My love of cottage cheese dates back more than a decade. When I was pregnant with Girl 1, it was my constant craving! Before that, it had never really been a favorite. But, even now, I enjoy a nice bowlful of cottage cheese and fruit -- maybe it's because it hearkens me back to that wonderful season of my life -- have I mentioned before how much I loved being pregnant?

Though I've been making my own cheeses for awhile now, it wasn't until recently that I set out to experiment with cottage cheese.

It turned out great! And, I just couldn't believe how easy it was! So, I had to pass the how-to along to you.

Even if you've never before made your own cheese of any kind, you can handle this. Trust me.

All you need is the following:

a gallon of the best milk you can find (I use our raw goat milk, but if you don't have access to fresh farm milk, you can use grocery store milk -- cow/goat/whatever. Just steer clear of anything ultra-pasteurized -- check this out for further explanation of pasteurization.)
1/4 c. vinegar
salt

Yep. Really. That's all you need. (So, why are there all those other, unidentifiable ingredients in store-bought cottage cheeses? Hmmmm.)

And making the cheese is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. On the stove top, heat your gallon of milk until it is just shy of boiling and bubbles begin to rise to the surface. Be sure to stir pretty frequently so that your milk doesn't burn.

2. Remove from heat, add vinegar, and stir for a minute as the curds form.

3. Allow to sit and reach room temperature (an hour or so).

4. Place a colander/strainer in the sink and pour your curds/whey through it (unless you're trying to save your whey for other uses, in which case you should strain over a bowl). Rinse the curds that remain in your strainer with some tap water to remove any vinegar residue/sour taste.

5. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate. Enjoy.

Okay, so I lied. There were actually 5 steps. But, they're really easy, right?

My gallon of milk netted me these two containers full of cottage cheese. Yields will vary based on the milk-fat content of your milk of choice.

The cheese that resulted was wonderfully light, fluffy, and flavorful!

What do you think? Does it sound doable? Will you be giving it a try?

If you'd like to give it a whirl with some fresh raw goat milk, shoot me a message to arrange pick-up. ashley@broodfarm.com.