Let there be light

A couple of hours' work this morning dealt with the trees that were cutting out the light to the bean wigwams. 

And what a difference it makes. Not only are the bean plants going to benefit, but the whole area looks so neat compared to yesterday. And it has the added benefit that now I can see the floating marker in the water tank from the far end of the property for the first time in months. It is always  a good idea to keep an eye on water levels.

Yesterday's pick of the final goosegogs has gone into a crumble, along with a few raspberries to fill gaps. I love crumbles. 

This weekend's cheese is a Swaledale, using another old recipe. Patrick Rance's The Great British Cheese Book is a treasure trove of traditional farmhouse cheesemaking methods, occasional recipes and advice about different approaches to the craft. I found the Swaledale recipe deep in its pages. 

As I travel further on my cheesemaking adventure I am more and more interested in creating simple, traditional cheeses with as few modern additions as possible. Thus this recipe which relies solely upon the bacteria in raw milk to flavour the final product, appeals to me. The Orkney-Yenkro cheese which I am still experimenting with similarly uses no added commercial cultures. It is only possible for me to play with traditional recipes like this because I have access to raw milk, which is a rarity for most people. 

In the same vein I am increasingly attracted to making cheeses which mature outside the cheese cave fridge, and/or which require no wax or plastic (vac-packed) protection. The next step I shall take along this particular path is to wrap cheese in cheesecloth coated with lard. However ideally I need a cheese cave with ventilation, which the fridge doesn't have. 

So for my next big project I may make a cheese cave using an old concrete water tank. It would be perfect, once two or three holes have been cut into the sides - for access and for ventilation. Step 1: find a disused concrete water tank, and work out how to transport it to Chez M&B.