06/04/2026
Homemade Cottage Cheese
(Old Fashioned Farmer’s Cheese)
1 gallon raw milk (Ayrshire, of course); ½ Cup White Vinegar;
pinch of salt; candy or instant read thermometer;
heavy cream (optional)
Directions:
Pour the milk into a large pot, and stir in a pinch of salt. Bring to almost a boil over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot. This takes awhile; be patient.
When the milk reaches a temperature of 190 degrees or higher; (small bubbles will first appear at the edges), turn off the heat. Stir vinegar into the milk slowly, just 3 or 4 stirs and the milk will start to “curdle”. Stop immediately and let sit 15 minutes.
Line a colander with a cheesecloth, and place over a large pot. The pot will catch the liquid whey.( I do not use a cheese cloth because my favorite old plastic colander has many tiny holes in it). Pour the curdled milk through the cloth (or naked, small holed colander) to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth or colander is the Farmer's Cheese. The liquid is the whey. Some people keep the whey and use for baking. Spoon this “cottage cheese type” cheese into a large bowl. Taste it to see if you prefer a little more salt; mix in. If you want it more “juicy” add some whey back in. To make it specially sweet & creamy, add in some heavy cream. Store in canning jars with tight fitting plastic lids. (I use the black “leak proof” Ball lids).
This will keep in frig for about a week (mine has “kept” for much longer) A tip is to place the tightly sealed jars upside down in the fridge. It will prolong the shelf life. If you want a more compact cheese; gather the cheesecloth around the cheese, (or squeeze moisture out with back side of large spoon) and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can. This will leave a drier cheese; some whey can be added back til you get the consistency you desire. Wrap in plastic; forming into a disk shape and place on a plate; top with another plate and press gently to get desired “shape”. Place in frig and unwrap to cut or slice as needed. Again; this cheese will keep in frig for about a week (maybe more).
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