Cheese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opeAdgdcnSY&feature=youtu.be
Our Master Cheesemaker, Gary Grossen leads a team of student interns in the production of nearly 40,000 pounds of cheese each year.
Currently, they are producing 23 different styles and flavors of Babcock cheese. See below for a complete list!
After aging for the proper amount of time, cheeses are cut up into either one-pound or half-pound blocks and sold in our on-site Dairy Store.
How Do We Make Cheese here at Babcock?
- Standardize raw milk as needed for the specific cheese type.
- Pasteurize milk at 164° F for not less than 15 seconds.
- Pump milk from the pasteurizer to the cheese vat at approximately 80° F.
- Add culture to the warm milk.
- Add annatto color as needed.
- Add rennet (a protein enzyme).
- Remove agitation and allow time for the milk to clot or coagulate.
- After about 20 minutes, the coagulum will be cut using vertical and horizontal cutting wires.
- The liquid byproduct, otherwise known as whey, will begin to separate from the curd. After a short period of time, start the agitation and cooking process as needed. The cooking process will allow for greater extraction of whey from the curd.
- After a short period of time, the whey is then drained off, leaving just the curds.
- The curds are hooped or placed in cheese forms.
- Salt is added directly into the curds or in the brining process.
- After pressing the blocks are cooled down, vacuum-sealed, and placed in our curing room for anywhere from 2 months to 2 years, depending on the cheese.
What Kinds of Cheese Do We Make at Babcock?
- Cheddar
- Medium
- Aged
- Jalapeno
- Smoked Aged
- White Aged
- Havarti
- Plain
- Dill
- Pesto
- Monterey Jack
- Plain
- Chipotle
- Chive
- Garden Vegetable
- Marble
- Farmer’s Cheese
- Brick
- Baby Swiss
- Romano
- Colby
- Holland-Style Gouda
- Dutch Kase
- Juustolepia
- Plain
- Jalapeno
- NEW! Fontina
Cheese is made by treating milk so that it coagulates into curd (a thick, custard-like solid) and, at the same time, releases a thin, watery liquid called “whey.” The curd is then prepared and ripened, becoming the basis for the cheese.
The type of cheese made depends on a wide variety of factors: the animal from which the milk comes; the soil, grasses, water and climate of the region in which the animal grazes; and the cheese making process used.
Shelf life of cheeses will vary. A general rule is the softer the cheese (higher moisture), the shorter the shelf life; the harder the cheese (lower moisture), the longer the shelf life.
- Soft unripened cheeses (ricotta, cottage cheese): shelf life of 2 to 4 weeks
- Soft-ripened cheeses (brie): shelf life of 4 to 8 weeks
- Semi-soft cheeses (muenster, Monterey Jack): shelf life of 2 to 3 months
- Firm cheeses (Swiss, Cheddar): shelf life of 3 to 6 months
- Hard cheeses (Parmesan, Romano): shelf life of 7 to 9 months
- Processed cheeses (American): shelf life of 9 to 12 months