Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In practice, animal rennet is a byproduct of veal production.
Animal rennet of this sort is extremely perishable and has to
be kept refrigerated. It's also pretty expensive.
Rennet can also be made from certain fungi and plants. The
sort made from plants has to be made fresh on the spot, which
may not be feasible during winter or if you can't find the
plants. For our purposes I am recommending vegetable
rennet, which is actually made from fungi. It is inexpensive
and if you put it in the freezer it will stay good for about six
months. It comes in tablets that can be divided into halves and
quarters; this must be done carefully as it has a tendency to
disintegrate.
Rennet is an extremely powerful enzyme. Tiny quantities will
clot gallons of milk. When adding rennet, dissolve the
required amount into a quarter cup of distilled water over a
period of 20 minutes, then sprinkle it over the surface of the
milk. Mix it into the milk using up-down and back-and-forth
motions rather than swirling because swirling doesn't mix as
efficiently. It's important that rennet be mixed efficiently
because otherwise the curd it forms will be of uneven
consistency.
How to Make Rennet from Nettles
In a pinch, you might need to make your own rennet from
nettles. This rennet works, but it doesn't give as clean a break
or as solid a curd.
Put a pound of stinging nettle tips in a large pot and cover
with water. Bring to a light boil and boil until the volume has
been reduced by half. Filter through cheesecloth into a clean
