HOW CHEESE IS MADE in five steps.

All milk goes through similar processes to become cheese.

1. Bring the milk up to temperature and add the starter culture.
2. Add vegetarian rennet to coagulate the milk.
3. Cut the curd, drain the whey, and salt the curd.
4. Mold or hoop the curd and press ( the size of the mold will determine the size and shape of the cheese ).
5. Age the cheese ( certain cheeses require certain temperatures and humidity to properly age ).

HISTORY

The history of cheesemaking dates back more than 4,000 years.

The first cheese factory was built in 1851 in Rome, NY by Jesse Williams.

In 1892 there were 126 cheese factories in Jefferson County, NY and a total of 1,155 cheese factories in all of New York State.

A cheese weighing 6,500 pounds made at West Martinsburg, NY was displayed at the 1913 New York State Fair.

In 1921 a cheese weighing 12 tons was also made at West Martinsburg, NY for the New York State Fair.

The New York State Cheese Manufacturers Association was formed in Lowville, NY in 1943.

1972 the first application in the United States of membrane technology for treatment of acid whey was in La Fargeville, NY.

The American Cheese Society was founded in1984 at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.