I will be trying to make cheese for the first time this coming week, and my "supplier" of fresh raw milk has dropped off two gallons and there will be another gallon dropped off Friday. As I cannot get to the cheesemaking until next week, can I freeze the milk/cream and defrost it shortly before I start the process? Will there be any change in the procedure, or should I not even bother? As is usual, I have waited 'til the last minute for this information gathering. The books I have don't make mention of this situation, so I have turned to the experts - Countryside, don't fail me now! Whatever the answer, the milk will be frozen tonight in gallon zip-type bags, in hopes it will ease the defrosting process - or, at least, speed it up. Thank you for any info/help. Judi

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), April 13, 2000

Answers

The only info. I have may be negative -- I understand that one of the advantages of sheep milk is that it can be frozen before using to make cheese, so the implication is that freezing goat or cow milk might not give such good results. We have frozen milk for later use for cooking and drinking -- it tends to separate (fluids from solids) so really isn't as good quality as fresh.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 13, 2000.

I have made soft goat cheese[ with vinager] from frozen gout milk before and it turned out good, never tried it with cultured yet though.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), April 13, 2000.

i don't know about making cheese from it, butwhen we were preparing for y2k, i froze regular whole milk. the ones i froze from local or no name dairys did separate and all the shaking in the world did not help. however i froze 2 gal of hood(red top) whole milk and you could not tell the difference.if there was a difference i would know. grew up on a dairy farm and to this day can tell when the cows change to spring pasture and again in the fall when they go on winter feed. just thought it was interesting that the more expensive milk did not separate and tasted normal. laura

-- laura cavallari (ladygoat13@aol.com), April 13, 2000.

I have frozen milk for years, and my family is extremely picky when it comes to milk. There is no difference in the taste or quality of whole milk either frozen or fresh. I can't vouch for how it would be in the cheese-making end of things, though. Some dairy products, like lite sour cream, just don't end up the same after freezing, though. Good luck, and let us know what happens if you try to make cheese! Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), April 13, 2000.

Frozen milk gives lousy cheesemaking results. Granted, I have only tried the cultured types, but goat or cows milk makes a very loose crumbly cheese after freezing. I suppose if you are looking for a spreadable cheese that it would work, but not for hard cheese.

-- Connie (connie@lunehaven.com), April 14, 2000.

Hi,

Sorry to get off the cheese subject, but how do you freeze milk? In the plastic jug or what? Thanks - Kathy

-- Kathy (jubilant@ncweb.com), April 14, 2000.

We used gallon zip-lock bags, but don't fill them all the way -- maybe only three quarts. Otherwise when the milk freezes and expands it bursts the bags.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 14, 2000.

I just put the entire gallon plastic jug of milk in the freezer. Once in a great while, about 1 out of 100 will split, but very rarely. I just get a new one out and put it in the fridge to thaw when the current one is about 1/2 empty (or is that 1/2 full?). Not lucky enough to have a dairy animal yet, so we are talking store bought milk. Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), April 14, 2000.

I would agree that , from my reading, only sheep milk is able to survive freezing for cheesemaking purposes.

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 18, 2000.

Plastic jugs probably do work better than plastic bags, as far as surviving freezing, but I don't think it would be good to re-use them for any milk other than what originally came in them. The plastic has pores where germs can hide, even from a thorough washing. Just thought I'd better mention this, in case anyone starts thinking maybe they could recycle all those plastic milk jugs their friends and family are throwing away -- there are other uses for them, but don't put milk back in them.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 18, 2000.

For a while we were able to get milk in pouches. The creamery told me that they were required by law in Michigan but there just wasn't the demand they had hoped for here and discontinued them. I really like the pouches because they froze so well. Now I also freeze in the plastic milk bottles. Someday I will have dairy goats too, but not yet.

-- Peg (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 18, 2000.