Making Feta Cheese

 

If you want to dabble in cheese making then feta cheese is a great place to start.  I have been using a lot of whey lately and was making yogurt and straining that to get the whey but I don’t get to much whey from a quart of yogurt.  So I decided to make feta instead.   

Here is what the process looked like…  

I start with a gallon of milk and my culture and rennet.  Then after the cheese has been made I hang it in an old sheet that I wash well in hot, soapy water with bleach added.  I set a big pan under it to collect the whey:

  

Then after 24 hours or so I take the cheese down.  Sometimes I will take the cheese down before the 24 hours are up and stir it and hang it up again to help get the whey completely drained out.  When I am done this is what the cheese looks like:

 

And this is how much whey I have: 

  

The last step is to cut the cheese up and layer cheese, salt and herbs in a quart jar.  This time I used basil and marjoram.  When I have it all in the jar I cover it with olive oil.  Then it sits on the counter for 3 days.  I turn the jar upside down once and then right side up during those 3 days..  after that, it is ready to eat! 

 

If you want more detailed pictures and instructions I have that on my website here:  http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/easyfetacheese.htm