I Made Cheese Today

Actually, it was yesterday, but I let it hang all night in a cozy bed of cheesecloth and gleaned a total of 34 ounces of beautiful goat milk cheese from 2 gallons of milk. This morning I put it into containers. I haven't yet decided on what to do with the whey, but have it stored in quart jars in the refrigerator for a day or so until I figure out where it's going to go. Got any ideas?

The cheese is wonderful. I think the second recipe that I tried was better than the first, so I'll post the link below. There's something about making cheese from the milk that comes from my goat that is so completely satisfying. I can't describe it.

It tastes really, really good.

http://healthylivingawaits.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/how-to-make-homemade-raw-goat-cheese/

'Tis The Season To......Dry Apples!

Apples are in season in many places, and they are beautiful this year. I had no idea up until about 5 years ago that the southern Piedmont of North Carolina had such wonderful apples.  In my farmhousewife head, I thought they all had to come from cold climates....

Of the many ways to enjoy apples, besides fresh, in pies and applesauce, one of my favorites is dried apples.

Golden Delicious Apples - from a local grower

A terrific snack for on-the-go, they fit nicely in a school lunch, backpack, pocket book or for a long car trip.

First, get some apples - for dehydrating, cooking apples are best.  Next, gather some supplies and tools.  You'll need:

• peeler-corer
• knife
• cutting board or mat
• fruit fresh, lemon, orange or pineapple juice (to prevent browning)
• couple quarts of water (2 quarts of water to about 1/2 to 1 cup of juice)
• dehydrator

A peeler-corer makes short work of slicing apples.  It's way too much fun!

So, after you get an apple peeled, cored, and sliced - cut the stack of apple in half.  Then place the pieces in your water with juice or fruit fresh (to prevent browning).

At this point, there is some snacking going on!

Let the apples get thoroughly coated in the solution while you peel/core several more.

I wish I could tell you that I have the manual to this.  I do not.
So, I did what I do best; I WINGED IT!

So, yeah, I had no real idea of the temperature of this dehydrator since it was a second hand gift.  And, I was too lazy busy at work to look up the manual online.  This one rotates and I left it on pretty much all night because I like a more firm, chewy apple slice - almost crispy.

They are so good, naturally sweet and can be used to make APPLE PIE!
Just reconstitute them with some boiling water and you can have seasonal goodness all year long.
Check out this recipe for further details.

Just one more thing - this book comes highly recommended.  I like to collect them every year just for their pretty covers.  It's how I followed the steps to dehydrate the apples.

 Keep calm and preserve your own food!

p.s. one really cool way to save energy by doing this is to hook it to the solar power!  I do this with my crock pot also.