossible to get in SHTF.....cheese. Yes, cheese, I know, it's one of the last things we think about food wise, but something almost every modern culture uses and consumes in their day to day diet. Anyway, she mentioned how, once we get back to the States after our upcoming three year stint to Germany, that she wants to learn how to and try to make cheese. Obviously it's a bit of a complicated process, and requires significant amounts of both research and time, but the idea just seemed fantastic to me. I've never met a person who didn't like cheese (except for you communist spies lurking here who call yourselves 'Murikans), and the sudden unavailability of it would likely make it something very sought after, much like tobacco, fish, livestock, etc, so why not learn about it? Obviously we'd need an active source of milk, but with there being a bit of want and effort to eventually have our own livestock to limit our reliance on grocery runs, that'd become something quickly covered. Am I saying it'll be easy? Nope, but the potential value is something that impresses me. After all, imagine if you're at the local trading post/area after SHTF, it's generation lost, you've got a few things to trade and you see somebody with a cart of cheeses, not just one kind, but several kinds, how likely would it be for you to try to trade for it?

But yeah, it was an idea she had, and one I thought was downright awesome.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

If you look at what allot of meals consisted of during the ancient times, allot of it was cheese and bread.


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## Silverback (Jan 20, 2014)

This is such a cheesy idea


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Mrs Inor makes cheese. I cannot applaud your wife's decision strongly enough. It is relatively cheap to get into - most of the tools and supplies you need to get started can be had for under $100. After the initial investment, the only supply that you need to replace is the rennet and the milk of course.

It does take some time though. Mrs Inor usually spends a full day making a 2 pound round of cheddar and whatever she decides to make from the leftover whey. Plus, the hard cheeses need to age for anywhere from a few months to over a year before you can eat them. But it is worth it! 

However, making a whole cart full might be a bit ambitious though. 

Homemade cheese is so much better than anything you can get even in those fancy overpriced cheese shops.


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## specknowsbest (Jan 5, 2014)

Inor said:


> Mrs Inor makes cheese. I cannot applaud your wife's decision strongly enough. It is relatively cheap to get into - most of the tools and supplies you need to get started can be had for under $100. After the initial investment, the only supply that you need to replace is the rennet and the milk of course.
> 
> It does take some time though. Mrs Inor usually spends a full day making a 2 pound round of cheddar and whatever she decides to make from the leftover whey. Plus, the hard cheeses need to age for anywhere from a few months to over a year before you can eat them. But it is worth it!
> 
> ...


lol, maybe it is a bit ambitious, but you never get anywhere in life wondering if you could or couldn't do something. I do agree though, homemade cheese is where it's at, my Aunt makes some on occasion and god knows I love me some smoked Gouda.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

When I saw the headline of the thread, I thought hmmmm, this might get interesting. Anyway, the cheese idea was pretty cool but...


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## specknowsbest (Jan 5, 2014)

Slippy said:


> When I saw the headline of the thread, I thought hmmmm, this might get interesting. Anyway, the cheese idea was pretty cool but...


That's what I'm here for....to dash away your hopes and dreams for an interesting thread by posting misleading titles. :twisted:


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

specknowsbest said:


> That's what I'm here for....to dash away your hopes and dreams for an interesting thread by posting misleading titles. :twisted:


That made me laugh Speck! Let us know how the cheese project goes.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

At one time The Wife (She who must be obeyed) decided we were going to get a goat, for the milk and cheese. Because a cow is just to darn big and eats a lot. Hey, feta cheese, baby! Good for the Greeks, right?
But after doing the necessary research about goats as livestock and realizing that something would have to be done with the off spring (goats and cows don't lactate without "doing the deal") we let the thought die.
Yes, we could sell the offspring, or raise it to butcher, but that's a lot of work. If the world was in chaos, that is one thing, but during normal times we just didn't feel the need. The local grocery has lots of cheese.


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## PrepConsultant (Aug 28, 2012)

Great decision. That is why we chose Jersey for our dairy cow. They have a high butterfat content and we are going to be making cheese in the near future. She will be dropping her calf early March and I am only planning on milkin here once a day and let the calf do the rest.. I am acquiring as many different cheese recipes as I can find and printing them up.. That is something else we do is print as much as we can so we have a hard copy in case something were to happen. We will still have a copy..


