Milkslinger Workshop

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I taught a cheesemaking class for our local Folk School, a non formal “school” which offers classes on all manner of practical subjects. The school is just starting up in our area, and our Introduction to Cheesemaking class was the first one on the docket.

We’ve taught a few classes before so we had a general idea of what we were doing, but still, having a bunch of strangers over to learn about cheese is always a little nerve racking. Would they find it interesting? Would the workshop feel too elementary? Would I be able to teach them anything new? 

Based on my little forays into cheese education, I find that there are two kinds of participants: 1) those who want to learn more about cheese in order to deepen their appreciation, and 2) those who are studying up because they intend to make their own cheese. Both types of participants are tons of fun. The trick is to address the needs of both in a simple, two-hour workshop.

With this most recent class, I went a little more in-depth. I gave a mini lecture that involved an actual white board. Instead of simply demonstrating how the cheese is made, my husband and I set up “stations” for participants to make the cheese themselves. And we sent people home with goodie bags that contained supplies so they could make the cheese themselves, as well as sample packs of Milkslinger cheeses.

The class was invigorating. All by myself in my kitchen, day in and day out, I’m just puttering along, puzzling over my mistakes, researching, experimenting. Most days, I don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. But then a bunch of strangers washes up on my porch, curious about cheese, and suddenly I’m a veritable fount of information. I find it’s almost a struggle to explain cheese in terms that they’ll understand, or to find the words to explain the gut understandings that I’ve acquired over the last four years.

I would love to teach more classes, both through the Folk School and independently. Almost everyone eats cheese but not many people understand how it’s made, and an even fewer number of people actually make it. I think there’s a hunger out there. People want to understand their food, and to many of them, cheese is a mystery.

I’m still trying to figure out the best way to offer more classes, but in the meantime, we’ll be hosting another workshop through the Folk School. Next up, cultured butter! (If you’re local, signups are open now.)

*photo credit for some of the photos go to class participant Kurt S.