For the final project in 3rd grade Simon’s teacher gave the class an open-ended project. Choose a topic, research it, and present what you find to the class. (Kudos to teachers who trust kids to tackle something like this.)
We spent a weekend considering topics – rocketry? the Apollo 13 mission? sheep shearing? Then a random, and real, question he asked ended up being the best topic to explore: what is cheese?
We’ve made butter before (by shaking a jar full of whole milk with a marble inside). But she wondered how you would transform milk into cheese and not butter?
As part of the project, each child has to choose a way to present their research to the class. He’s decided to write a newspaper called The Daily Curd filled with informative cheese-making articles.
We found a great recipe and set to work with a bottle of pasteurized (not ultra pasteurized) whole milk and some white vinegar. The process was really neat (curds and whey!) and I thought I’d share it with you. If you’ve got some time on a summer afternoon and don’t mind a few minutes over a boiling pot, this would be a great summer activity with kids.
The most tedious part was stirring the milk while it came up to temperature. Once it reached 170 degrees we were ready for the next step – adding the acid. Simon chose to use white vinegar instead of lemon juice because we read that it would make a cheese with a more neutral flavor.
After three tablespoons, it separated in a most dramatic fashion! We were very impressed.
We waited a few more minutes to allow the curds to fully separate from the whey, then she ladled them into cheesecloth laid over a strainer.
We mixed in some salt and left them to drain, then gathered them up into a hockey-puck like form and pressed them for an hour and half with a heavy weight on top.
Done!
A delectable snack spread on some sliced baguette. Next Simon says he wants to make bread AND cheese for a fully homemade meal (when we do it we’ll use the whey as the liquid for bread making).
The newspaper is due on Friday. So far he’s written the feature article – “Local Kid Makes Cheese,” composed three silly cheese jokes, and made a crossword puzzle with cheese vocabulary (he’s writing the actual research paper in class). A totally fun school project!
I love the assignment and what Stella landed on for her topic. Yay to Stella and yay to the teacher who assigned this (yes, I’m feeling a little down lately about the very MCAS directed unimaginative curriculum in our middle school).
It’s true. So much time spent on testing and test prep, but her teacher has figured out how to also make things creative and open-ended. It’s kinda amazing how much difference a teacher’s approach can make.
Love that idea of making cheese with kids!
I’ve made yogurt in the slow cooker and strained it (I like the thicker Greek-style strained yogurt) and the whey is really great for making bread. I think it softens up the texture a bit. Please share when you try it out this summer!
Good stuff! I loved doing things like this and still do. Simple tofu is made in a similar way apparently, using lemon juice. I have never done the same as your daughter did and it looks like it was a great success. I’ve made yogurt cheese which is done by draining yogurt and straining it through a cloth which looks similar. It was tasty adding a little salt, herbs and garlic to it. I love the idea of eating your own home made bread and cheese. That must be pretty thrilling for a child actually, to end up with a big block of really authentic looking and tasting cheese – it looks really fresh and delicious. Well done Stella!
It is really tasty! If you’ve ever had Farmer’s cheese you know how yummy it is.
What an amazing teacher! Such a blessing. And bravo to Stella for doing such great work. A+ 😉
Fun! It is sad how out of touch many people are with food, where it comes from and how it’s made. We are not too far from a farm that has different activities for visitors, including milking a cow and making butter. Twice a day the staff begin the milking session with a question to the group, “Is this cow a boy or a girl?” More than once I’ve seen adults who don’t know.
Well done, Stella! Your cheese is beautiful, and I LOVE your newspaper project. I think you’re absolutely right – making some bread to showcase your fabulous homemade cheese is the logical next step. I’ve inspired many people over the years to bake their first loaves, and if I may suggest, I think these Four Hour Parisian Baguettes would be a perfect place for you to start your bread baking adventures. They’re easy and delicious! Happy baking! 🙂
http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2013/05/easy-french-bread-recipe-four-hour.html
Yum! Thank you for the recommendation.