Farmer Cheese

Farmer's cheese on a black plate

Farmer Cheese

Servings:16 servings
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole milk
1/2 cup vinegar or lemon
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, chives or ground herbs of your choice

Directions:
1 gallon milk in large pan and slowly heat until 190 degrees. The top will be a fine foam of bubbles. Stir occasionally while heating. Remove from heat

Slowly add 1/2 Cup vinegar or lemon juice, and stir the milk. Curds will immediately begin to form.

Let the milk sit for 15 minutes without stirring.

After 15 minutes, add the herbs, if using.
6tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, chives or ground herbs of your choice
Optional:
1 -1/2 teaspoon Citric acid can replace vinegar or lemon

Place a colander over a large bowl or pot. Drape either a dampened cheesecloth or thin dampened clean dish towel over the colander. Pour the curds into the cheesecloth. The whey, all the liquid in the mixture, will drain and be collected in the bowl below, while the solid curds will be caught in the cheesecloth.

Lift the cheesecloth and wrap it around the curds, twisting and squeezing to remove as much moisture as possible.

After squeezing out the moisture, the curds for farmer cheese will be dry and crumbly. If you want a creamier texture, mix a little of the reserved whey back into the curds.

Add 2 teaspoon kosher salt and stir it together.

To shape the cheese, keep it wrapped in cheesecloth and form it into a mound on a plate. Set another plate on top and press the curds into a flat disc that is 1 to 2 inches tall. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or so before removing the cheesecloth.

To make a ball, tie the cheesecloth with a length of butcher’s twine, attach it to a shelf in the refrigerator or a wooden spoon, and suspend it over a bowl. Gravity will help shape the cheese into a ball and remove any excess moisture.

How to Store
Farmer cheese will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
You can freeze farmer cheese; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Upon thawing it, however, the texture will be a bit crumblier.
If saving the whey, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.