High Plains Cheese

Its that time of year. Fresh Jersey milk. Making cheese. Sharing with friends and neighbors. Our latest cheese share is to the wildfire victims in our area.

Momma had her baby. A little buckling. He is now 6 days old. He eats enough milk for 2 kids. Always fun to have kids. Soon, the milk will go into cheese.

This first time freshened kinder doe is getting big. My guess is that babies will be here in 2 to 3 weeks. She is so sweet and gentle, even very pregnant. But dont get between her and breakfast if you are another doe. She means business when it comes to feeding her babies.

2023 Ordering Information has been updated. Unfortunately FB doesnt give me a place to download the ordering sheet. So, Please email HPC for the form or message us. We finally had to make some increase adjustments in areas because suppliers have gone wild with pricing on supplies. We did our best to hold off, praying supplies would level out, but they have not...we only use highest quality ingredients because our customers deserve only the finest quality cheese.

As 2023 unfolds, we have restructured to kinder does. Their top quality milk and sweet temperament make for good does. They are medium size and easier to handle.

Births will begin soon and that means more milk. What's interesting about kinders is that they do not slow down during the low light season in winter. Pure dairy breeds do. This will help us get more cheese done for the Holidays in December.

A benefit of the kinder goat is that they are a dual purpose breed. They also provide a great meat source. This is especially true to the homesteader family looking to provide meat and milk for their family. We do both here at High Plains Cheese.

I started to produce goat hams from the meat stock. We find these hams quite versatile in the kitchen and around holidays. We get sausage, hams and cheese from 1 goat breed. Other meat cuts as well. The kinder goat is a great consideration to anyone's homestead plans.

We will be adding Nubian milk to our line up this summer, beginning late spring. This milk will provide key flavors to our curds, cheddars, swiss, and yogurt.

Well, the season is beginning again. With our new herd of goats we will have good quality milk. Starting in June we will milk again. Our herd is mostly Kinder goats, but I recently picked up an Oberhasli/Alpine doe 50/50 who has already been exposed to a high quality dairy buck. She will bring volume of milk, but also more flavor to some of the varieties.

Lets introduce the word: Crottin(crow-tin)

Crottin cheese is a cheese I make at High Plains Cheese. This cheese is a lactic cheese. However, I have a mild reheating process I add to mine which will intensify the final flavor profile.

What makes a Crottin cheese? Well, for our HPC variety it is a lactic cheese that goes through a reheating process, then gets drained, put into cute little moulds, and set to drain and age for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks they can be rolled in cheese salt and herbs of choice. Then get lightly packaged.

This cheese is soft, creamy, and has bits of acidic intensity beside any herb thats added.

This is an excellent holiday cheese and very easy to make at home. At home, just drain enough until you can form curd into a ball.

The Recipe:

1 gallon of whole milk
1/8 tsp mesophilic or buttermilk culture
3 to 4 drops rennet

cheese salt and herbs of choice

Warm the milk slowly to 90*F.
Stir in the culture. Let stand for 1 hour, but gently stir occasionally.
Add 3 to 4 drops of rennet and mix into the cultured milk.
Let stand for 12 hours.
Very slowly warm contents through to 100*F. Do not stir, but check temp.

Now, set up a colander and line with a thin muslin, cheese cloth, or linen dish cloth. Slowly pour contents into the cloth lined colander. Let drain for 12 hours. This process is not only removing extra whey, but building the acid profile of this cheese.

Now, form into 2 balls and place on a clean bread board. Let stand atleast 5 days at room temp and dry out.

Next, roll cheese ball lightly in a tsp of salt, then any optional herbs. Put back on the bread board for 24 hours.

Place cheese ball in a qt ziploc bag. Let sit in fridge for 7 or 8 days before serving.

I hope you will try this cheese. It is a cheese served by royalty.

Note: When I serve for a party, I cover the bottom of a small serving plate with homemade jam, then place cheese in the center. The contrast of the sweet, salty, and acidic profile makes a decadent treat for all to enjoy.

What is a quick cheese you can make if your cow or goat milk is near date?

