[chickenfriedchicken]

I just got done watching a modern marvels episode about cheese, and it occurred to me that it is the perfect survival food. Protein is a necessity and we cant assume we will always have access to game to hunt. People have been surviving on cheese for thousands of years. Contains fat, proteins, calcium and other essential nutrients while remaining calorie dense.

I think it would be a very useful to develop your own method of cheese making. I also wanted to know if anyone has any experience making it.

I understand the way it is made is by taking milk, using a bacterial starter culture, separating the whey from the curd and then pressing it.

My question is to anyone with experience, what is a homegrown recipe for cheese and how do you make it?

 

[MikeK]

I don't necessarily think it's the best survival food, but it ranks up there among them. Cheese making has been one of the best ways to preserve milk ever invented. Something I want to get farther involved with.

Rennet (or vegetable rennet) is generally used to get the curd. From there it can be turned into all sorts of cheese. The drier and more acidic/salty ones are suitable for waxing and long term storage/aging. I have always loved sharp, stinky, aged cheeses.

I hope we get some awesome recipes and techniques in this thread!

 

[Trotline]

Does a can of Cheez Whiz count ???

I know it's a GREAT backpacking food, although most of my buddies think it's gross. Oh well... more for me.

I know it's full of processed crap, but for certain occasions like backpacking, or goin out in the boat, fishing, I bring it along with some Chiken in a Bisquit crackers and your good to go. Thats survival food. :thumb:

 

[MikeK]

Does a can of Cheez Whiz count ???

I know it's a GREAT backpacking food, although most of my buddies think it's gross. Oh well... more for me.

I know it's full of processed crap, but for certain occasions like backpacking, or goin out in the boat, fishing, I bring it along with some Chiken in a Bisquit crackers and your good to go. Thats survival food. :thumb:

I haven't seen those crackers since I was a kid! Do they still sell them? I used to love them, especially with cheese.

 

[KittyCat109]

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese_course/cheese_course.htm
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese_5_gallons/cheese_5gal_00.htm

Here are links for several different cheeses.

 

[KittyCat109]

http://schmidling.com/making.htm

Recipe using vinegar instead of rennet.

 

[jnallee]

http://schmidling.com/making.htm

Recipe using vinegar instead of rennet.

I've done the vinegar method to make some of the best crumbled cheese. It doesn't press well into blocks (at least not for me) but it is delicious on salads etc. It doesn't have to age and quite frankly probably won't last that long anyway. :

+N

 

[drobs]

http://schmidling.com/making.htm

Recipe using vinegar instead of rennet.

That's an interesting website. Love their goat cart:

 

[Hawaii Guy]

Cant say I can make cheese... but its in my bob... spam, tuna, crackers, beef jerkey and cheese... good stuff....

 

[Wombat]

Get a BOL with a cave or cellar. Any cheese with any sort of "flavor" is gonna need to sit at 68 degrees for 3 to 6 months, and Parm will need to sit even longer. Making cheese takes a lot of milk, a curdling agent like Rennet or vinegar, a culture if you want a particular cheese, a thermometer, a big ol pot, and some sorta cakeing mold. That is if you want modern cheese. If you just want a basic cheese the just trow the milk in a sack with some vinegar, and ride around the desert on your camel.

 

[DesertDave]

honey

I just got done watching a modern marvels episode about cheese, and it occurred to me that it is the perfect survival food.

I understand the way it is made is by taking milk, using a bacterial starter culture, separating the whey from the curd and then pressing it.

Some cheeses store better & longer than others. Also, there's the minor little problem of getting that bacterial starter. Might be problematical after TEOTWAWKI.

My vote for "the perfect survival food" would be Honey:
http://desertdavesteotwawkisurvivalguide.blogspot.com/2010/08/put-it-on-plastic-gambling-with.html

 

[MikeK]

http://schmidling.com/making.htm

Recipe using vinegar instead of rennet.

You can use lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar for some fresh cheeses too. Some of the more common mexican fresh cheeses are citrus curdled.

 

[MtnBikeMike]

Cheese is good but I wouldnt put it anywhere near healthy lol. Is spray can cheese even cheese?

Now I want some cheese...

if you eat only cheese you wont be going to the bathroom much!

 

[chickenfriedchicken]

The idea of the post was to get people to post the most basic recipe of cheesemaking. Maybe even differences between types.

 

[vicdotcom]

I just got done watching a modern marvels episode about cheese, and it occurred to me that it is the perfect survival food. Protein is a necessity and we cant assume we will always have access to game to hunt. People have been surviving on cheese for thousands of years. Contains fat, proteins, calcium and other essential nutrients while remaining calorie dense.

I think it would be a very useful to develop your own method of cheese making. I also wanted to know if anyone has any experience making it.

I understand the way it is made is by taking milk, using a bacterial starter culture, separating the whey from the curd and then pressing it.

My question is to anyone with experience, what is a homegrown recipe for cheese and how do you make it?

I saw that same show a while back also. It started me into researching cheese wheels to add to my stores. I know you are asking more about making cheese, but you might glean some info from that thread also. Lots of good info there:

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=151560&highlight=cheese

 

[nomadjanet]

I make that vinegar cheese and use it for salads or casserols my mom taught me when I was a kid. If you go to a Mexican grocery & buy Queso fresco that is what you are buying.
Mozzerella is easy to make there are lots of recipes on line for making it all of them I know take rennit so if you don't have rennit its a no go I guess.

 

[gamgee]

I haven't seen those crackers since I was a kid! Do they still sell them? I used to love them, especially with cheese.

Yes they do. I suggest Chicken in a Biscuit, Cheez Wiz, and root beer.

 

[Kaos]

I haven't seen those crackers since I was a kid! Do they still sell them? I used to love them, especially with cheese.

My Walmart carries them.

I have made cheese. I need to find a more readily available rennet. Or a natural substitute.

 

[Timberliner]

Cheese is good but I wouldnt put it anywhere near healthy lol. Is spray can cheese even cheese?

Now I want some cheese...

if you eat only cheese you wont be going to the bathroom much!

Yeah . . . You'd better add some extra fruit to your preps if you're going to treat cheese as a staple . . . or life will become very unpleasant very quickly.

 

[persuader]

once you have milk curds you can mix them with spices, salt etc. and then dry. kind of cheese jerky. will preserve almost undefinetly.