Cheese Cave

Check out my new cheese cave! I'd been using a tiny dorm fridge to age my cheeses. Unfortunately, I've been making so much cheese that the "tiny" part was really becoming a problem. That and the fact that when I keep the fridge at 55 degrees, the freezer part melts and drips water into the bottom of the fridge. Talk about humidity!

I began to think that a wine cooler was the way to go. Perfect temperature. Higher humidity than a conventional fridge. But there was that pesky issue of the cupped shaped shelves for wine bottles. I began to search Craigslist and look what I found!

This one has flat wooden shelves that pull out, 2 temperature zones, and the price was right- I have boots that cost more. My sweet husband drove an hour and a half out of his way Friday night to pick it up. I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Now I just need to find the time to make more cheese.

I have 4 crottin draining on the counter and a pot of chevre on the stove but I really need some practice on the hard cheeses. Mine are coming out too crumbly still. I have reduced temperatures and pressing pressure, but they are still too crumbly. I suspect they are developing too much acid. I need to reduce culture and ripening times.

I got Fawn, April, and Abraham's registration papers filled out on Sunday. We had rain all weekend so it was a good time to get this done. The Miniature Dairy Goat Association required so much information to register these girls, it's insane! The 6 generation pedigree of sire and dam has me stumped. I printed off the 4 gen pedigree from the ADGA site for Onyx, but Buddy is registered with the American Goat Society. They don't have online pedigrees. The 3 generation on his registration itself is going to have to suffice. I hope. Please suffice.

They really are pretty little girls. I need their buyer to come get them. I talked to her last week and they should be back in town, but I understand how hard it is to put up fencing in the driving rain. Hubby spent Sunday afternoon in the rain replacing the fence in the barn with cattle panels so Miss Fawn can't escape. She spent last week exploring the "people side" of the barn and my front yard.

The deer are still up to their destructive ways. This weekend, it was the watermelon vines. Watermelon was one of the only successful crop I had this summer. It's time to get fall seedlings started, but I need a good dose of motivation. The wet weather has really zapped me this summer.

I finally decided to get a couple pigs. I have some molded feed in the barn and more whey then I know what to do with. It seems like a waste to throw it all out. Of course, when I decide to finally get pigs, there aren't any pigs to be got. Hubby does business with the manager of a rather large farm/ hunting plantation nearby. I asked the farm manager about pigs and he found some Yorkshires for me. The kicker is, he'd like me to raise 2 for them too. He will help with feed and trade grass-fed beef that he is raising. How can I say no to that?

So 2 pigs became 4 pigs. Let me tell you a secret- I'm kinda scared of pigs. And cows. So this will be way outside my comfort zone. Pray for me.