So, today as I was waiting for Kim to finish editing my outdoor clay oven manuscript, I started thinking about what else I was a subject matter expert on (expert status loosely applied of course).
It took me a few minutes until I came up with the idea of writing a cheese making ebook about Home Cheese Making. It struck me as bleeding obvious seeing that I also write a cheese making blog here at Little Green Cheese!
I know, I know. It has all been done before, and I do have own some wonderful cheese books produced by some great authors, however there is always one thing that seems to be missing after you read the recipe.
That missing part is the taste test! Authors rarely describe what the finished cheese tastes like, or provide tips on how to improve the cheese they have written about. These will be accompanied by links back to my YouTube cheese making tutorials which are very popular with beginners and seasoned home cheese makers alike. That is my angle that should make it stand out from the pack.
Of course it will have cheese making methods, all the recipes that I have modified over the years and written down, as well as some wonderful photographs, and explanation of cheese making hygiene. And of course a section on sourcing local milk.
With the book structure already formatted, and some of the pieces in place for a comprehensive manuscript, I thought about a title.
How does “Keep Calm and Make Cheese – The Beginners Guide to Cheese Making At Home” strike you as a title for this book?
I even took the time to produced a book cover which I am pleased with, and which my wife Kim thinks is great.
Anyway, this is what I have being doing all day, as well as keeping the garden and chickens alive, so it is definitely time for a break. It is 33°C here at 10:17pm, which is the tail end of a two-day heat wave with more to follow during the week. Hot, damn hot.
Time for a well-earned home-brewed Cerveza!
Update: I finished the eBook and it is now published!
Here is the link to “Keep Calm and Make Cheese” if you are interested in purchasing it.
I love the idea of an eBook! One topic I can't find much on, or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, is adjusting the size of a recipe. Mostly I find people saying DON'T DO IT. If this is part of your eBook or one of your blogs, I would forever be greatful!
BTW- in Southern California, we are having a cold spell…low 60's high 50's (F) this week! D'oh!
Dee
I reckon the main thing missing from all my cheese books is how to put the curd in the cheese mold, I never know if I'm supposed to wrap it in cheese cloth with the spacer in or out etc. Also how to store the cheese, how to check that its maturing ok and how long before you eat it. They all seem to give so much detail at the start of the process and then just leave you hanging at the end! I will be looking forward to this one!
Hi Liz. I agree. In the mean time look at my latest post on this blog. I just wrote a piece about aging and storage.
Gav x
Love the eBook name Gavin. Brilliant! I will definitely be investing in one. I've not made cheese yet but it's definitely something that i want to do. BTW, it's a beautiful 27 degrees up here in sunny North Queensland at the moment. Hope your surviving the heat ok.
Cheers TH. I highly recommend cheese making as a hobby. It can be quite exciting, even though you have to wait a while for the end result to age.
Gav x
Keep calm Gavin and go for it.
Your blog and YouTube tutorials inspired me. Here in Sweden there is very little – zero? – activity as far as non-commercial cheese/yoghurt making goes. Had to get supplies from Denmark.
Best cheesy wishes for 2013.
Ramona
Uppsala/Sweden
Thanks Ramona. I would love a little bit of cool weather right now! It is 34.4C at 5pm today.
Gav x
Check http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-make-cheese/
Hi Anon. Thanks, glad it is not trademarked, and that it is not a book title, and that it looks nothing like mine.
cheers