When Life Hands You Milk, Make Cheese

By Linda Meyers

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: May 26, 2012

Homemade Cheese

Once a week we will be featuring a fun and/or educational activity you can try at home or in the classroom.

Are you sitting around today thinking to yourself how tasty a chunk of cheese would be?

I was, so I found the perfect activity! If you have milk, lime juice or vinegar, salt, and seasoing, you can make your own homemade cheese.

I first came across this activity at the Learning Center at Heifer Ranch, where we watched the educators make the cheese and then were able to sample the finished product. Since that day, I've wanted to try it for myself. Plus, milk is a great source of protein and calcium. It helps us grow and stay healthy. Cheese, just like yogurt and butter, is made from milk. Here’s how you can make cheese at home:

What you need:

  • ½ gallon of whole milk
  • Medium-size pot
  • 1/8 cup of white vinegar or lemon juice
  • Spaghetti strainer
  • Seasoning (garlic powder, dill or oregano)
  • Salt

Pour the milk into the pot and heat it slowly, while continuously stirring until the milk boils. Turn off the heat, add vinegar or lemon juice, and continue stirring for five minutes. You will notic notice the milk separating into solids and liquid. Pour the mixture into a strainer over the sink, and once most of the liquid has drained out, salt and season the cheese to taste. It will look like cottage cheese. This delicious crumble cheese can be eaten loose over crackers.

You can find this recipe in PDF form to print out on the classroom resources section of Heifer's website. If you have a cheesecloth, you may want to try this recipe found on the Homesick Texan blog.

Visit www.heifer.org/schools for more great lesson plans, experiments, and games. You can also read about Heifer projects that include dairy on our blog.