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

With my family of 7 we had 2 dairy goats in the past, and if you want to do cheese this is the cheapest way. 

Cows eat a LOT, and they poop a lot and they are picky eaters and did I mention they eat a lot?

Goats eat anything, in fact I am convinced they eat the plants nothing else will as a primary food source, plus you will get about 2x the amount of milk per pound of feed.

Goat milk is way better for you than cows milk (a lot less fat and more easy to process it)

Also goats are easier to milk and have a better personality. 

As for the offspring, we usually took the kids off after a week when the colostrum had purged out of the mother and then commenced to milking as before, we fed the young goats a mix of mothers milk and dry milk until they were weaned and then butchered them at about 8 months.

You cannot image how good 8 month old goat tastes, better than lamb IMO but I have been eating wild game since I was 4 years old so I'm used to different tastes in meat.

Making cheese is not hard but is time consuming, make sure have a lot of cheese cloth stocked to make things easier.

Also, I have recently started "waxing" cheese which is as simple as buying cheese wax and a double boiler, then melting the wax and coating the cheese with it.

I now have several types of cheese unrefrigerated in my basement (average temperature about 50 degrees this time of year, it should keep for many months down there. I like the idea of buying cheese in 3-5 pound blocks and repackaging it in wax and using it up slowly over the next few months. IMO waxing your goat/cow cheese will be a necessary skill.


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## PrepConsultant (Aug 28, 2012)

Montana Rancher said:


> With my family of 7 we had 2 dairy goats in the past, and if you want to do cheese this is the cheapest way.
> 
> Cows eat a LOT, and they poop a lot and they are picky eaters and did I mention they eat a lot?
> 
> ...


We haven't had a chance to get any milk yet but we do have several meat and dairy goats.. Not too worried about the feed for the cow as we have a few thousand round bales of hay a year for the beef cattle. I used to hate goats milk but am now liking it more. I really like goat milk cheese so it is a no brainer..


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

In Wisconsin cheese is part of everyday life just about.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Smitty901 said:


> In Wisconsin cheese is part of everyday life just about.


Wisconsin does have good cheese and good sausage. We are right on the border, so I have a fair bit of experience eating both. In fact, Wisconsin would be just about perfect if it weren't for all of the Packer fans.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Inor said:


> Wisconsin does have good cheese and good sausage. We are right on the border, so I have a fair bit of experience eating both. In fact, Wisconsin would be just about perfect if it weren't for all of the Packer fans.


That and all that darned cold and snow. :lol:


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

Wisconsin has good cheese except for the restaurant we visited a few years back - they were out of cheese. Seriously.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

inceptor said:


> That and all that darned cold and snow. :lol:


 That darned cold and snow is what will keeps us safe if SHTF . That is insurance of never getting over run like FL and CA an AZ and TX and so on.
However this has been one of those years. Over 40 inches of snow so far and a lot of 10-20 Below weather.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Can't argue the overrun part. This is also an unusual winter here in Texas. This morning it was 16 when I got and it's 21 now. THIS IS TEXAS!!! THAT AIN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!

But here, if you don't like the weather, it'll change tomorrow. Texas is one of the few places where you can have all 4 seasons in one week. Mostly we have 2 seasons, summer and almost summer.


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## Just Sayin' (Dec 5, 2013)

It's a great idea. If the SHTF, that is one of the skills that will be in demand after things settle out (assuming a total collapse). And cottage cheese is pretty easy to make. I think most kids in my day and even today made cottage cheese in school as a science project.


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

I love the idea of printing the "How to " for cheese making and the recipes. I have been doing a lot of printing of DIY stuff. As you say, if the computers go down, how else will we have this info? I also read a lot of books from the library (where I am now) and then I can buy them for myself if I like them or they have really good info. Am doing that with a dog training book I just finished. I learned a ton from that book.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> In Wisconsin cheese is part of everyday life just about.


I visited Wisconsin once, when my youngest daughter lived there. You are right, cheese is a very big thing there.
What the heck are fried cheese curds, anyway? I saw them advertised almost everywhere.
Oh, well. They probably wouldn't understand grits either. To each his own.


