Homemade Farmer's Cheese

Farmer's Cheese

• Farmer's cheeses are soft, white, usually homemade cheeses that do not have a long shelf life. Farmer's cheeses range from soft and creamy to dry and crumbly, depending on the amount of pressing, which makes the cheese harder as it forms. Farmer's cheese can be made from cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk, resulting in a range of distinctive flavors.

Farmer's Cheese Around the World

• In India, paneer is a fully lacto-vegetarian white farmer's cheese made by adding acids such as lemon juice or vinegar instead of an animal-based rennet enzyme product. French Neufchatel is a farmer's cheese, as is the Central and South American queso blanco or queso campesino. In North America, the Canadian farmer's cheese is a hard white cheese with a flavor like cheddar; in parts of the United States, farmer's cheese refers to semi-soft white cheese made with skim milk.

  There could be as many farmer's cheeses as there are farmers/cheesemakers. The usual stipulations create a basic white cheese made with the simplest of ingredients (milk and acid), pressed, and eaten fresh.

Making Farmer's Cheese

• These cheeses are made by adding buttermilk or a bacterial starter and rennet -- or other acid -- to milk. Warm the milk, stir in the buttermilk and rennet, and let sit for 24 hours until a "clean break" is achieved -- the separation of curds from whey and a hardening of the cheese curd. Place the curds in a mesh bag or colander and allow any remaining whey to drain for another 24 hours. At this point, you can press the cheese for a harder product or keep your cheese soft by skipping the press.

Eating Farmer's Cheese

• Farmer's cheeses are delicious herbed. They are also used traditionally to fill cheese blintzes and in many Jewish-American dishes.

  To make an herbed farmer's cheese, add your choice of fresh or dried herbs to homemade or store-bought farmer's cheese. Basil and oregano make a classic and delectable blend. You can also add thyme, garlic, and sour cream to create a dip or spread. Herbed or plain farmer's cheese can be eaten with crackers, vegetables, or spread on fresh bread. Try it as the base of a sandwich for an unexpected treat.