Making Marinated Feta Cheese

Wednesday I made a batch of goat's milk feta cheese. It's about the easiest cheese to make.  You just take a gallon of fresh milk, heat to 86 degrees, add 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Let sit an hour. Then add 1/2 teaspoon of rennet to a 1/4 cup of cool water. Add to milk, cover and let sit another hour. Then cut the huge pot of curds that have formed. I use a long serrated knife and cut down the middle and then the other way, then sideways. You want about 1" cubes. Let it rest 5 minutes. Then get the milk back to 86 degrees and stir gently for 15 minutes. That's the hardest part for me. I usually go sit down to do this. It's very boring. Then you line a colander with cheesecloth and pour curds and whey in. That's what the first picture is.

Then you hang the cheese for 4-6 hours. After it's hung and drained real good, toy take it out of the cheesecloth and cut the ball in half. Put in a bowl. Then I use kosher salt to sprinkle all over the cheese. Cover it with a thin cloth and let sit on counter for 24 hours at room temp. After 24 hours, sprinkle with more salt and let sit another 2 hours. Then refrigerate for 5 days. After that you can eat it like this or do the next step.

Go out to your herb garden and cut some fresh herbs. I love rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano. So I cut some of those. How do you like my cattle feeder herb garden? It's so pretty and so easy to get to.

 Wash them good and lay on a paper towel. Put another one over the herbs and kind of crush them to let out all the goodness.

 Then get your little jars, olive oil and cheese ready.

I cut my cheese into nice little cubes. Then put a layer in each jar, then a layer of herbs and a head of crushed garlic. Add another layer and more herbs.

 When done, add olive oil to cover cheese. There, all done! As long as cheese is covered in oil, it can sit out on the counter as long as you have some. It really doesn't last very long.

 I have some cute little labels someone gave me so I write down what is in that particular cheese jar and add that. And the date. And there ya go. Marinated feta cheese with fresh herbs in olive oil.

Now y'all go make some for yourselves while I have an omelet with feta cheese and yummy roasted garlic bruschetta poured all over it!