# Just Got a Family Dairy Cow, Need Help with how to process milk



## Mandy32 (Jun 18, 2013)

Hello,
Our family just bought a beautiful Jersey milk cow. She is pregnant and due to calve next month. 
We have had a raw milk share in the past and know how to make yogurt and butter on a small scale (processing 3 gallons/week)
But we want to be ready to process more milk for our families' needs.
I would love to have suggestions!
Here are the needs of our family:
-We are a family of five, my husband and I do lots of heavy work and generally eat a 'hearty' amount of food. We also have three growing little boys aged 2, 4, and 6. So, we go through ALOT of food!
-My husband and oldest son are extremely lactose intolerant so all milk processing in our home needs to end in a lactose free product. They both can tolerate butter (thank goodness!). We currently make lactose free yogurt and I am interested in making hard cheeses.
-We are interested in relatively low-fuss utilitarian recipes, nothing fancy, just basic hard cheese, butter, and yogurt.
So, any tips or tricks for processing milk for your family that may work for our family?
Any books that may be good for us to purchase (most books only seem to be for people dealing with a gallon or less of milk at a time...and we'll me doing alot more than that!)?
What basic milk processing equipment do we need to be ready for the milk to come?
Thanks so much! We are so excited to have gallons of fresh milk everyday!


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

I had problems drinking milk from the store when I was a kid. Traded eggs for milk with friends down the road that had cows and the raw milk out of the bulk tank did not bother me at all. Doctor said it was the way the milk is processed that will cause problems for some people.


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## Mandy32 (Jun 18, 2013)

Phil,
I know many people can tolerate lactose when they switch to raw milk, we've had raw milk for the last three years (from an all grass fed heritage breed milk share) and unfortunately two members of our family can't drink that good milk when it still has lactose in it. So, I do need recipes, etc., that are lactose free. Thanks! 
Mandy


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## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

Mandy, cheeses that are aged from a long time like a year are very low in lactose. Parmesan cheese and some chedders. Goats milk is lower in lactose. 

The problem you are going to run into to is the aren't going to be recipes that are recipes that are lactose free, it's the aging process that will make it lower in lactose. I think. I wish you all the luck in the world.

There is lots of information on the internet about what you are needing but it is going to take a lot of work to find it.


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## Mandy32 (Jun 18, 2013)

CJ,
Sorry I wasn't more clear. My family does just fine with aged hard cheese, though it's not 100% lactose free. 
I'm hoping someone here could point me in the right direction where it comes to recipes for hard cheese, butter and yogurt on the scale we will be having soon (5 gallons/day). I only included the information about the issue with lactose because I don't need recipes for the soft cheeses, cream cheese, mozzerella, etc., which really tear up my husband and oldest son's belly.
So if anyone has resources/recipes/books to share about processing 5 gallons of milk a day into yogurt, butter, and hard cheese I would be super thankful!
Kindly, Mandy


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## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

Ahhh, now I get it. Cheesemaking.com, Leeners.com, Fias Co.com....they are numerous. Most recipes are geared towards 1 gallon, 2 gallon or 4 gallon recipes. You will need a 6-8" mold to hand 4 gallons of curd (when finished). There are lots of books with recipes but I find the internet to be just as good and because I already pay for it, it is cost effective.

There is a learning curve with making cheese and lots of trial and error but it is fun! I don't even eat much cheese. 

All of the above sites will suggest equipment needed. Some is necessary, some isn't. I prefer stainless steel for everything and avoid plastic. I also use lots of sanitizer. I never try to make cheese the day of or the day after hubby bake bread due to the yeast that gets in the air.

Enjoy the journey.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/


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