I made the Feta cheese from the recipe someone sent in to the last issue of Countryside. It worked well so far as texture and everything else, but it is extremely salty....I mean that you can pretty much just use it as salt. Here's my question, can I make another batch with next to no salt and cut it in with the super salty cheese? I have never mixed batches of cheese before and couldn't find anything one way or another on this. Thanks for your help!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), December 29, 2000

Answers

Doreen: I sure think it might be worth a try. Another suggestion would be to just make an ordinary hard cheese, chunk it up and mix the two together to age a bit. I had used that recipe before and was unhappy with how salty it was also. I like salt but that was a bit much. Another thing you could try is soak it in a little vinegar and see if it would leach out some of the salt. Just a thought, I think that is what I did because my husband and I both like vinegar o.k.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 29, 2000.

I would keep the batches separate and then mix them together right before use. Or how about soaking the salty cheese in plain water for a day or two?? Keep us updated .

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), December 29, 2000.

Diane, do you use the white vinegar to leach it? The thing about keeping them seperate is that there is only me here and I was going to freeze it and use it as I could or give some to friends, but there is no way I am giving them this salty stuff! They'd think I was trying to kill them! I've made feta before and shared it with people and they really enjoyed it, but this isn't a homesteading success...It would be bad PR.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), December 29, 2000.

The lady we just bought goats from soaks her feta cheese in water for a while before serving it. I don't know how salty hers is to start with, the stuff we tasted had been soaked and was very good. I haven't made feta yet, so don't know if soaking is standard practice or not, but it seems like I'd heard somewhere that feta cheese was supposed to have to be soaked to get the salt out?

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 30, 2000.

Yes Doreen, just white vinegar. I was afraid water would make it mushy, but from what other people have said, I guess I could have used water. I know what you mean about not wanting to share the "failures". I have enough people that think goats milk is bad tasting that I am very careful about what I share being only of the best quality.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 30, 2000.

Boy Doreen do I ever agree with Diane. Only give away your very best product! There is a couple who visit this forum who have become friends of ours and we laugh all the time about their first visit! Her husband said all the way here in the car that he wasn't going to taste goat milk! Well like always cookies and milk were served, except husband poured it, and I usually use very small glasses, he poured the guy a pint jar full, turned out he loved it, but.....it could have eaisly gone the other way! They were here just recently telling us of a cheese fiasco at another farm, where he about swallowed it whole rather than having to continue to chew on it! She descretly snuck hers into her pocket and we laughed and laughed. Cheese is just such a personal taste thing, I love feta, very milk fetta, use no salt in mine at all. I always pasturise my milk and then taste it to make sure it is consistent, pasturising your milk for cheese making is really the best trick for getting a product you can repeat time and time again. But after I make the feta I cube mine into jars with oil and herbs with lots of garlic, a little much for some, and other love it. I know the muslim gal who makes cheese in Houston makes a mozzarella that sells great, just not to me!! It smells and tastes like my bucks ear!! Good luck with your cheese making, I love the info and always use these catalogs: http://www.leeners.com/cheese.html http://www.cheesemaking.com/ Hoeggers, don't have the url handy and my galfriend Becky the cheese gal! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 30, 2000.

Well, I started to soak it in water. I think I will give it one full day on the exceedingly cool bathroom... I hope this works because I really was interested in cheese without using rennet. I think with less than half of the salt this recipe would be a good one.

I like the idea of putting feta in jars with olive oil and garlic, sounds great! I usually use raw milk for everything, but perhaps I will give the pasteurized a test. Thanks for all the help! I will let you know in a day or two how it turns out.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), December 30, 2000.

Doreen: I alway pasturize my milk for cheese making. Have done the same olive oil and garlic and it is really wonderful!!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 30, 2000.

Olive oil and garlic is the way to go with your salty feta!!

I wouldn't mix the batches (like I said before )- but you could do the oil and garlic thing with half salty and half no salt cheese. Let it sit for a few days before serving.

You could then give it away as special salad dressing - or bread spread!

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), December 31, 2000.

In line with the comments on PR, serving the best only and Vicki's story about the guy who liked goat milk after he tasted it, I want to share a story.

Years ago we had friends whose favorite form of entertainment was a pot luck dinner. I took goat milk ice cream to one gathering and really was pleased to see a gentleman (?) across the table from me dig in to his second bowl. When the man's spoon was in midflight to his mouth, our hostess asked if it were some of my goat milk ice cream. Said spoon stopped in mid air, his mouth was wide open waiting for that spoonfull but his eyes locked on me. When I answered in the affirmative, the spoon was lowered quickly to the bowl, never to be lifted again. Up until the point he learned it was from a GOAT, he really enjoyed it but his mind overrode what his tongue was telling him. I just figured you can't win them all.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), December 31, 2000.

Marilyn, how silly. What makes a cow any better than a goat?

I soaked it in water and it came out a little mushy. It certainly took the saltiness down though! I appreciate all of your replies and I believe this batch is going to end up as the olive oil and garlic spread, but that sounds great to me! Thanks again.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), January 01, 2001.

Oh when people look nervously at my milk products I ALWAYS tell them that I just picked it up down at the local supermarket -

My sister loved her piece of chicken when she came to visit me (it was rabbit) -

After the folks finish chowing down I say - Opppppps, sorry that wasn't what I bought at the supermarket , it was my homemade sheepsmilk icecream - sorry!! By that time it is too late so they all just have to shut up and ADMIT how darn good it is!!

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), January 01, 2001.