Last year I began dabbling in cheese-making, and not only is it easier than I ever imagined, but it’s a lot of fun, too. One of the easiest cheeses to make is an Indian cheese, Paneer, also called “Lemon Cheese” in some places. It only takes about 1 hour to 90 minutes to make. This recipe will make a lot of cheese, so you might want to try cutting it in half if you don’t need too much cheese. You will need:

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk

4-6 tablespoons lemon juice

1-2 tsp salt (optional)

candy or milk thermometer

large pot or sauce pan

colander

slotted spoon

cheese cloth or fine cloth

heavy plates

Directions:

Pour milk into a pot over medium-high heat. Do not bring milk to a boil: when milk has reached just under 200 degrees F, add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice; remove from heat and stir.

Continue stirring milk until lumps form. If milk is not curdling, add another 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon into a colander to drain – line the colander with cheesecloth first, if you have some.

Add salt or any other herbs you may like.

Tip: the leftover liquid from the cheese is the whey – you can save this liquid for bread making – I myself used the whey for making a quick bread such as raisin bread.

Wrap the curds tightly with cheese cloth or a smooth kitchen towel; press the cheese between two heavy plates. Let the cheese set for 30 minutes if you want a creamier cheese, or an hour or more for a harder, dryer cheese. This recipe works well in savory dishes, as well as desserts such as cheesecake.

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {cheese} {homestead} {make your own} {paneer}

we got a new chicken coop!  believe it or not, even though we moved almost 6 months ago, my girls just made the big move yesterday!  i had been going back and forth from our last place to take care of them (just up the hill).  it wasn’t without resistance, (ever tried to catch a chicken?), but i assured them the move was for their own good.  now, look how happy they are!

squawk!

wrap up: {chickens} {coop} {farm} {gladening} {hens} {homestead}

turns out, we’re going to have a farm-forward day today!  a dear friend of mine, deidre, sent this article to me yesterday from the new york times and i immediately knew i wanted to share it with you.  it’s uplifting, empowering & thought provoking, and though i encourage you to read the entire article, i’m going to highlight it for you here.

it discusses what they call the ‘femivore’s dilemma’- where highly educated women are turning away from the workforce and instead embracing a life of homemaking- without turning into betty draper.

“femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?”

now it seems that there is a new movement on the horizon.  in the past, many of us felt that we either had to prove ourselves by climbing the coorporate ladder, or that if we didn’t, we were somehow giving in to old world standards (you know, barefoot and pregnant?).

this article is empowering us to think differently:

“Conventional feminist wisdom held that two incomes were necessary to provide a family’s basic needs — not to mention to guard against job loss, catastrophic illness, divorce or the death of a spouse. Femivores suggest that knowing how to feed and clothe yourself regardless of circumstance, to turn paucity into plenty, is an equal — possibly greater — safety net. After all, who is better equipped to weather this economy, the high-earning woman who loses her job or the frugal homemaker who can count her chickens?“

they encourage the idea that the femivore is transforming the definition of homemaker into one that is much more about soil than dirt, and fresh air than air freshener. a sustainable minded woman who stays at home not because she has to, but because she wants to take personal responsibility for supplying for their needs.  the promise that if everything in the world around us stopped, our household could simply keep on going gardening, collecting eggs and supplying clothes.

they leave us with a thought provoking question, “is my home the engine of materialism or a refuge from it?”

i encourage you to read the full article, the femivore’s dilemma (its not very long).  i’ll meet you in the comments section for some discussion-

what do you think of this?

{photos: bonnie forkner}

wrap up: {article} {chickens} {farm} {femivore} {homemaker} {homestead} {new york times}

we meet another friday! we’re off to greenville again this weekend- and i’ll be busy catching up on some sunshine and good reading.  i just got my ‘spring reading’ books this week and i’m so eager to get started on them!

my reading list: less is more, keeping bees, simply in season, beekeeping, the backyard homestead, fresh from the farmers market

keeping bees & beekeeping

why beekeeping? that’s a good question.  i read a snippet about it lately and next i knew i was in the beekeeping section in barnes and noble.  after that? the checkout line.

simply in season & fresh from the farmers market

i’m always looking for new in-season recipes, i’m excited to start folding some doggie ears!

the backyard homestead & less is more

i’ve heard really good things about the backyard homestead, so i planning to start with that one.  plus, i’m itching for spring and yard work so this will really get me motivated! have you heard of less is more? it’s a compilation of articles written by sustainable, positive-thinking writers.  it’s supposed to be a real pick-me-up!

have you read any of these?  what are your spring must-reads?

wrap up: {beekeeping} {books} {homestead} {in season} {less is more} {reading} {recipes} {spring}