More on milk

I've made two attempts at Devonshire style cream. One flopped miserably, the other did not succeed as well as I'd have liked, but I think I'm on the right track. Maybe I didn't heat the cream to a high enough temp. I'll try again some time when I'm in the mood to play with it.

Anyway, I skimmed the top after the required cool down, and then used the rest (with some more milk) in vinegar cheese. I had made vinegar cheese before and had not been happy with the results. I am really happy with this batch. We'll be using it in a few Indian style dishes this weekend. I gotta dig the butter out of the freezer and make ghee so I can fry the cheese.

Next up is a yogurt cheese that is the precursor to making a chocolate dessert cheese. *yum* Then I will probably break down and make standard rennet chevre. Maybe I'll do them both tomorrow if I have enough milk. I think I will, I have over a gallon now and I can't imagine they won't give me another quart by this time tomorrow.

I am so far behind on working on seed starting for the garden I wonder if I will ever catch up, but rather than keeping saying "I will spend the day on this" and then not, I just make myself drop a few varieties in the germination trays every day. This way at least I'm doing SOMETHING rather than deciding I can't face it. I'm not sure what's up with that, either, normally starting seeds is one of my favorite activities. I just love seeing new seedlings. That whole promise of an excellent garden, before the reality of weather and work set in. ;-)

I should finish the peppers today. Then I should decide what I am going to do about alfalfa for part of the back pasture. As I plan to plant individual plants, I imagine I will not actually get as far as I would like, but since sowing them, even in a rainstorm, didn't work last year I need some assurance the darn things will germinate. Need to order perennial alfalfa, then I won't have to plant it again next year and I can replace and enlarge over time.