Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Goat Fencing ~ Homemade Parmesan Cheese


I'm still hacking away at the garden weeds, and it's been a long week.  Orion (aka Big Boy), has his "stink" on.  You can smell him everywhere now.  And guess who gets to babysit him, and water him?  Ugh.  Yep.  Me.  I need to call him "stinky la' pew."


I made a batch of homemade grout/tile cleaner, and another batch of homemade dishwasher detergent (50/50 mix of washing soda and borax, then I pour 1 cup of vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher).  As I was making them both, I realized I need to write up my fall "stock it up" list of supplies - salt, borax, washing soda, baking soda, vinegar, etc.

I am really enjoying a book I borrowed from the library, which is now on my "wish list" to buy for our homesteading library.  I made homemade parmesan cheese using a recipe from Cookin with Home Storage, by Peggy Layton and Vicki Tate.

Although I found the recipe in this book, I found one blog (A matter of prepardness) that had made this recipe too.  There are 3 ingredients - boiling water, dry milk, and lemon juice.  You make your curds, and drain it, then dry it.

The original recipe requires you to dry it in an oven at 150°F for 120 minutes.  Well, my oven does not go lower than 170°.  Although I could have just shorten the drying time, I placed it on parchment paper, in my dehydrator, and it dried within a few hours.   One batch filled only 2 trays.  I ground it up (but not to a fine powder), and placed it in a jar.  Also, you can see I let my "cheese" drain very well, and it spread out like crumbs.

We have not tried it on food yet, but I did taste it.  I can't say the title fits the recipe.  I found nothing "zesty" about it.  However, this is about preparedness, and if I had dry milk in storage, this could be made.  Tasting it, I just found it tasteless by itself.  I had hoped it would make nice Christmas presents, but until I try it on pasta or something, I won't know for sure.

We finished the goat fencing.   Hallelujah!   If you happened to be driving by our place, you'd probably see my 16 year-old on the roof screaming to the world that it's done.  Man that job took forever.  There were always interruptions that kept us from finishing it - supplies, cash for the supplies, other emergencies, and weather.  It's done.  Phew!

They are calling for thunderstorms today, and I need to get out to the garden and see if we have any last potatoes.  And possibly tomatoes.

  I now have the bottle cap (felt/embroidered) necklace tutorial up at S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot.


4 comments:

Candy C. said...

Congrats on the finished fencing! Woo-hoo!! :)
I wonder if adding some salt to the Parmesan would help with the blandness?
Nancy @ A Rural Journal posted a 'recipe' for DIY Lime-A-Way a week or so back. I tried it and it is THE best bathroom cleaner I have used in a long, long time...homemade or commercial!

Sam I Am...... said...

Oh, this is TOO funny! You mentioned grout cleaner and I went right over there to see what it was only to find out it was from ME! LOL! It took you to tell me about it....I have the book but obviously missed that lesson! Duh!
Glad the fence is done....that is hard work!
Thanks for the other book title...I'll check that one out. You must have a great library...us...not so much. I'll have to check out Nancy@aruraljournal for the bathroom cleaner. If it wasn't for people like you I would have no friends! People here don't "get" me at all and I can't relate to them so I am so grateful for you and my other blogging friends.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Candy, for the tip on the cleaner over at Nancy's blog. I went right over and wrote it down. We already use the vinegar/dish detergent mix to do daily cleaning on the one (none tile) shower. I'll give it a whirl.

Winnie said...

Kristina- Just in case your computer is not allowing my email, I wanted to let you know that my book, chocolate and beautiful note card just arrived!! Thank-you so much! I am looking forward to reading the mystery as they are some of my favorite books to dig into.

Thanks again for the book and extras! You made my day.

Hugs,

Winnie