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Archives for June 2011

Farmhouse Cheddar with Peppercorns

June 26, 2011 @ 22:58 By Gavin Webber 4 Comments

After such an ordinary day at work on Friday, I decided that it would be a great idea to start the weekend off with a bang and make cheese.  I picked up 16 litres of milk on the way home from the train station, kissed Kim, ate dinner, then got stuck into my favourite hobby.  Cheese making!

Now to make things more interesting, and to save time and effort, I have decided to expand production by purchasing a new pot.  Usually, I make a kilogram of cheese from 7.6 litres (1 gallon) of milk, so I bought a 15.1 litre pot so that I could simply double the recipe and make two 1kg rounds in the same time I normally make one, and all in the same pot.

It is a beauty and I picked it up for $15!  The only problem is that whoever made this pot couldn’t count.  It only held 14.8 litres of milk and there was no way that I could have fitted in another 300ml.  Anyway, I figured that it would make enough curd to fit in two cheese moulds, which may have been a bit of a problem if I hadn’t have purchased an additional cheese press.

I purchased the press from from Green Living Australia and it arrived in 2 days.  Luckily I had planned ahead and ordered it earlier on in the week about the same time I bought the large pot.   The press also came with a 50lb spring, and a 1kg cheese mould and follower.  I was all set.  I sterilised everything in the pot except the plastic stuff, which I put on a 65C wash through the dishwasher, then sprayed with vinegar.

I set up all my ingredients.  This cheese is very simple to make.

Farmhouse Cheddar

recipe for 1kg
7.6 litres full cream milk
1 heaped smidgen (1/32 teaspoon) Mesophillic direct set starter culture
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet diluted in 60ml cool boiled water
1/2 teaspoon Calcium Chloride diluted in 60ml cool boiled water (if using homogenised milk)
1 tablespoon cheese salt (non-ionised salt)

Then I set up the sink area.  I sprayed the area with vinegar and wiped it all down with a clean dry cloth.

Here is the method:

Method

Heat the milk to 32C (90F).  Add the Calcium Chloride (if necessary).  Add the starter and stir well.  Cover and let milk ripen for 45 minutes.

Add the diluted rennet and stir gently for 1 minute.  Cover and let stand at 32C for 45 minutes or until you get a clean break.

Cut the curd into 1.25cm (1/2 inch) cubes.  Increase the temperature to 38C (100F) slowly, no more than 1 degree for every 5 minutes.  Stir to ensure that the curds do not mat.  This should take about 30 minutes and the curd will shrink a bit.

Cover the pot and let stand for 5 minutes.  Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander, drain for a few minutes then tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang the bag and allow to drain for 1 hour.  The curds need to stay warm so hang at room temperature.

Place the drained curds back in the pot and gently mill into walnut sized pieces.  Mix in the Salt, then pack into lined cheese moulds.

Fold over cheesecloth, top with follower and press at 5kg (10lb) for 10 minutes.  Remove the cheese from the mould, gently remove the cloth and turn, re-wrap, and press for 10kg (20lb) for 10 minutes.  Repeat and press for 25kg (50lb) for 12 hours.

Remove from the mould and air dry the cheese on mats at room temp on a wooden board.  This may take between 2-4 days depending on the season.  Turn the cheese often, at least 4 times a day so that moisture does not collect on the bottom.  When a thin yellow rind has formed, wax the cheese and age at 13C for at least 1 month.  The longer it is left the sharper the taste.

Peppercorns

I added pink and green peppercorns to my recipe.  To modify this recipe, add 1 tablespoon of peppercorns (green or pink but not dried black ones) to 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain and reserve the water and add the liquid to the milk just before the starter.   At the milling stage, add the peppercorns and mix gently but thoroughly before putting the curds into the mould for pressing.  Press as per the recipe.  I find this adds some zing to this cheese, even though it is wonderful without it.  You will find this has a sharp taste and crumbly texture, which improves with flavour as it ages.

The entire process took about four and a half hours from milk to the last pressing.  Pretty quick for a very tasty cheese.

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Filed Under: Cheese

Maximise Your Solar PV Investment

June 23, 2011 @ 21:48 By Gavin Webber 6 Comments

I wrote this piece yesterday for the Caroline Springs Community Update which is a monthly publication in our shire.  I write a regular column titled “Green Living Tips”, and thought it would be nice to share it here as well.  It does specify Victorian information, however the recommendations should apply to most owners who receive a Net Metering Feed-in Tariff.


