What Is Farmer’s Cheese?

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.