My wife and I are located in Fulshear, TX, which is a suburb, west of greater Houston.
I retired at the end of June, 2019 from one of the largest US oil & gas companies in the Houston area where I was involved with Marine Risk Assessment and Process Advisory.
Soon after I retired, we traveled for 3 weeks to the Arctic and the Norwegian fjords and later that year spent a week at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Sadly, everything related to travel came to a halt thereafter, thanks to the pandemic!
How I got started making cheese:
I started on this cheese making journey in mid-December, 2020. As a convenience and for better management, I restrict the batches to 2 gals of whole milk each time.
At first, I was always under the impression that cheese was typically made with milk procured directly from a farm! But, from reading, I realized I could gamble with store-bought organic whole milk. So that’s what I get. We live in an area that has a lot of farms in the vicinity but I’m not sure they would bother selling me 2 gals of fresh milk.
My first attempt was Gouda. Happy to say, we did a tasting after nearly 3 months when we caught up with friends 2 weeks ago. Everyone really liked it, thankfully!
Then, I felt ambitious enough to try making some cheddar, also waxed. This came out really good (so good that I was encouraged to give one ball to my neighbor, as a goodwill gesture!).
Next, I made some Manchego, followed by Asiago, both of which are vacuum sealed.
This last weekend, I completed the brining for my attempt at Gruyere. As of this morning, those wheels are drying in my wine cooler, as are the rest.
A brief exchange with an old work colleague who is a professional cheese maker, kind of started me on this journey. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive at first. I gained some confidence from watching quite a few YouTube videos.
My improvised press:
My cave:
Since my end product is kind of small, my 36 bottle wine cooler appears to work! Hopefully wine and cheese go together!😀
Advice for beginner cheese makers:
My recommendation for folks interested in cheese making, would be to watch some YouTube videos like cheese nerds. (I find those videos very interesting and easy to follow.)
Find a good cheese making supply company like New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. to source one’s material.
Keep equipment like your stainless-steel pots clean, including improvised gear like the press. I suggest you start with a small batch of milk, so you don’t hog the kitchen and small batches are manageable. Finally, follow a recipe. You cannot wing it!
My Goals:
As for my cheese making goals, it’s certainly only a hobby on a rather small scale. Just having fun! For the near term, I have to try making some with farm fresh milk. We see a lot of farm land in the area, but not sure any of them sell fresh milk. Hence, I make do with store bought pasteurized whole milk.
My other hobbies:
Some of my hobbies include gardening; predominantly seasonal vegetables, citrus fruit and roses.
Also, honing my culinary skills including baking bread and seasonal baking (traditional Christmas baking).
In 2019, since we had quite a few grapes in the backyard, I decided to make white wine and that turned out pretty good! Again, the internet is a great tool! I also enjoy assembling Lego brick models (I have enjoyed doing this for years, ever since my son was growing up). These are some recent models of a Harley ‘Fat Boy,’ a replica of a large container ship and a Fiat500.
I also volunteer with a well-known foodbank in our county. I assist them by doing remote data entry work, which is a no brainer, but very rewarding given these challenging times in our country. I help get client recipients’ details into the foodbank’s database. I volunteer about 18-20 hours a month and have the advantage of my ex-employer providing volunteer grant dollars to the registered foodbank in exchange for the hours worked. My humble way of helping out!😊
Lastly our little dog is the center of our lives since we got him a little over 3 years ago, as a puppy.
He just insists on sitting beside me whenever I am at the computer.
As I like to say, all this is my new found freedom, aka ‘retirement!’ 😊
Carie Rosal says
Hello Vincent- There is no harm going to the farms and asking if they will sell you few gallons of raw milk. That is how I found out some of the farms here in my area will sell their raw milk which is even cheaper than store-bought milk!
😊 I most certainly will, one of these days!
Vincent
Thank you for sharing what looks like an awesome way to spend your free time despite Covid. I have been interested in cheese making for a long time. A few years back I took a Cheese Making Workshop 101 with the New England Cheese Making Supply Co. Your cheese making is very inspiring and for anyone who has an interest but feels a bit intimidated, I recommend taking a class like the one I took, you will get additional tips, history and appreciate the love many people have for this food making process. I will say YouTube/Vimeo are also good places to get instruction, but make sure you do your research and understand the process before delving in. Be prepared and start small. Thanks again Vincent for sharing and all the best with your golden age adventures.
Thank you for your comments. Yes i most certainly would like to take a formal class once the COVID scourge eases off.
Vincent
Hi – very interesting story Vincent! It looks like you’ve done a great job and had some real success with your cheese making!
It rains a lot here in the UK too (but everyone knows that).
Hi Vincent
Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the read as I have just got into cheese making myself.
Clayton
Clayton,
Nothing like the thrill of making cheese, specially once you’re tasted the end product.😀
Vincent
Hello Vincent,
I have a similar background. Living in Houston TX. Chemical Engineer, retired after 40 years with Bayer in Manufacturing plant in Baytown, TX. Started my efforts at
cheese making late Feb 2021 after attending a cheesemaking session at a Bed & Breakfast in Gainesville TX.
I also am starting with small 2 gallon batches of milk (Milking from Whole Foods). Have not tried any of
my hard cheeses yet, as they are still aging. Brie turned out pretty good.
