# I can't get Chevre to set up



## eam (Jun 5, 2002)

I saw the yogurt thread about not setting up just as I was going to post about my chevre not setting. I didn't see anything in that thread that helps my situation. So, if anyone has idea why my chevre won't set, please help!

I'm using goat's milk (obviously) with goats in their 4th month of lactation. I heat the milk to 86F, add the chevre starter, and let sit overnight, at least 12 hours and I've gone as much as 36 hours. It tastes delicious but runs right through the muslin when I strain it. I've tried adding just a drop of rennet with no difference.  The last batch I addded calcium choride and rennet, still the same results.

Any ideas?

And, on a related note, what can I use a gallon of runny chevre for?

Thanks for the help.
Elizabeth


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

When I make Chevre I use 2 gallons of milk
1/2 tsp flora Danica ( most any Meso culture works here )
and 4 to 5 drops of rennet in 1/4 cup cool water.
I generally make it from freshly drawn milk plus any needed from the fridge to top off amount. That puts me in the proper temperature range. ( my Am milking is usually around 1 1/2 gallons at this point )
Add culture...give a few minutes to properly dissolve, then add rennet in water.... cover and let sit overnight.
If your curds are not firming up I'd take a look at your rennet first.
If you're not using rennet there is no way that your cheese is going to set up properly...


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## eam (Jun 5, 2002)

Thanks for the input. My rennet should be good; it's less than 6 months old, always kept in the frig. I don't have any trouble with hard cheeses giving me a clean break, nor feta, nor mozz or brie. It's just the chevre that's giving me trouble. That's what has me so flummoxed!

The original recipe was from Ricki Carroll's Home Cheesemaking and it doesn't call for rennet at all. So, apparently rennet isn't required to make a good chevre. (And, that recipe has worked for me in the past.) But, then I went to the recipe on fiascofarm.com recipe which uses a bit of rennet, results were the same.

Any ideas anyone?
Thanks.
Elizabeth


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Have you checked for mastitis on your animals?
Not very many experts around our board anymore...quite a few know a good bit though.
Perhaps you can mosey over to http://www.cheeseforum.org/forum/
for a bit of advice. The folks there are quite helpful.


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## goto10 (Oct 5, 2009)

Ricki Carrol's recipes confused me a bit, I bought the goat cheese making kit and it comes with 1 fresh cheese culture and either 4 or 5 chevre cultures. Now the fresh cheese one calls for rennet to be added, I think it's 1/5 of a drop which you make by adding 1 drop to 5 tbsp water mixing and adding one tbsp of the water/rennet mix to the milk. The recipe for the chevre with the chevre packets, calls for no rennet because it's direct set and there is already rennet in the packet. It took me a while to sort all that out. I initially made the fresh cheese without rennet because I was following the chevre recipe and my chevre never set. So maybe you are having the same problem?


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

That is one of the reasons I don't buy her prepackaged cultures...it's difficult at best to replicate what blends of things that may be in there.
I always buy the large packages of specific cultures...if the chevre culture already has added rennet that explains a lot.


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