Cheese. The Dirty Truth.......

Cheese makers. Nothing more than glorified dishwashers, I say! That's what we are. Most people think we lead glamorous lives, going to competitions and coming home with ribbons in hand. Or attending fancy food shows. The dirty truth is? All we do is clean! As farmstead cheese makers, by definition, the milk comes from the farm's own supply of milk from animals raised right on-site. As well by definition, this means dirt, mud and poop. Yes the evil poop word. As such the farmstead cheese maker must be a dirt vigilante and clean, clean, clean. When we arrive at the cheese room each morning, we begin by filling sinks. Lots of them. Sometimes, 5. With what? Chlorine detergent, acid rinses and then sanitizers.

Now what? Well, the forms that hold the curds must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. So must the tables that they drain on, and the floors too. All the while, simultaneously, keeping the curing rooms just as clean and the 'proper' molds growing in there. For in each curing room there are numerous molds that want to grow on every cheese in sight. And certain cheeses require particular surface molds, or bacteria for their proper development.

This week while awaiting milk to heat to its required temperature, we spent about 5 hours cleaning things before we even made the cheese! It's a very steamy, wet environment, a cheese making operation, so cleaning is top priority and arduous as well. And did I mention it must be done every day? Glorified dish washers we are, I say!