Cream Cheese Success

I am going to proclaim my cream cheese a success... up until the very end.  I warmed up a half-gallon of cream with a little milk, added some mesophilic starter and a few drops of rennet.  I put a lid on the pan, wrapped it in a towel and put it in the oven (turned off) overnight to stay warm.  The next morning I cut the curd into about one inch cubes and then poured nearly boiling water into it until it reached 125F.  I poured it through a colander lined with butter muslin and hung it to dry all day.  It is thick and smooth, almost three cups.  Then I added a teaspoon of salt and things bombed.  It's too salty!  I should have added only half a teaspoon.  Not to be deterred, I started another batch and will add it in to this one, diluting the salt.  By the time I'm done we'll have about five cups of cream cheese.  I guess we'll have to make a cheese cake to use it all up. ☺

My daughter's row of turnips has done fine under the snow.  She is digging up a few each day for the cows (but, it obviously takes too much energy to put gloves on so she just pulls her sleeves down).  We cut them up and give them to the cows after evening milking.  Christina goes straight for the greens and eats the rest later.  Next year we'll have to grow kale for her; I've read that it's really good for cows and will survive the winter easily.

This life has given me new favorite things.  Right now it is my silk long underwear.  They are so thin that it's no problem to wear them under jeans but they keep me warm.  I mean really warm, the kind of warm you don't even notice, but at the end of the day you're just happier.  I'm accustomed to winter being a time of jostling between chilled to the bone and cooking, and a resulting daily cranky.  This winter has been so different and it's all because of my silk long johns!