Step 1

Fill the jar with milk until almost full (ferments bubble and foam, so leave some room), put a fresh piece of cheesecloth over the top, and screw on the lid.

Step 2

Set the jar of milk in a warm location for as long as it takes to start getting thick. Your first batch will likely take close to 10 days to start fermenting. Of course, this really depends on how hot your kitchen is and how many bacteria it has.

Step 3

Occasionally smell the base culture. As long as it doesn’t smell putrid, you’re good to go. Because this culture will take so many days to turn into a clabber, it will definitely taste and smell strong. Don’t worry – you don’t have to consume this batch! This is just the starter. Your thickened milk may separate into curds and whey or look something like yogurt, maybe with little bubbles. Don’t be concerned when you see a lot of changes!

Step 4

Once it’s thickened and/or separated, you’re ready to start culturing fresh milk to get delicious clabbers (like cottage cheese!) that you can consume.

Step 5

Add 1/2 cup of the base culture to a fresh gallon of raw milk and allow it to culture until it’s thoroughly separated into curds and yellow whey. You will lose volume during this process, so you’ll need a lot of culture to get a decent amount of cheese.

Step 6

Once you have curds and whey, line a clean colander with clean cheesecloth and set it over a bowl to catch the whey. You'll need a spot to hang this up.

Step 7

Line a clean colander with clean cheesecloth and set it over a bowl to catch the whey. You'll need a spot to hang this up.

Step 8

Gently pour the culture into the cheesecloth in the strainer to strain the curds. Use string or a rubber band to tie the cheesecloth, then hang it over the bowl for about 12 hours until it breaks up nicely into little bits of curd.

Step 9

After it’s done, take it out of the cheesecloth. You could use the cheese just like this, but we’re going to make it a little more like cottage cheese.

Step 10

Add salt to taste and mix it in really well. This helps draw the moisture out even more. Put this cheese into a fresh bit of cheesecloth, making sure to get every last bit.

Step 11

Give the cheese a squeeze, then hang again for another 12 to 24 hours. After this hanging time, break up the curds into little pieces.

Step 12

If you want, you can salt again and keep hanging, but at this point, it’ll be the texture of a nice old-fashioned cottage cheese—crumbly but creamy in the middle. Feel free to add a little milk kefir to make it creamier.

Step 13

Add whatever flavors you’d like to the cheese—fruit, herbs, or other stir-ins would be delicious.

Step 14

Store cottage cheese in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.