 
I am the proud owner of my very own power station! I have had a solar power system installed since September 2007 and believe that I was an early adopter of this grid connect technology. I have sixteen Sharp 175 watt panels on my carport roof, and a Fronius IG30 inverter which feed in to the National grid. During that time I have generated 14,612 kilowatt hours (kWh), and avoided emitting 17.9 tonnes of CO₂-e. This equates to $3,067 in savings at the present electricity tariff of 21 cents per kWh. Nice stats and it has gone quite a way to paying for itself already.

As we live in Victoria, we are lucky to be paid the Premium Solar Feed-in Tariff of 66c per kWh for every kilowatt hour we export to the grid via a Co-generation Smart Meter. This is what is called a Net Metering scheme as you only get paid for the electricity that you export above and beyond the amount you consume in your home from the solar PV system first. The other type of scheme is a Gross Metering scheme where you get paid for all the electricity you generate. Unfortunately, this scheme is only available in the A.C.T., so we are stuck with Net Metering in Victoria until a national Feed-in Tariff is announced.

Most of our homes electricity usage is during the night after sunset, because I want every single watt of electricity that I generate to be fed back into the grid during the day, so that I get paid the premium rate. Common sense really. To maximise your return on investment you need to use the least amount of electricity during the day so that the excess is fed back into the grid. Here is a more detailed explanation:

My pool pump only runs at night, as does the washing machine, iron, and dishwasher which are all the heavy energy demanding appliances and pumps we own. We buy 100% Green Power to help with carbon neutrality, which only costs me 25c per kWh, and we try not to use the day time power generated by my Solar PV system which is worth 66c to me.

For instance, if it was a sunny day and I generated 10 kWh, and I used 10 kWh during daylight hours I would mostly be drawing that electricity straight from the solar PV system because my home would use it first. There is none spare to export. Therefore, I would be ripping myself off by 41c per kWh utilised in the home. If I did this every day it adds up to a loss of $4.10 a day or over a 90 day billing period it adds up to a whopping big $369. This is massive loss as you can see. If I had have exported all of that electricity into the grid over the billing period, I would have been paid a massive $594, and would be probably be in credit on my bill. The way I see it, by using most of our electricity during the night from the grid when I am not generating electricity and feeding as much as I can into the grid during the day, I am still carbon neutral (due to GreenPower) and am simply using the Solar PV system to my financial advantage! There is certainly no crime against that. Being green does pay in the long run.

Just because you may have bought your solar power system to reduce your environmental footprint, it doesn’t mean you can’t get the most out of your investment. I highly recommend that you try and restrict your consumption during the day, and think about utilising the heavy powered appliances at night to maximise your Solar PV investment.

While you are at it, have a think about how you use your electricity. If you practice energy efficiency measures around the home, you will save even more on your electricity bill. Turning that light off in that empty bedroom doesn’t sound too difficult once you get into the habit, and you will save a few bucks as well.

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Filed Under: Solar Power

Paid To Be Green?

June 22, 2011 @ 22:34 By Gavin Webber 10 Comments

Two big surprises in the last couple of days.

Yesterday, I had a call from a lady who is a member of the Newport Organic Collective and have been asked to run a cheese making workshop at the Spotswood Community House.  The date is yet to be confirmed but it is a paying gig at $30 an hour and all materials supplied, which will keep the chooks in feed for a month or so.  We will be making Mozzarella and Ricotta cheese during the workshop and I am really looking forward to it.  I better brush up on my Mozzarella skills!

Today, I took a call from Grass Roots magazine, and have been asked to write another story.  Apparently the feedback from readers to the publishers has been great, so I will be writing about what projects are currently going on and what I am planning to do over the next few months.  This is also a paying gig, and the going rate is about $80 per page.

I don’t really care much for the money or really need it for that matter, but it is nice to be offered some small compensation for my time and skills.

With several new projects on the go around the suburban farm, like a large arbor in the pool area for grapes (I called in professional help), a new bed and climbing frame for passion fruit, an extension to the chook house, and a clay cob oven in the pipeline over the next few months, I am very excited and thrilled that I have many action packed weekends ahead of me.

That should take the sting of going back to work tomorrow! Sustainable Living has never been so much fun.

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Filed Under: Sustainable Living

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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