Final Report for FNE02-410
Project Information
Note to reader, attached is the complete final report for FNE02-409.
On our first farm visit three years ago everyone was on their own. Each producer created just enough control to create a product and being their business. Since that time some American cheeses have received national acclaim and so their producers and facilities have become more visible examples for those still developing. Manufacturers and equipment distribution have come on the scene with more products available for farmstead production, demanding more attention on the producer's part, particularly in the area of lactic cultures. For myself and those that attended the workshop with Patrick Anglade, the most important concept to be accepted is that cheese is made in a vat and ripening beings in the moment the milk leaves the animal. In order to have any consistency in your cheese production many parameters must be observed from milk handling to environmental control. The life of the cheese is established in the vat through observation and manipulation of lactic bacteria. A consistent profile of acid development must be recognized. The environment of the ripening room beings where the curds are place in the mold and continues to the point of sale. Temperature and humidity are controlled to being about chemical changes already established in the milk and curd.