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Post by hawkeyes on Sept 28, 2021 8:52:07 GMT -7
We all know how important cheese has been historically, especially during our time of interest. However with modern refrigeration I've always been leary of carrying even waxed covered cheeses as they almost always are refrigerated upon purchase unfortunately. Anyone have experience with carrying cheese in any manner? Townsends latest episode on cracknels certainly has my chops licking for some cheese on the trail.
Has anyone actually made any simple cheese from period recipes?
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990 
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Post by Keith on Sept 28, 2021 16:20:17 GMT -7
I always carry cheese with me, but as I only ever journey in winter, it has never been a problem. Cheese from overseas used to be secured in lead containers, not recommended these days!!!
Keith.
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Post by paranger on Sept 28, 2021 17:08:46 GMT -7
I have carried firmer, aged cheeses in camp / trail for up to 3 days with no concern. Sometimes it can "sweat" oils and/or crack in warmer conditions, but I don't find it too off-putting personally.
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Post by hawkeyes on Sept 28, 2021 17:14:22 GMT -7
I'm going to indeed try some aged cheddar, minus the lead! I've read a few passages referencing wrapping the cheese in a "lightly moistened linen cloth of white vinager". I would assume the vinager acts as a natural bacterial inhibitor?
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Post by brokennock on Sept 28, 2021 18:25:06 GMT -7
Being severely lactose intolerant, I can only enjoy well aged cheese. Real aged cheddar, certain Italian "table" cheeses, stuff like that. These tend to be harder than fresh cheeses so they do travel better. I do have to limit my intake though so they don't figure prominently in my trail diet, but I do often bring a little along with some type of dried sausage, soppresetta or a local Polish meat packer's smoked dried kielbasa.
What is the history, if any, behind the spreadable cheddar and port "pub cheese" products?
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Post by brokennock on Sept 28, 2021 18:27:10 GMT -7
Might not be on the trail, but, sitting at the tavern inn or at home, a good dry aged cheddar with apple pie is a classic New England combination that is hard to beat.
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Post by spence on Sept 28, 2021 19:45:35 GMT -7
The only cheese I've made is yogurt cheese. I made yogurt regularly for quite a while, and frequently used some of it to make cheese. That is simple as can be, you simply line a strainer with cheesecloth and put some yogurt into it. Put it into the fridge for a couple of days and the whey will drip out, leaving a thick, creamy cheese much like regular cream cheese. It's a spreadable cheese, for use only at home.
I've carried sharp cheddar cheeses many times on my treks without any problem. Even for up to 3 days in hot weather, it stays totally good. As a general rule, the harder a cheese the less you need to worry, and with cheddar, the sharper it is the harder...dryer...it is and the better it works. A block of parmesan will keep indefinitely at room temperature, I think.
When I was a youngster every country store kept a big wheel of what we called rat cheese but which was really sharp cheddar on the counter at room temperature, year round, never refrigerated. It was routine for them to cut you off a big slice to put on crackers for your lunch. In those good old days crackers came in 4-cracker squares, and a sandwich of a couple of those squares with a slice of cheese would set you up for a long afternoon of busting brush for cottontails.
The good old days really were.
Spence
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Post by hawkeyes on Sept 29, 2021 4:33:56 GMT -7
Excellent Spence! Do you routinely wrap your cheese in the above reference to linen moistened in vinager or as is?
Love the story's of old, reminiscing while reading your experiences is a treat, thank you for sharing.
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Post by Black Hand on Sept 29, 2021 6:55:46 GMT -7
Might not be on the trail, but, sitting at the tavern inn or at home, a good dry aged cheddar with apple pie is a classic New England combination that is hard to beat. I've heard of this combination several times and it just sounds wrong.... |
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Post by spence on Sept 29, 2021 6:57:37 GMT -7
I just wrap the cheese in cloth, no vinegar. The only thing I would expect might happen to the cheese would be a little mold on the outside, but that's not a problem and doesn't happen quickly. Just trim it away. Many cheeses have mold while they are being made, and some wouldn't be right without it .... Bleu cheese, Roquefort , Camembert, Gorgonzola and Brie.
Spence
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Post by hawkeyes on Sept 29, 2021 7:08:17 GMT -7
I just wrap the cheese in cloth, no vinegar. The only thing I would expect might happen to the cheese would be a little mold on the outside, but that's not a problem and doesn't happen quickly. Just trim it away. Many cheeses have mold while they are being made, and some wouldn't be right without it .... Bleu cheese, Roquefort , Camembert, Gorgonzola and Brie. Spence Yes sir, sounds about right. Mold and cheese in some regard run together like a well oiled machine. Maybe I'm thinking about this way to much... However I go to the local grocery, purchase a refrigerated block of aged cheddar and can be on my way through the forest? |
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Post by paranger on Sept 29, 2021 7:36:47 GMT -7
Might not be on the trail, but, sitting at the tavern inn or at home, a good dry aged cheddar with apple pie is a classic New England combination that is hard to beat. I've heard of this combination several times and it just sounds wrong.... Oh no, my friend. It is a match made in heaven!😁👍 |
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Post by spence on Sept 29, 2021 9:56:19 GMT -7
Hawkeyes, I normally keep my cheeses in the refrigerator at home. Cooler temperatures slow every reaction down, and sometimes that is not only a good thing but necessary. I do believe that we as moderns have a wrong impression about such things, though, and the old boys did it safely a different way.
I make my own buttermilk. The routine is to inoculate a fresh, cold gallon of skim milk with a bit of the last batch of buttermilk and then leave it at room temperature or above for 2 days plus 6 hours. One spot in my house routinely gets above 100° in the summer, and I put the milk there for that time. It gets pretty warm, but that's what the beneficial bacteria I added like. The idea of leaving milk to warm to or above room temperature is not something everyone can accept. I gave instructions to a fellow about making my buttermilk, but his wife had a fit when he told her he was going to leave milk out of the fridge that long, "Not in my house!" Not a surprising reaction in today's world, but commonly done in earlier days. Fresh, warm milk from the cow was left at room temperature to sour, then churned for the butter, and what was left was buttermilk.
Nobody wants food poisoning, but the threat of it is not as great as we moderns believe.
Spence
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Post by hawkeyes on Sept 29, 2021 10:14:27 GMT -7
Very good description and points. Certainly the modern mentality of "mass refrigeration" is a must just isn't always the case. As a younger me I do remember a number of staples in great grandmother's pantry that at large most of society would scour to the sight of being non refrigerated.
I do believe in the days ahead such skills as we are discussing here could potentially be a life saver. Food preservation to me, specifically period methods are fascinating in their own right.
Another area I believe some pay no mind to is harmful bacteria. The introduction of the bad is what makes you sick, not the food product itself. I'd imagine the references to linen moistened with vinager would potentially inhibit the growth of the bad... May be wrong on that though.
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Post by spence on Sept 29, 2021 10:41:14 GMT -7
Hawkeyes said: "I'd imagine the references to linen moistened with vinager would potentially inhibit the growth of the bad... May be wrong on that though."
Exactly right. Acids...vinegar is acetic acid... have a low pH, and that inhibits many bacteria. Buttermilk lasts a lot longer than plain milk before going bad because the bacteria which created it produce lactic acid, lower the pH and inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. Think of all the fermented foods which depend on the same situation to preserve food. That delicious sour taste we love in pickled foods of all types is there because of that same thing.
Spence
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