Every time I start making cheese, going long way to get the raw milk, then set, renneting, painful cut, cooking, watching pH and temp, draining , then the long process of pressing; I talk to myself “I should take a break for a while”

as I feel how hard it is standing there for hours, and taking care of the new born wheel, and the flipping process after u finish cheesemaking then brining ... waiting days with salting and drying, until finally u wax, then u need to take care of flipping ... ... it is not just a few hours of work, it is a long process ....

Yesterday i was making 8 gallons Goat Gouda, 1 gallon fresh chevre, and 2 gallons of goat yogurt ... total of 11 gallons of fresh raw goat milk started 9:30 pm and i finished 3 am. !!!!

And i said, i will stop this for a while, i should take a month break or so, and i slept, this morning i wake up to go to work @ 7am, and i was thinking if i can take a day off today and make cheese again !!! OH MY GOD !!!

in this moment, i felt that i am getting sick with this hobby, very enjoyable and i need a help ....

I am lucky - I take the cows milk some 10 miles and the goats 4 miles away.
About your feeling, the time cheese making is a hobby, it should be only a hobby. If you feel it begins to be a “must”, stop, take a break. Don’t act like this is drugs. It should be only fun and pleasure!!!
I had a hobby - woodworking. 21 years ago I went professional, I transformed the hobby in to a living. I am glad that I can still enjoy every piece I make for my customers. Think about it .
It took me about 7-1/2 h a traditional Cheddar (that with the disaster).
BTW, did you see my Tomme procedure? What do you think about it?

yes i saw it , i should give it a try after u send us ur feedback about urs when u taste it ...

Alex, i enjoy making cheese so much ... the pain i told u about is pleasure pain

do u think this hobby could be turned to be a work !

by the way , do u have pictures of ur woodworking ?

Nabil, I feel your pain - or “pleasure pain” as you so aptly put it.  I don’t have the drive you do to sacrifice sleep in order to make cheese; but I do really look forward to having a Saturday off so I can make cheese.  Fortunately, the dairy I use is only 20 minutes away.  But the long process, and the babying of the young cheeses does consume a lot of time.  I’m only about 4 yrs from retirement; and when that happens there’s no telling how much cheese I will be making.  Even though I’ll be home, my wife may not see a whole lot of me.  I’ll either be in the kitchen making cheese or in the garden.

i love the term “babying” u used

Actually , goat milk is kind of rare to get fresh here, and i had last night to work the gallons i bought as it has happened to win a free delivery, and i usually do not sacrifice sleep to make cheese ...   but I gave it as example , how nice the feeling is when u make cheese…

can any one resist the urge to make such a wonderful cheeses like the attached ? especially that orange aged cheddar triangle , wow

by the way , nice retirement plan Rich

WOW WOW WOW

Your “pleasure pain” has to be “turned to be a work”. Quit your job immediately!!!!!!!
These are real boutique cheeses.
How do you get those dark grey rinds?

nabil it sound like your enthusiasm is on a adrenalin rush. great to be prolific however if u turn into a slave then the joy is out of it, take a break, spend time researching. I dont have that problem in that I have to wait till the end of the month to get milk wiht my groceries, so even though i want to make cheese every week, i cant

Hey Nabil,  if you ever get enough time for yet another “hobby,” it looks like it should be photography.  Great pix.

Well well well ... guys those cheeses are not mine (i wish so) , those pictures from Internet, i like those pictures which they are perfect so i can one day be able to do such a wonderful cheeses

Alex the gray rind cheddar is a bandaged cheddar and that is mold who died and turned into crust over the cheese cloth, and this happened after months in cave (those gray wheels aged for two years and half)

by the way , do u have pictures of ur woodworking ?

I hope this won’t disturb anyone, you asked for the pix Nabil, so every body, complaints to Nabil please

that’s very nice work

Very nice cabinetry

Thank you