I follow the blog from The Adventure Hostel which is "the sister" to The Adventure Guesthouse, where we stay. One blog entry was to try cheese making in an alpine dairy high above Interlaken. I'm always looking for something new to try and do while in Switzerland so this blog caught my attention. Even though we didn't make our own cheese, it was fun to watch Roland do it the traditional way.
Spent the morning high up in the mountains behind Interlaken. Off in the distance we could see Lake Thun. It is so difficult to describe being surrounded by the beauty and serenity of the mountains. There were a few sprinkles when we left by van from the hostel, but luckily we didn't encounter any rain.
After a 15 minute drive high into the mountain, we stopped at a pullout along a one lane road. Then, we had a 20 minute walk through a small section of forest to the farm.
There were a few small waterfalls along the steep pathway to the farm, but only a trickle of water could be seen or heard.. Spotted many mushrooms growing here in the forest. Well, this is the season for them. A few looked like red tops but I wasn't sure if they were edible or not. I suppose if they haven't been picked yet, they are inedible.
There are six important steps in cheesemaking: acidification, coagulation, separating curds and whey, shaping, salting, and ripening. While the recipes for all cheeses vary, these steps outline the basic process of turning milk into cheese.
The milk from the evening milking is brought in to sit overnight to ripen naturally and allow time for the cream to rise. This morning, the milk is skimmed of its cream (used for butter) then added to the vat with the full fat morning milk. The milk is then heated to a certain temperature. Once the milk has reached the necessary temperature, the culture can be added.
The milk now needs to be kept at this target temperature until it is time to increase for cooking the curds. Hold the milk with culture quiet for the next 60 minutes to allow the culture to begin doing its work. It will be very slow initially, but will soon kick into its more rapid rate of converting lactose to lactic acid.
Now, the rennet was added. The milk now needs to sit quiet for about 25 - 30 minutes while the culture works and the rennet coagulates the curd . You should begin to notice the milk thickening slightly at about the 12 minute mark but give it the full time for a good curd to develop.
The thermal mass of this milk should keep it warm during this period.
You should always remember to check the curd firmness before cutting. If too soft, note the extra time it takes to set.
Cook curd and remove whey.
Turn in a clockwise manner. We need to cut the curds.
Suzanne's parents are here visiting from Holland.
None of us were mixing fast enough.
Once the temperature has been reached, the curds are slowly stirred for another 30-40 minutes for further dryness.
Next, we had a meet and greet with the cows in the barn. They will be let out onto the pasture later. No lights except for where the calves were. Calves are 7, 8, and 15 days old.
Cows have their tails attached to a string so the tails don't swish in their feces. Learned the cows don't mind wearing the huge ceremonial bells because they know they are either going up to the mountains in Spring or down from the mountains in Fall. These cows will come down the mountain on September 28th. This is known as the alpabzug.
These cows certainly are the heart of the farm. They provide the milk that is essential for cheese production.
Then, we sat down to the first course of our traditional Swiss farmers' breakfast. Two different fresh baked breads, homemade jams from fruits like quince, elderberry, and prunes that are grown locally. The sausage was done at the farm and smoked over the fire. We could have fresh milk (chocolate, too.), coffee, and herb tea. The herbs are grown in the fields around the farm.
Marc, Suzanne, Suzanne's parents, Kiara, and Michael. The butter was delicious!! The honey is local, too.
Ribs and sausage being smoked over the fire.
These are the types of cheese they make.
I tried every variety of cheese. There was alp, pepper, chili, herb, garlic. I know I missed one or two. The sausage was yummy!!!!!
The final curds should be cooked well through and should be examined to make sure that enough moisture has been removed. The final curd should consolidate well and show flexibility.
When this point is reached the curds can be allowed to settle under the whey.
Gathering the curd mass under the remaining whey.
Roland took out some whey.
He will prepare his own starter.
Separating the curds and the whey
Roland dunks his hands in cold water before handling the cheese cloth. The whey is very hot.
Roland did it twice so he would have two rounds.
Trying some cheese.
The wheels are turned every hour for 24 hours. After that, the wheels are soaked in a salt bath for a day.
Drinking whey. Delicious!! Would you try some?
We put our hands in the whey. The liquid was quite hot still. WOW!!! Made my hands so silky soft. I also put some on my arms and elbows. This works wonders!!!!!
Preparing our second breakfast course.
Now.... that's a view when you are heating the water.
Second course was homemade Rösti topped with an egg. Rösti is a Swiss national dish. The potatoes were boiled, cut up, and fried with herbs. This was so good!! This is very filling.
After the second course, we went to see the pigs. The farmers can not pour the whey on the ground as it pollutes the soil. However, pigs love the whey. That is why you will always see pigs by the barn up with the cows.
The pigs came running when they saw they were going to be sprayed with water. This pig looks like she is smiling.
Clean pigs. Aren't their curly tails adorable?
Are you looking at me?
Soaking my feet in a whey bath. My feet are so soft. Don't laugh.... it really works! A few of us even rubbed some whey on our face. I have to look years younger.
Whey, a byproduct of cheese making, is rich in nutrients and has been used for centuries for its soothing and revitalizing properties.
Marc and Roland. Marc and Suzanne run the Fondue Villa
Marc wanted to try his hand at flipping the wheel of cheese.
Roland put the lot number and the farm identification on the side of the wheel of cheese. I believe Gruyère cheese has it on the top of the wheel. I will have to look when we are next in Gruyères.
So much liquid pouring out. The weight of the press has to be evenly distributed.
Cheese storage cellar
Learned about the aging process and how different conditions affect the cheese's flavor and texture. The cellars are cool and humid, providing the perfect environment for cheese maturing.
In the winter, Roland is a ski instructor. His daughter's husband is the ski instructor for the Swiss team.
Our van is parked wayyyyyyyyyyyyy up the hill but Roland's wife was nice enough to drive us to the van. Michael and I learned they have two daughters. One works at Migros while the other one is a teacher.
Cows grazing on the mountains will be eating some of these wild flowers.
What a wonderful adventure and experience Michael and I had!!!! Delicious food! Extraordinary scenery! Fun people to share the experience with! We definitely recommend!!!!
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