Here Now Brown Cow Class
It was so fun to have everyone out to my house for our Here Now Brown Cow class. We gathered in the kitchen first and after introductions talked about any cow or milking experience. Most hadn't had any experience with a dairy cow and I was so excited to share my love of cows with everyone. We broke up into two groups one staying up in the kitchen with Emma to learn how to make Milk Kefir, Kefir Cheese, Kefir Creme Fraiche, Yogurt and Ricotta Cheese. The other half headed to the barn where we talked "cow" for over an hour before we even began to milk! Then each person got a chance to milk "Ruby". It was exhilarating as a teacher to watch the women learn something new and see the joy on their faces as milk squirted into the pail! Thank you to all who came and for those who couldn't, don't worry we will have the class again. We wanted to share our photos from the class and one of Emma's recipes. See Lauren's post about milking here.
Ricotta Recipe
Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk, preferably organic, raw or non homogenized (never ultra pasteurized)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, preferably organic, raw or non homogenized (never ultra pasteurized)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
1. Pour the milk, cream and salt into saucepan. Heat milk to 185'F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom.
2. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir in once or twice gently and slowly. Let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
3. Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place in a large bowl (to catch the whey).
4. Pour the curds and whey into the colander and strain the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you'll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but firmer, almost like a cream cheese.
5. Eat ricotta right away transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!
Photos by Brittany Smith