When I was in school, there were FFA kids. FFA was the Future Farmers of America. They were high school kids who would enter competitions to see who had the best cows and chickens and stuff. If I had known back then that these farmers had their own special cheese, I would have hung out with them. So, what is farmer’s cheese? What does farmer’s cheese taste like? How do you make farmer’s cheese? Let’s get to the bottom of these questions and find out if all farmers have cheese!
What is farmer’s cheese?
Okay, all farmers aren’t secretly hoarding a vast amount of cheese that only they and fellow farmers are allowed to enjoy. So what is farmers cheese, exactly? Farmer’s cheese is a soft, unripened cheese that was traditionally made in the farms of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was a quick and easy way for farmers to use up any leftover milk on the farm after they had taken the cream. Farmer’s cheese is an unripened cheese, meaning it’s fresh. A lot of cheeses are aged, which removes the moisture. Unripened cheese is eaten fresh so it contains a lot more moisture. Some other unripened cheeses are cottage cheese, cream cheese, and ricotta.
How do you make farmer’s cheese?
To make farmer’s cheese, start boiling some milk. Whole milk works best. Don’t use one percent. As the milk boils, add an acid like white vinegar or lemon juice, and stir. As you stir, the milk will start to coagulate and curdle and the liquid will turn yellowish. You can use rennet if you want, but it’s not required to make this particular cheese. Put those curds into a cheesecloth or sieve and squeeze the heck out of them. After that, if you still want to remove even more moisture, you can leave your cheese out with a heavy pot or pan pressed on it overnight, then refrigerate it in the morning. You now have some creamy farmer’s cheese to eat or spread on whatever you want.
What does farmer’s cheese taste like?
Farmer’s cheese tastes mild and creamy with a loose consistency. It’s sort of like a combination of cottage cheese and ricotta
Does farmer’s cheese melt?
Farmer’s cheese does not exactly melt, but it will get a little gooey. It’s like that ricotta you see in a baked lasagna: It’s hot and gooey but it still retains some of its crumbly texture.
What to do with farmer’s cheese?
Farmer’s cheese is great to eat as is, or used as a spread or as a filling. Throw it on a salad. Pour some honey and fruit over your farmer’s cheese and eat it for breakfast. In Eastern Europe, farmer’s cheese was traditionally used as a filling in rolls, crepes, and dumplings. Farmer’s cheese is often found in pierogies and blintzes. Substitute your farmer’s cheese in for ricotta in lasagna.
I keep farmer’s cheese in my pockets in case I get hungry while I’m on the go! That’s how I got my nickname: Farmer’s Cheese Pocket Guy Who’s Not Allowed On The Bus.
FAQs
Farmer's cheese is a soft, unripened cheese that was traditionally made in the farms of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was a quick and easy way for farmers to use up any leftover milk on the farm after they had taken the cream. Farmer's cheese is an unripened cheese, meaning it's fresh.
What is considered farmer's cheese? ›
What is farmer's cheese? Farmer's cheese, a fresh cheese variety, is a pressed cottage cheese that is slightly more acidic and has a firmer texture, thanks to a lower moisture content. Farmer's cheese can be made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats and can be rolled in different herbs or seasonings for extra flavor.
What is a substitute for farmer's cheese? ›
What's a good substitute for farmer's cheese? We've already mentioned that cottage cheese is a good alternative, but Indian paneer and ricotta work too. That said, certain Slavic recipes (like pierogis, blintzes, and vareniki) are simply not as authentic without it.
What is a substitute for farmers cheese in pierogies? ›
Farmer's Cheese: You can substitute an equal amount of ricotta cheese for the farmer's cheese in the filling. Make the Dough by Hand: Whisk the flour and salt, then use a rubber spatula to incorporate the egg, yolk, oil, and water until a shaggy dough forms, then knead briefly to bring it together into a soft dough.
What is farmers cheese compared to? ›
The Farmers is a mild, young cheese, similar in quality to a Monterey Jack. Many times the Farmers cheese actually squeaks, as do the curds, because it is a very young cheese.
Is queso fresco the same as farmer's cheese? ›
Queso fresco was born as a humble farmers cheese—no complex cheese aging techniques here, just simple and delicious fresh cheese. Queso fresco quickly gained popularity in Mexico and abroad, and today it's one of the most popular cheeses used in a variety of Mexican dishes.
What's the difference between ricotta and farmer's cheese? ›
Cottage cheese and Farmer's cheese are casein cheeses produced from using an acid like vinegar, while ricotta is a whey cheese made from the leftover sweet whey after making rennet based cheeses.
Is farmer cheese the same as cream cheese? ›
A luscious, fluffy, and supremely fresh-tasting, our Farm Cheese is very similar to our award-winning cream cheese, without the added cream. A favorite ingredient at Zingerman's Bakehouse, the lower fat content of this cow's milk curd cheese allows it to mix well with more subtle flavorings.
What is Amish farmer cheese? ›
Farmers Cheese has a wonderful mild flavor, derived from rBST-Free* milk, that some describe as a cross between mozzarella and Colby cheeses.
Why is my farmers cheese rubbery? ›
Too much rennet was used or too much butterfat, left your cheese during the process. Rubbery cheese can happen when an excess amount of rennet is used, too much rennet equals a rubber ball, too little, soup!
American-style farmer cheese (also farmer's cheese or farmers' cheese) is pressed curds, an unripened cheese made by adding rennet and bacterial starter to coagulate and acidify milk.
How healthy is farmer cheese? ›
With vitamin B12, folate, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, there's no shortage of B vitamins to be found in farmer's cheese. This vitamin group is super important for growth, development, and efficient metabolism throughout the body.
Is farmers cheese the same as fromage blanc? ›
Farmer's Cheese is also known as fromage blanc, and it is a kind of fresh cheese usually made from fresh cow milk.
What is the difference between farmers cheese and hoop cheese? ›
Hoop cheese with a red or black wax coating has also been called ring cheese before too. Often, hoop cheese is compared to cheese called farmer's cheese. However, hoop cheese differs from farmer's cheese because no salt or cream is added to it.
Is farmers cheese healthier? ›
The health benefits of farmer's cheese. Beyond the probiotics some farmer's cheese varieties can contain, there are many nutrients found in this cheese that qualify it as a healthy choice. These include calcium, phosphorus, protein, and B vitamins.
What is amish farmer cheese? ›
Farmers Cheese has a wonderful mild flavor, derived from rBST-Free* milk, that some describe as a cross between mozzarella and Colby cheeses.
