Cheesemaking

Cheese is such an elemental and nourishing food which has sadly in this country (New Zealand) at least been destroyed by large bulk producers turning out rectangles of plastic wrapped, tasteless, regionless and lifeless stuff. Setting up to produce cheese for sale is steeped in strict and difficult regulations but fortunately for those who want to try and create their own cheese we can still buy raw milk directly from the farmer at a rate of 5 litres per person, per day.

I finally got to attend a cheesemaking workshop yesterday run by the lovely Katherine Mowbray, something I have wanted to do for years. Seeing the process has made me realise it’s not as difficult as the books make it sound. We learned the process for making cheddar, feta, ricotta and mascarpone from cows milk as well as being lucky enough to discover one class member who is able to supply us with raw milk. Katherine has worked hard to try and present cheesemaking as something that anyone can do at home with some basic equipment and she has succeeded by avoiding too much technical detail that can be off-putting for the beginner.

http://www.cheesemaking.co.nz/ - Katherines website with presses, moulds and books for sale as well as links to suppliers in New Zealand and Australia.

Now I just need to get myself a thermometer, some basic equipment and some improvised moulds. Can’t wait to get stuck in!

Philosophy

We live in a crazy hectic world that just seems to get faster and faster, major change seems to happen on a daily basis, fashions change before you realise they even started and there always seems to be pressure to keep up.

Well, not here. The changing of the seasons is hectic enough for me.

It worries me that so many of us are unable to provide our own basic food supply, that we turn to external sources for our food, shelter, entertainment and often happiness. So many seem to focus on keeping up with the latest trends, believing the lifestyle they have is superior to previous generations. We buy the latest, often searching for the cheapest without a thought to how the product might impact on our communities, our health and the environment.

I strongly support the campaign of the Green Party (Aotearoa) to ’support our community, buy local.’

I often think I should have been born in a different era. I’m happiest taking things at a gentle pace, spending time in the garden, antiquing, cooking, exploring historic places and spending time with family and friends. I like to do things on a whim, set my own timetable and amble along when the mood takes me. More often than not I prefer to do things in the time honoured way rather than employ the latest super gadget.

I hope this blog reflects a little of my philosophy and the joy and pleasure that can come through being mindful and enjoying simple everyday things.

 

Spring!

I adore observing the transition of the seasons and in our part of the world spring is on it’s way. Our huge willow tree, always the first indicator of the changes to come is a delicate fresh shade of green and I can hear the desparate cries of newborn lambs searching for their mothers.

Spring is such a cruel season – summer glides gently into autumn, a deeply satisfying feeling until you wake up to the first frosts of winter then spring comes in with her false promises of warmer days and  lush growth only to whip up into a fierce storm that cruelly takes animals nursing their offspring by surprise. It breaks my heart on a wet spring night to hear the wind come up, knowing that the combination spells death for stock that can’t find shelter.

The blackbirds have been so entertaining as they perform their mating rituals – males in our garden seem to dramatically outnumber females and it is amusing to watch them especially the one who always seem to be have the largest leaf he can find in his beak whenever a female is around. There’s also plenty of nesting activity going and their vocals are at full throttle.

Favourite things – lambs with springs for legs, daphne, tender new blooms and leaves venturing forth, the promise of things to come

More thanks…

 - a gentle steady rain to water the vegie garden

- generous strangers who gave us their whitebaiting patch and spotting boards on the river and gave us lots of help

- spending a fun morning with great friends

Todays thanks

 - monarch butterflies in the garden

- good coffee

- a beautiful hot sunny spring day

- finding all the ingredients I needed to make something to satisfy my sweet tooth – it almost never happens that I have everything in the pantry at the same time

Todays thanks

Today I’m thankful for:

- discovering that my yahoo account hadn’t been phished but it was just a sytem glitch that wouldn’t let me in

- the lovely ladies at the fabric shop who were so helpful and such a scream – I’m sure it’s not everyday they get somebody coming in wanting cotton tape to repair a whitebait net

- fantastic boulliabaisse for dinner!!

Be thankful

 Fulfillment comes through appreciation. Think of all the little things that you are thankful for in a day and share them with someone. These are mine – feel free to add yours here too and we can all be thankful for those little rays of sunshine in our day.

Taking the long way to work…

Last week I took a bit of a detour on the way to work ( a 60km detour   – luckily I work my own hours at the moment) just so I could spend some time at the gorgeous Somerset Farm Cottage which is a restored cob and thatch early settlers cottage in the countryside not far from where I live.

I often stop at this cottage and imagine what it would be like to live here – 2 simple rooms, one with a large fireplace, a loft reached by a ladder, a lean-to kitchen and a shed to one side. The work that has gone into the restoration is a credit to those who undertook the task and I love that it was done using the original and nearly forgotten techniques (in these parts anyway).