This is all so interesting. For 25years I used only calf Rennet for cheese from goat milk. Ten or so years ago I started using a kid based Rennet from Walcoren a Canadian company. And I just purchased their lamb Rennet.
I am interested in learning more about harvesting Rennet from our herd. We have a 2 month old kid who is still getting about a gallon of milk a day from his mom. It sounds like he might be a little old but I think I will try it and see. So I am curiously following you in your travels and discoveries. And I am loving every entry.
Your adventure is timely as the world of cheese is evolving and the discussion on milk, how it is held, cooled or not, heated, raw, unpasteurized, heat treated, pasteurized and now a dive into the world of coagulents.
The abomasum from a 2 month old lamb should still be able to produce a rennet that will coagulate milk, but it wouldn’t be as effective. The pepsin would likely cause certain “off flavors” if you age it. But I think heating to high temps (50c) inactives pepsin. This is all conjecture, I need to gather more info. There are places where they harvest animals that old for rennet.
What is their ideal pH & what is their process to change it?
They take it down to 4.6, I assume by simply adding an acid. Apparently that is necessary, which I had never heard before.
Great shout out to you on 'Cutting the Curd' podcast, pretty cool!
I need to give it a listen! Thanks for the heads up.
This is all so interesting. For 25years I used only calf Rennet for cheese from goat milk. Ten or so years ago I started using a kid based Rennet from Walcoren a Canadian company. And I just purchased their lamb Rennet.
I am interested in learning more about harvesting Rennet from our herd. We have a 2 month old kid who is still getting about a gallon of milk a day from his mom. It sounds like he might be a little old but I think I will try it and see. So I am curiously following you in your travels and discoveries. And I am loving every entry.
Your adventure is timely as the world of cheese is evolving and the discussion on milk, how it is held, cooled or not, heated, raw, unpasteurized, heat treated, pasteurized and now a dive into the world of coagulents.
Thank you!
Bravo!
The abomasum from a 2 month old lamb should still be able to produce a rennet that will coagulate milk, but it wouldn’t be as effective. The pepsin would likely cause certain “off flavors” if you age it. But I think heating to high temps (50c) inactives pepsin. This is all conjecture, I need to gather more info. There are places where they harvest animals that old for rennet.
Thanks Trevor - another insightful post!