At God's Country Creamery, our quality cheeses start with the best forages and a balanced nutrition plan for our cows.  The forages are specially selected to ensure the finest taste in our cheeses. 

To ensure our milk is the freshest possible, our cheese making begins at 7am with morning milking.  The cows enter the milking parlor, are milked, and then their milk is pumped directly into the vat in the cheese house.  Our milk is certified Grade A milk and passes all quality tests with flying colors, making it as wholesome as possible.

Next the milk is heated to 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on the cheese) by the vat's hot water jacket.  The triple wall stainless steel Dutch cheese vat uses the highest quality insulation to conserve energy. 

Once the optimal temperature for culture growth is reached, we add the natural milk cultures.  These cultures dissolve and are stirred into the milk.  Next we add the natural enzyme to coagulate the milk (makes it solid).  Some cheeses require the culture to ripen for a little while first (the milk sits and rests awhile) before the enzyme is added.

After about 45-60 minutes, we check for a 'clean break'.  This is a cheesemaking term that means the cheese is ready to make perfect curds.  At this point we should be able to insert a knife into the cheese and remove it cleanly.

Once we've achieved a clean break, it's time to cut the curds.  We attach large curd knives to the vat and the cutting begins.  When cutting is finished the curds should be between 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch depending on the cheese variety (Swiss varieties require the curds to be even smaller -- rice size actually).  Next the curds are stirred and cooked at temperatures not exceeding 105 degrees (Swiss varieties require a higher cooking temperature however). 

Now its time to separate the curds from the whey.  The whey is a valuable by-product of the cheesemaking process that contains wonderfully nutrious proteins, so we've chosen to feed the whey to the milking cows.  They love it!  We run the warm whey right out to the cows for their enjoyment.

After most of the whey is drained, the hooping stage starts.  At this point, the curds are scooped into the cheese moulds to form the cheese wheels. 

The full moulds are then stacked in the press to expel additional whey.  Just a little bit of pressure is applied at the press; too much pressure will cause the cheese to stick in the moulds.

Next the wheels are moved into the cooler and enjoy a nice soak in the salt brine tanks.  The brine is made with our own spring water and all-natural salt.  This soak produces a hard rind on the outside of the wheels and helps to expel any lingering whey.

After their soak, the cheeses air dry in the on drying racks in the cheese house.  While there they also receive a soft wax coating.

Finally, the cheese is ready to relax in the cooler and simply age.  We have three different aging rooms to accommodate the different aging times and temperatures each cheese requires.  All of our cheeses age at least sixty days though some take a little longer to fully ripen.  At God's Country Creamery our little saying is, "Age is of no importance unless you are cheese".

If you have further questions, please contact us for more information.