Answer: Ricotta

Ricotta is a simple cheese made from heat and acid. Thats it. You can use store or farm fresh milk for this cheese.

Recipe:
1/2 to 1 gallon of fresh whole milk, goat or cow

1/4 C Wine vinegar(traditional, but can use any vinegar)
Note: I use red wine vinegar

1 to 1.5 tsp uniodized salt

Method:
1. Put milk in pan and whisk in the salt.

2. Warm milk in a stainless or enamel pan. Never use aluminum with milk. Lowest heat setting until you reach 185*F.
Note: If you reach 190*F or above your milk goes from sweet to bland.

3. Remove from heat source once 185*F is reached. Quickly, but gently, stir in the Wine Vinegar. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Milk will separate proteins from whey.

4. Put cheese cloth in a strainer. Put strainer over a small pot or large bowl. Pour contents slowly through the strainer and cheese cloth.

5. Let strainer contents stand for 30 minutes.

6. Refrigerate, freeze, or use the cheese.

Ideas:
1. Fresh ravioli filling
2. Put with your favorite pasta sauce
3. Crumble over a fresh salad
4. Put in mashed potatoes
5. Warm up and put on a toasted croutette or just toast
6. Make a pasta sauce using ricotta, spinach, garlic, olive oil, onion, and pine nuts sauteed together. and put over your favorite pasta
7. Stuff into center of Italian meatballs

The list goes on. Enjoy.

High Plains Cheese makes all kinds of cheeses both fresh and aged. Listed is our most popular.

1. Cheese Curds, $12/pound, takes 48 hours. This is a fresh cheese cut into small pieces and salted. They can be flavored and/or smoked for an additional cost per pound.

2. Farmhouse Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, and Traditional Cheddar, $16/pound, Ages 30 days, except Sharp Cheddar which is 60 days minimum. Farmhouse is a basic cheddar. Traditional is a more flavorful cheddar, slightly firmer texture. Sharp cheddar is a firmer texture aged for sharpness. Add $2/pound if aged over 65 days. Add flavoring and/or smoke for additional charge.

3. Homesteader Cheddar, $16/pound, Ages 14 to 21 days. This is a fast cheddar style cheese. Lower acid and mild. Add flavoring and/or smoke for additional charge.

4. Monterey Jack, $16/pound, Ages 30 to 45 days. Jack cheese is similar to cheddars but mild white, unless aged 60 days or over. Over 60 days aging is $2/pound extra.

5. Pepper Jack, $16/pound, 30 to 45 days. Monterey Jack cheese that is spiced with a blend of 5 dried peppers. Low, medium, and hot peppers. 2/3 low to medium heat, 1/3 hot heat.

6. Cattleman's Cheese, $18/pound ages 30 days, $20 up to 3 months upon request. This is a Derbyshire style cheese. White and moderate acid. Designed to accompany any red meat or sausage. Add flavoring and/or smoke for additional charge.

7. WY Brick Cheese, $17/pound, Ages 40 to 60 days. This is a yellow/orange brick cheese made by the original Wyoming settlers over 150 years ago. This cheese was originally colored by dandelions. It is a medium texture block cheese that has buttermilk in it. Flavor is moderately bold. A unique WY cheese.

8. Traditional Colby, $16/pound, Aged 30 to 60 days. The original washed curd Colby cheese made in WI more than a century ago. It is a yellowish/orange color.

9. Longhorn Colby, $16/pound, Aged 30 days. The factory modified cheddar using a curd wash made popular in the mid 1950's. This is a milder orange cheese. Very popular in America.

10. WY Farmer Cheese, $14/pound, aged 4 to 7 days. This cheese is a softer style white farmstead cheese. It's a softer cheese for slicing and crumbling. Add flavoring and/or smoke for additional charge.

11. Italian Farmer Cheese, $14/pound, Aged 3 weeks. A basic white Italian Cheese that can be sliced, shredded, or crumbled. More flavor than mozzarella on foods like pizza. Add flavoring and/or smoke for additional charge. Chive, onion and garlic are very popular flavors.