I did find a couple of sources for Raw Cows Milk in our area: Healthy Way Dairy, Santa Fe TX 409-739-2389. And Victoria Natural Market and Farms, Tomball / Cypress (you have to order from the farm and they deliver to the Market for pick up). Have not tried Raw Milk yet; I want to learn the techniques with the store bought milk first.
Also, enjoy gardening (roses) and dogs.
Your write up was very inspirational; and encourages me to keep trying.
Hi Bhaswati,
Thanks for the encouragement. Can’t see myself venturing beyond 2 gals batches, it seems easier to manage.
Just made some cheddar this past weekend (now airing , before i wax it) with whole milk procured from Sprouts. This is the first time I’ve used this brand (kaluma) and it certainly looked different from the normal whole milk I’ve bought from the regular supermarkets, since embarking on this cheese making journey. I am hoping it comes out good 🤞.
Thanks for the raw milk leads.
Vincent
Vincent
Correction – the whole milk i used last weekend was ‘Kalona’ . Sorry I botched up the name previously.
Vincent
Vincent, it is a pleasure to hear about what you are doing in your retirement. Your photos are beautiful; they remind me of my father’s travels around the world way back, when things were environmentally different. I got a chuckle out of your two gallon limit; I bet you won’t stay there for long. I have found farmers quite friendly regarding milk. Texas is a state where farmers who have the proper selling permit can sell raw milk directly from their farm. Welcome into our worldwide cheese making family and thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to share your story with our readers. Good luck in the future, stay in touch and keep up the amazing adventure.
Stay safe and stay creative,
In Peace, Ricki
Hi Ricki,
Thank you for the encouragement and kind words.
Have a pleasant day!
Vincent
Vincent,
After 32 years, I too retired from a major oil & gas company and am located near Fulshear. Instead of making cheese upon retirement I started raising registered dairy goats.
Maybe we could make a joint effort of making cheese from raw goat milk. I’m so busy milking goats I seldom have time to make anything other than ricotta.
I make cheese from raw goat milk that I get from a farmer in Hempstead, and would be interested in joining forces, and exchanging recipes. I live in Katy and my email is marykarish46@yahoo.com
Welcome to the cheesemaker community!
Following your journey, I could swear were were siblings in a previous life. I have very similar hobbies and life style. I even live in Katy. I would love to get to meet fellow cheese makers. I almost thought, I am the only home cheese maker and bread maker around. The people I know. have no interest in homesteading. Like you, I have a citrus and a fruit garden. This year, is my first year at beekeeping as well.
For raw milk that comes from Jersey cows that are fed grass, I get mine from a farm, called Krenek Stryk located in Schulenberg, about an hour drive from Katy. If you are interested to exchange cheese making experiences and any other homesteading stuff, my email address is marykarish46@yahoo.com
Absolutely agree Stryk Jersey Farm, just off I-10, is THE PLACE to go for raw milk and for a beautiful taste of farm life.
http://texascheese.com/
😊 thanks!
Vincent
Howdy!!!
Congratulations on you cheesemaking!!! It’s very impressive the results you got right on your first batches!!!! Keep going!!!
I’m from Texas too and also attempting on eventual cheese making… I found a dairy in Conroe that sell raw milk (https://calicofreshmarket.com/)
since you mentioned you live in Houston area maybe you could give a try on raw milk sometime!
I hope you keep enjoying you retirement with all those great hobbies!!!
Best, Mayra
Hi Mayra,
I’ve heard of calico farms in conroe which I reckon is roughly 70+ miles from us. Feel I’ve been there several years when visiting a friend who is a cheese maker. Maybe some day, I might just decide to drive that distance 😊.
Thanks for your comments nevertheless.
Vincent
Thank you Charles for you kind comments.
Vincent
In retirement we often come to the conclusion of how did er ever find the time to go to work. Looking at your rainwater collection I think you have a fair amount of handyman abilities. That means you can make your own Dutch stile cheese press just as I did. https://blog.cheesemaking.com/weights-for-the-dutch-style-press/. I actually prefer the Dutch stile because the pressing force is constant over time, unlike the spring stile press which has to be re-adjusted as the cheese shrinks. As I use a jug of water as the weight, I can fine tune the pressing by just how much water I put in the jug. As to your other ventures, how did you find time to go to work?
Don’t be so hesitant to ask a local farmer to sell you a small amount of milk. I think you could strike up a conversation with one of them telling how you intend to use the milk. You may even barter a deal swapping milk for cheese. There aren’t any dairies near me so I must rely on store bought milk. There is a brand of milk from a large dairy just 70 miles away. Their milk usually has the most far out expiration date so it is fresher. I ask the grocer when the next delivery is expected & time my visit to the grocery accordingly.
Happy cheesemaking!
Hi Bob,
Thank you! That is one cool press! Frankly, i am a ‘handyman’ to a point! I know my limitations!😀
Thanks again!
Vincent
Great Job Vincent. Good to see you enjoying your retirement!!
Thanks Rakesh!
Way to go Vincent!
Hi Emil,
Thanks. BTW i am in touch Paul Martella, the guy who got me interested in Cheesemaking.
Take care,
Vincent
Vincent, very nice trip to the Arctic! My wife and I had a very memorable trip to the Arctic high up in the Alaskan Arctic Circle a few years back.
Your cheese experience looks quite thriving as you have turned out some very nice cheeses. Well done!
And I applaud your efforts to contribute to the local food bank. Well done, sir!