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Kate Downham

gardener & author
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since Oct 14, 2018
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I'm a quiet goatherd establishing a permaculture homestead on old logging land at the edge of the wilderness.
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Recent posts by Kate Downham

Carla Burke wrote:Small spelling typo here: "Natural small batch Cheeseamaking is perfect..." and is it cheesemaking? Cheese-making? Or cheese making?

Otherwise, the only thing I notice doesn't seem to be a big surprise - the phrase cheesemaking is used a lot.



I picked up on that when putting it onto the cover file to test it, so all good : ) That would have been embarrassing!

I'll have another go over it to see if I can remove some of the "cheesemaking"s, might be possible, might not be.

Having seen some of the contents of the book, do you think the back cover text reflects that? Or could I express the exciting stuff in the book better in other words?
2 days ago
The back cover text is often the hardest thing to write in a book. There’s only a certain amount of words that fit on it, and those words need to be enticing enough to make people want to read the book.

I wrote some things up for a Permies wiki page for the book, this may end up being the back cover of the book, or it may not. Would the following description make you want to read the book? Or could I word it in a different way or emphasise different things about the book?


Anyone can make their own cheese…

Making your own home dairy products was an essential skill in the past, and a skill that continues to create resilience and reduce food costs in the face of supply disruptions and uncertainty.

Whether you’re in the middle of a city, or on a homestead, you can make delicious cheeses in your home kitchen. Natural small batch Cheeseamaking is perfect for homesteaders, farmers, and anyone that appreciates good cheese.

Topics covered include:
•Milk: Working with different types of milk and seasonal conditions, best practises for storing and handling milk.
•Rennet: Homemade rennets, sourcing the best possible rennet, how to dilute and test rennet.
•Homemade cheese cultures.
•Cheesemaking equipment: Getting started with gear you already have, making your own equipment, pressing cheese without a cheese press, and how to achieve great results at home.
•Cheesemaking in detail: All the steps of cheesemaking explained, both the “why” and the “how”. Learn to change recipes around to suit your lifestyle and tastes and make your own unique cheeses.
•Aging cheeses - how to age cheeses at home in many ways, on or off the grid.
•How to use leftover whey.
•Easy-to-follow recipes for over 25 styles of cheese, plus other dairy products including yoghurt, butter, and ice cream.
•Troubleshooting: What to do when things don’t go according to plan.



There will also be some short review quotes below this.

What are your thoughts?
4 days ago
So much good earlybird stuff! I'm looking forward to backing this.
6 days ago
Wow! Finished!

Very happy with how this went.

AU$ 27,787
pledged

1321%
funded

659
backers

0
seconds to go
6 days ago
Counting down the minutes now! Anyone else online to watch the fireworks when this ends in 26 minutes?
6 days ago


Summary

Anyone can make their own cheese…

Making your own home dairy products was an essential skill in the past, and a skill that continues to create resilience and reduce food costs in the face of supply disruptions and uncertainty.

Whether you’re in the middle of a city, or on a homestead, you can make delicious cheeses in your home kitchen.

Topics covered include:
•Milk: Working with different types of milk and seasonal conditions, best practises for storing and handling milk.
•Rennet: Homemade rennets, sourcing the best possible rennet, how to dilute and test rennet
•Homemade cheese cultures
•Cheesemaking equipment: Getting started with gear you already have, making your own equipment, pressing cheese without a cheese press, and how to achieve great results at home
•Cheesemaking in detail: All the steps of cheesemaking explained, both the “why” and the “how”. Learn to change recipes around to suit your lifestyle and tastes and make your own unique cheeses.
•Aging cheeses - how to age cheeses at home in many ways, on or off the grid.
•How to use leftover whey.
•Easy-to-follow recipes for over 25 styles of cheese, plus dairy products including yoghurt, butter, and ice cream.
•Troubleshooting: What to do when things don’t go according to plan.




”This is precisely the cheesemaking book I wish had existed when I started my cheesemaking journey years ago.  Most books just give you a quick list of steps, with no real instruction, and it always leaves you wondering, why?  Kate starts with the "whys" of cheesemaking, explaining each step and it's purpose right from the start, giving you a solid cheesemaking foundation before diving into recipes.  This is the absolute perfect cheesemaking book for beginners!” Ashley Adamant, Practical Self Reliance





Where to get it?
Pre-order the paperback here on Permies
Pre-order the hardcover here on Permies

Related Threads
Kickstarter planning
What would you like to see in a cheesemaking book?

Related Websites
Kickstarter campaign for Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking
Kate's blog - The Nourishing Hearthfire
Nourishing Permaculture Instagram
1 week ago
This thread is for hardcover pre-orders for “Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking” by Kate Downham.

Estimated delivery: Late January to early February, 2024. I will send these out after I have sent all the Kickstarter books out.



1 week ago
This thread is for paperback pre-orders for “Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking” by Kate Downham.

Estimated delivery: Late January to early February, 2024. I will send these out after I have sent all the Kickstarter books out.



1 week ago