The Amish make cheese from surplus milk. Cows give more than a family drinks — the rest becomes cheese.
Simple Farmer's Cheese
Heat 4 liters whole milk to 85°C. Add 60ml vinegar or lemon juice. Milk curdles in minutes. Strain through cheesecloth. Squeeze, salt, shape. Ready in 2 hours. Keeps one week.
Hard Cheese
Heat milk to 32°C, add mesophilic culture and rennet. After 45 minutes, cut curd into cubes. Slowly heat to 38°C, stirring. Drain through cloth, press 12–24 hours. Rub with salt, age 2–6 months in a cool place.
Rennet
Traditionally from a calf's stomach. Modern Amish also use vegetable rennet. It curdles milk — without it you only get cottage cheese.
Aging
Cheese ages in a cellar at 10–13°C. Flip daily the first week, then every few days. Longer aging = sharper flavor.