12. Gouda Cheese, $20/pound, Aged 4 months. A yellow Dutch cheese.

13. Swiss Alpine (Switzerland) or Gruyere Alpine (France) Cheese, $18/pound, Aged 1 to 2 months (ultra baby); $19/pound, Aged 61+ days to 3 months (baby); $20/pound aged 91 days to 180 days (Swiss); and $22/pound aged 181 days to 12 months. Authentic Traditional Swiss Cheese recipe. Bold flavor from the Shermanii and helveticus cultures that form the classic holes in the cheese. Firm texture. Natural dry rinded cheese. Gruyere is 90 day aged minimum for true French flavor.

14. Cheese Spreads; Cheddar, Austrian, or Buttermilk spreads $12/pound, Aged 2 to 7 days. Boursin French cheese spread $16/pound due to complexity to make. Basic cheese spreads can be flavored for an additional charge. Boursin is flavored and in the price. See Flavor listing.

15. Spanish Iberico or Manchego cheeses, $16/pound if aged 5 days to 3 weeks, Fresco. $18/pound aged 3 weeks to 60 days, Curado. $20/pound if aged 65+ days to 160 days, Viejo. Our Manchego is 100% goat milk. Manchego style can be made with cow milk. Iberico is half cow and half goat milks. We have not found a sheep milk source in WY.

16. French Wine Cheese, $22/pound, aged atleast 45 days. This cheese has a unique flavor of acidic, mildly nutty, and red wine. This cheese is distinctly French, but the wine is actually from Portugal. For custom orders, I can use your wine of choice if available. Another option for custom order is to split the curds, do half our curds per batch in a fruity white wine and half in a red wine such as cabernet as a combined wine curd cheese block, distinctly French in taste.

17. French Chamomile or Tarragon Cheese, $22/pound, aged atleast 45 days. This is a white cheese covered and aged in herbs. The flavor is that of a Modified Cheddar and Italian Farmer cheese combined but takes on the aroma and flavor of the herbs in its finished profile.

18. French Sasson' Cheese, $22/pound, aged atleast 60 days. This is a yellowish orange cheese. The flavor is that of a Cheddar and Swiss combined. It has the "rings" of Swiss cheese but a unique texture and color. An ancient mixed milk cheese recipe reborn.

Please ask about other cheeses not listed, we make many varieties. Prices Vary from $12 to $30 per pound dependent on aging times and ingredients. We use both cow and goat milks or combined cow/goat milks for any cheeses except WY Brick and Mozzarella which is just cow milk.

For added cheese flavors to your cheese variety we offer: Dill, Garlic, Onion, Chive, Spicy Pepper, Smoked Paprika, and Horseradish. Add $1/pound to pricing.

For true Smoke added to your cheese variety, we offer: Apple, Cherry, Mesquite, Alder, Pecan and Hickory. Add $1/pound to pricing.

WHEN ORDERING: Please Specify cheese type, pounds desired, flavoring if any or smoke if any. Plain is a flavor as well.

Note: all ordered cheese weights are approximate due to varying seasonal milk densities. If you specifically need a certain amount, please order extra.
All pricing is by the pound so you will only pay for what is produced in your order. We measure 1 gallon of milk to 1 lb ratio during production. However this can vary by season. Example: 2 gallons makes 1.94lbs instead of 2lbs.

Cheese Shipping: I ship 3 day USPS priority to any address in Wyoming outside Cheyenne area or too far for pick up. Current postal rates apply, it is $8.80 minimum to ship USPS per their rates.

As I consider the many benefits of custom made cheese, made the old ways with time and attention to detail, the biggest benefit is a chemical free cheese that does not use short cuts. You may wait 30, 60, 90 days or longer for your custom cheese to age, but that beautiful probiotic profile takes time to develop. Well worth the wait.

Welcome to High Plains Cheese. We custom make fresh cheese our customers enjoy. If you are looking for a goat cheese variety but farmers market shopping has let you down, give us a try. We will make it for you. You will receive a custom invoice when you order. We require a 50% deposit to make your cheese. We have made many cheese blocks since 2017. Enjoy the world of custom cheese making tailored for YOU!