Houston We Have Lift Off!

Well, I am shocked that in my crazy household the cheese pot was left nearly untouched.  After leaving it for 24 hours I opened it up and wonder of wonders the curds had separated from the whey!

"The primary indication for proper curd development is the observation of clear whey beginning to rise. 

The first indication will be small droplets of whey forming on the surface, next you will see small puddles forming as the whey rises, and finally you will see a thin layer of whey over the entire curd mass. You may even note the curd pulling away from the vat edges or forming cracks. It is now ready to cut. Note the photos above.
If your curd does not seem to be set within this time frame, you should let it continue to sit quietly. This may take as much as 36-48 hours for some milks and during some seasons.

Smell & Taste the milk again and note the pronounced acid character. Using your senses here will aid in becoming a better cheese maker." http://www.cheesemaking.com/LacticChz.html

The website suggested to sample the curds and note the new acidity.  I did, with a bit of trepidation, but they were good.  Definitely not sweet anymore, slightly acidic, and very mild like cottage cheese.

"If using a very fresh farm milk or a milk that we know forms a good curd (pasteurized at normal time/temperature and below 172F) we can simply ladle the curds directly to the forms for draining."

The curd looks somewhat unremarkable.  Kind of like extra thick greek yogurt.

I used this fancy, custom made mold for my curds.

"The curd now needs to drain and consolidate in the forms for another 24 hours before turning and salting."

More to come!