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

I just finished making two pounds of cheddar. Actually made it Tuesday and then pressed it Tuesday and Wednesday. Now it will sit out for several days and then I will wax it. I also made ricotta from the whey. The extra whey the dogs get a bit with their kibble and I made up dog biscuit dough with most of the rest. So it is time consuming. I'm thinking I would probably die of old age before I made a "cartful" especially with all the other stuff necessary to do after the shtf.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

MrsInor said:


> I just finished making two pounds of cheddar. Actually made it Tuesday and then pressed it Tuesday and Wednesday. Now it will sit out for several days and then I will wax it. I also made ricotta from the whey. The extra whey the dogs get a bit with their kibble and I made up dog biscuit dough with most of the rest. So it is time consuming. I'm thinking I would probably die of old age before I made a "cartful" especially with all the other stuff necessary to do after the shtf.


Do you share recipes? would love to learn to do cheddar cheese and ricotta. have plenty of milk available but no knowledge. yogurt is fun though and takes hardly any effort.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> What the heck are fried cheese curds, anyway? I saw them advertised almost everywhere.
> Oh, well. They probably wouldn't understand grits either. To each his own.


Fried cheese curds are GREAT! Just curd of white cheddar (usually), deep fried in batter. The batter is similar to what you know as a hush puppy.

And yes, I not only understand grits, I understand grits as an art form!  My favorite is Mrs Inor's homemade cheese grits as a side for my smoked BBQ ribs.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

PrepConsultant said:


> We haven't had a chance to get any milk yet but we do have several meat and dairy goats.. Not too worried about the feed for the cow as we have a few thousand round bales of hay a year for the beef cattle. I used to hate goats milk but am now liking it more. I really like goat milk cheese so it is a no brainer..


The key to goats milk is to quick chill it right after milking, We had several 1 liter glass wine carafes (back when they were popular), stick the carafe into a pitcher of iced water and you are golden, if you could tell the difference form cows milk it was not the taste but only the "texture" which is about skim milk texture with 2% taste.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

I get most of my cheese recipes, coffee roasting tips, sprouting ideas on youtube, the prepper's friend

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cheese+recipe&sm=3


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

How do you intend to cut the cheese knife machetes or sphincter?


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

I love cheese curds. Fresh and squeaky or deep fried. 

Wasn't the original intent of making cheese to prolong the useful life of milk? Whatever happened to waxed cheeses? I thought they had a long shelf life but I never see them anymore. I would love to find a storable cheese that doesn't come in a can.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

BlackDog said:


> I love cheese curds. Fresh and squeaky or deep fried.
> 
> Wasn't the original intent of making cheese to prolong the useful life of milk? Whatever happened to waxed cheeses? I thought they had a long shelf life but I never see them anymore. I would love to find a storable cheese that doesn't come in a can.


you can actually by the cheese you normally do and wax it yourself, then into a food saver bag and will last for years. FYI the cheese will continue to age so your cheddar may become very sharp cheddar


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

tirednurse said:


> you can actually by the cheese you normally do and wax it yourself, then into a food saver bag and will last for years. FYI the cheese will continue to age so your cheddar may become very sharp cheddar


We have had trouble doing that. I think commercial cheese is too moist because some of our bricks got a really nasty black mold on them. Normally we would just cut the mold off and use the rest. But in this case the mold ruined the flavor of the whole brick. Very disappointing. (But that was imputes for Mrs Inor learning how to make her own cheese. So it was not a total loss.)


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## suzysurvivor (Mar 9, 2014)

speck, your wife can actually google 'how to make cheese' online and find lots of tutorials and how-tos like this one:
Homemade Cheddar Cheese | Farmer's Daughter

I'm still working on my cheese skills but I wouldn't wait 3 years to start learning a new skill.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Thanks for the post... I watched a few videos today and it does not look that hard.. I am going to try it


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## jro1 (Mar 3, 2014)

I would barter my left nut for a 10lb block of swiss cheese if times were tough!


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

You can make a quick cheese using goats milk and rennet. It's kind of like a cream cheese. The longer it's left to drip the whey out the harder the cheese. It's a simple process making goats cheese. Cheddar on the other hand, not a clue.


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