Embracing the Abundance of Milk
When I first began milking my cows, I was in awe of the abundance of milk I had at my disposal. Suddenly butter-making and yogurt were a weekly event in my kitchen, and I still had a fridge full to bursting with milk. I knew I wanted to fulfill all of our dairy needs from our cows – heck, it seemed wrong NOT to, given the copious amounts of dairy coming in from the barn each day!
But – I was also a busy mama of two small children, learning the homestead lifestyle, milking cows and a goat every single day, and living with my parents all while we started the process of building our own house. I didn’t feel at all capable of learning a new skill like cheesemaking, let alone finding time to fit it into my day!
A Neighborly Nudge into Cheesemaking
Enter my friend, Victoria.
A neighbor connected the two of us, and after paying a visit to me and my cows, she told me she’d like to teach me to make cheese and invited me over for a day spent cheesemaking in her kitchen.
I was hooked.
Surely I could learn this art for myself!
Early Endeavors and Lessons Learned
That cheese wasn’t perfect. But it was good. And more importantly, it was mine.
I was hooked.
Still, I had a lot to learn. That year I stumbled my way through a few failures—rubbery textures, odd flavors, confusing recipes—but each batch taught me something new.
Fast forward a couple of years.
I had recently given birth to our thirdborn, and was still reeling from a summer of sick cows and an unexpected litter of australian shepherd puppies.
I knew that I was going to have to just dive in if I wanted to truly understand this cheesemaking process.
I made a commitment to myself to make cheese at least once a week. I decided to make Fridays my official “cheesemaking day.”
That year I stocked my family’s fridge with wheels on wheels of cheese, and really began to master a few recipes and make some great cheese.
That act of diving in and just doing it, week after week, made a world of difference.
Suddenly I was no longer over-analyzing my day and wondering whether I could fit making cheese in. Now I was declaring one day a week for cheese, and just doing it and not worrying about every single thing being perfect.
Establishing a Cheesemaking Routine
As a busy mom, time is always tight. I homeschool my kids, care for our animals, and try to keep up with daily chores.
So I created a cheesemaking rhythm that worked for my life.
I learned how to work with simple cheesemaking recipes—ones that didn’t require standing at the stove all day.
Integrating Cheesemaking Into Daily Life
Now, making cheese is just another part of my homesteading flow.
Some mornings I stir curds while the kids do their math work at the table. Others I’ve got yogurt culturing in the dehydrator, or chèvre straining on the counter.
Cheesemaking isn’t a burden—it’s a joy. A delicious, creative, nourishing act that feeds my family.
Since those early days of learning cheesemaking, we’ve sold the cows and switched entirely to dairy goats.
Making cheese with goat milk has become my JAM. I love it, and the cheese is just as good and nourishes our family in the most beautiful way.
No, I have not yet discovered a way to make my Cheese Days entirely smooth and stress-free.
I have just resigned myself to the fact that having kids around while doing any multiple-hour task in the kitchen is not going to be all sunshine and rainbows 100% of the time.
And I’m ok with that.
Tips for Cheesemaking as a Busy Mom
Quality Time First
I try my best to sit down and read to the kids (or spend another form of quality time with them) while the milk is culturing to make sure I fill their tanks.
Cheese Day doesn’t make me unavailable to my kids, but it does take a lot of my attention and focus for the morning, and it helps them if they know I’ve given them my full attention ahead of time.
Tidy the Kitchen
I try to start with a clean kitchen. A homestead kitchen is never fully clean, but with a small kitchen like mine it really pays to have the dishes out of the way when handling large pots and such! I have the girls empty the dishwasher while I milk in the morning, and then while the milk heats up I do my best to get all the dirty dishes washed up and the counters cleared off.
Stay Focused
I plan my chores for the week around Cheese Day. I try to keep other projects and chores to a bare minimum on these days. I might add a second kitchen task, such as making yogurt or broth, or get dinner going while I make cheese, but besides that I try to keep my energy focused to just the kitchen and kids, otherwise I get zapped.
Keep Cool
I don’t worry too much about the recipe timing. It’s not worth the stress.
Kids are going to need their mama, diapers will need to be changed, and sibling squabbles will need breaking up.
I try to go with the flow, and truly don’t worry too much about stepping away from the pot for a few minutes.
The only times that are absolutely crucial are times where the curds have been strained from the whey and have the potential to cool too much before pressing.
Aside from those critical moments, I am comfortable adding a little leeway into my recipe time frames.
If you are looking for simple, non-fussy recipes like this too, especially designed for goat milk, you should check out my goat milk cheese course, Beyond Chevre!
Up Your Thermometer Game
I invested in a ChefAlarm thermometer and I’ll never go back.
This baby is more expensive than your average instant read thermometer, but it’s worth its weight in gold.
I use it to set an alarm for when the milk or curds reach my goal temperature, and that way if I walk away to help a kid, or get distracted with another kitchen task I can make sure I don’t overheat the cheese!
This is important, because overheated milk takes FOREVER to cool down again, and overheated curds sometimes can’t be saved without turning them into ricotta.
Clean As You Go
I clean up the milk jars and cheesemaking supplies as I go in the kitchen, from start to finish, so that there is never an overwhelming mess after a long day on my feet.
A surefire way to dampen the fun of making cheese is to end the day with a sink full of dishes.
Milk and cheese curds become sticky and difficult to clean if left too long, so cleaning right away is easiest in the long run!
Keep It Fun
Nobody likes “Stressed Out Mom.” And a few gallons of milk is not more important than keeping a peaceful home and maintaining a good relationship with my children.
I try to keep my cheese days as low-key as possible, invite the kids to help me if they are interested, keep them in snacks and maybe even turn on a show in the late afternoon when it’s the final stages of the cheese and where timing actually does really matter.
It only serves your family to make cheese IF it doesn’t steal your peace!
Let it be a fun experience for everybody.
Finding Joy in the Cheesemaking Journey
You don’t need to be a professional to experience the quiet magic of homemade cheese. all you need is a little courage to begin and a willingness to push through the learning curve little by little.
My goat milk cheesemaking course, Beyond Chèvre, was created especially for busy, hands-full, life-full moms like you.
It’s for those who long to make something nourishing and beautiful, in the margins of real, everyday life. No stress. No perfection. Just a bit of intention and adventure in the kitchen
If you’d like to up your cheesemaking game and dive in feet first, I’d love to be your friend in the kitchen, the way Victoria was for me.
