Accidental Cheesemaker

I've been making goat yoghurt lately. Not the old fashioned way Where it sits In a waterbath At an even temperature Overnight Or all day. I make it In a yoghurt maker That I brought back in my suitcase, my last visit up north. Last night I did my usual mixing, With yoghurt from the last batch as a starter Fresh goat milk, brought to a boil and cooled, Mixed them together, Put it in jars Turned on the machine Then let it run overnight. This morning when I heard the beeping, I lifted out the jars to find That my yoghurt had curdled.

This is a new development in a process 
That I thought was fool proof.
I was so disappointed, but , as John pointed out I had made cheese.

I wish I had had the forethought to photograph the jars
With their curdled milk bits floating in a milky whey
Before I dumped it all into a white cotton cloth
To let the liquid drip out into a bowl,
Something my mother would have done,
Something I would have done in my hippy years,
Letting the curds settle into a nice soft cheese.
 
Besides throwing the batch out,
The only thing that made sense to do
Was go with it and see what it turned out like.
So here we are (below)
Cotton dish towel over glass bowl
I dumped it all into the dish towel
To let let the whey drip into the bowl.
 
Speaking of hippy years, I still don't understand
Why everyone made so much fun of hippies.
They did a great service Of keeping the old traditions alive -
I'm speaking of all those things
That became synonymous with hippy life -
Home grown food Hand made houses,
The making of granola
Eating whole foods
Being easy on the earth
Nursing your babies,
Being loving and kind,
All things which had we had embraced
Instead of shunning for having a life of things....
Lots of things....
Well, you know the ending of that story..

  Meanwhile, sorry for the digression
We have beautiful soft goat cheese
Which one can add salt, spices or herbs to
Or finish off with chilis and cilantro (photo at top)
Or a giant poblano (john's contribution to the photo) below
Eat on crackers, tortillas, bread, in salads
Wrapped inside smoked salmon..
The possibilities are endless