Aged Cheese Making Class

Who doesn't melt at the thought of home made cheese?

But making good aged cheese isn't as easy as you might think. I can't count the number of wheels I fed to the dogs because they were a disaster.

I make consistently delicious cheese now because I've learned from so many mistakes! You can save yourself a lot of wasted time and milk by letting me teach you what to do, and what not to do, in cheese making.

In this class you will make alpine tomme cheese. Almost all of the principles you will learn from making alpine tomme can apply to other hard cheeses, like cheddar or Swiss. In my opinion, alpine tomme is easier to make than other hard cheeses and has superior flavor.

This class takes 4 hours. While we are making the cheese we will discuss factors that affect cheese making such as milk type, rennet, starter, acidity, salt, cheese presses, and aging.

The price of the class includes 4 gallons of my raw grass fed milk.

If you have a cheese press, you are encouraged to bring it. If you use my cheese press, you will need to come back the next day to pick up your wheel of cheese after it has pressed overnight. If you are in Vermont on vacation you can take this class, but be aware that you will have a wheel of cheese to take care of during the rest of your visit!

You will take your cheese home to age it. If you have a basement that is cooler than the rest of the house, it's easy to create an aging place for your cheese. Another option that many people use is a second refrigerator that is kept warmer than a typical fridge, around 55F. Or, you can vacuum seal your cheese and age it in your regular cold refrigerator where it will age a bit slower, not grow the molds on the rind that contribute artisan flavor, but still be delicious.

This class is one on one, not a group. I only have equipment to make one alpine cheese at a time. If you wish to bring a friend, the price is $25 per additional person. The participants will share the wheel of cheese that we make.

No prior cheese-making experience is required, though this is a longer, more involved class than fresh mozzarella.

Bring slippers or house shoes to change into. You should be comfortable standing for an extended time, stirring, and handling warm curd.

Please tell us ahead of time about any dairy allergy — this class uses fresh raw milk.

Class meets at the farm: 120 Birchwood Dr, Lowell, Vermont.

The class runs about 4 hours.

We provide 4 gallons of fresh raw milk and all equipment. The cheese needs to be in a press overnight. If you have a cheese press, bring it and you can take home your cheese the day of class. If you need to use my press, you will come back the following day to bring your cheese home.

Park at the house which is the log cabin on Birchwood Drive.