Say cheese! And then learn how to make it

I used to hear about a cheese-making class once or twice a year. Now they’re popping up like mold spores on your favorite Stilton. Here are a couple in NC in November.

Sleepy Goat Farm in Pelham (Caswell County) has just started beginner cheesemaking classes on the farm. Four full-day courses in November, on the 4th, 5th, 26th, and 27th). The course includes hands-on instruction on making chevre and aged cheeses, written instructions and supply lists for home use, a starter kit for your first batch at home, and lunch with a sampling of their cheeses. Cost is $125. Call 336-388-1120 or email sleepygoatfarm@gmail.com to reserve or ask questions.

The other course, Do-It-Yourself Cheese Making, is an afternoon event on Nov. 13, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in Pittsboro (Chatham County), at The Plant, 192 Lorax Lane with local cheesemaker Laurel Shulman. It costs $40. Laurel will begin with a broad introduction to cheese, discussing its chemistry as well as the culture and history that surrounds it. This includes how traditional types of cheeses reflect the environmental conditions of certain regions. (French cheeses are typically small, fresh and soft, as the French usually had a milking animal at home to produce the cheese, whereas Swiss cheeses are usually low moisture hard cheeses that travel well, since milking animals were grazed far away and were transported larger distances.) The cheese-making process will be broken down into a series of steps  for each type of cheese. The cheese-making portion of this workshop will include processing fresh cow’s milk into two different cheeses – mozzarella and farmer’s cheese. Students will learn how to make cheese at home, and each participant will take home two pieces of cheese. Preregistration is required. Proceeds support the Abundance Foundation’s mission of promoting local food, renewable energy and community. For more information or to register online, go to: http://theabundancefoundation.org/diy-2011/cheese-nov, call 919-533-5181, or email wow@theabundancefoundation.org.

Happy cheese making!

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2 Responses to Say cheese! And then learn how to make it

  1. Kathy Marks says:

    When is your next cheesemaking workshop?

    • didaniel says:

      Hi Kathy,

      I’m just the writer, not the farmer. You’ll need to contact Sleepy Goat Farm to see if they’re giving more classes. Prodigal Farm in Durham County also gives cheese-making classes. Good luck!