Say "Cheese!"

I just got home from teaching a Cheesemaking Class at the Good Food Store Co-op.  I love this photo taken at the end of the class because it looks like everyone had fun!

Miller is the Cheese Whiz at the Co-op and he invited me to demonstrate how to make fresh mozzarella.  (I know he really wanted Cadence, our farm's most intrepid cheesemaker, but she is in Mexico.)  I had made quite a few wheels of hard cheeses after Cadence left for school, but truth be told, I hadn't tried mozzarella until I was asked to teach the class.  It's not that difficult, however - it is the first cheese we ever made using Barbara Kingsolver's instructions in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. 

The cheese-making action was interspersed with  tasting and learning. Miller is extremely knowledgeable about cheese and had prepared samples of many mozzarella-type  cheeses for  everyone to compare.  The last step of mozzarella-making involves pulling the cheese like taffy and rolling it into little balls. This part was hands-on for everyone.  I am happy to say our  home-made cheese compared pretty favorably with the professional samples.  Better yet, I think we have inspired six new cheese-makers!