This recipe is based off of the one on the New England Cheese Company Website. The only change made is that I am using raw goats milk and using 3 gallons vs 2 gallons. The original recipe is as follows (direction to make it will be the same) . . .

• 2 Gallons of Milk (Not Ultra-Pasteurized)
• 1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride
• 1 packet C201 Thermophilic Culture
• 1/2 tsp Single Strength Liquid Rennet

Making Ricotta From Leftover Whey

It was a challenge finding ways to get rid of leftover whey from cheese making. I didn’t want to toss it out and waste it but we don’t really have a use for it in the kitchen. We would give some to the dogs and chickens but I’d still end up with leftovers that take up precious fridge space. Making ricotta cheese was the perfect answer.

What To Make With Ricotta?

Personally, I also had no idea what to do with the Ricotta made from the leftover whey. It wasn’t a cheese that I would generally buy and use so I had to look up some ways I could use it. The obvious one is lasagna and I would also use it in other pasta/tomato-like dishes.

Another good use I discovered for ricotta is to use it in instead of butter in baked recipes as a healthier, less fatty, alternative. I notice no difference between using ricotta versus butter. The bread is still tasty and moist.

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Print Recipe

Squeaky Cheese Curds From Raw Goats Milk

Makes about 5 cups of curds.

Course

Snack

Cuisine

American

Servings

Ingredients

• 3 gallons Raw Goats Milk
• 3/4 teaspoon Calcium Chloride (diluted in 1/4 cup water)
• 1/2 teaspoon Rennet (I used vegetable rennet) (diluted in 1/4 cup water)
• 1 packet Thermophilic Culture

Course Snack Cuisine American Servings Ingredients 3 gallons Raw Goats Milk 3/4 teaspoon Calcium Chloride (diluted in 1/4 cup water) 1/2 teaspoon Rennet (I used vegetable rennet) (diluted in 1/4 cup water) 1 packet Thermophilic Culture

Instructions

Squeaky Cheese Curds

1. Bring 3 Gallons of milk up to 96°F. Once the milk is at 96°F, set a timer for 90 minutes.
2. Next, stir in the Calcium Chloride and Thermophilic Culture. Allow milk to ripen for 30 minutes at 96°F.
3. Now add your Rennet, stirring gently for no more than 30-60 seconds. Allow to sit for 20-25 minutes or until you can poke the surface with a knife and see a clean break. If the cut fills with clear whey your ready to go, if it is cloudy then wait a few more minutes. (continue to keep at 96°F)
4. Cut curd surface into 3/4 inch cubes. Wait 3 minutes before stirring. Curds will become smaller as you go.
5. Slowly bring your heat up to 116°F over the course of 30 minutes. Once up to temperature, cook the curds for 30-60 minutes depending on how firm you want them.
6. Once the curds are cooked, you can transfer them to a cloth lined colander to drain. Or I just used my two 5 inch cheese molds. Allow the whey to drain for 15-20 minutes.
7. If using cloth and a colander, place a small plate on top and weigh it down with a gallon jug (or roughly 8 lbs) and allow to sit for 1-3 hours to press all the curds together. Again, I used my cheese molds with a gallon jug on top to press the curds together.
8. Now just cut up the curds into pieces and toss in some salt (I use about 1-2 tsp). It is now ready for eating or store in a container in the fridge.

BONUS: Ricotta (From The Leftover Whey)

1. With the leftover whey you can make ricotta. To do this, simply heat the whey on the stove to 195°F. Try not to over cook as it can taint the flavor of the ricotta. You'll see the ricotta form as snowlike flakes.
2. Turn the heat off and allow the ricotta to float to the top of the pan.
3. Gently ladle the ricotta into a cheese cloth, wrap it up, and allow to drain somewhere for a few hours before storing in a container in the fridge.
4. The remaining liquid has pretty much been drained of any nutritional value at this point and can finally be tossed out. We throw it on our compost pile.