Goat cheese, also called chevre by the French, who are large goat cheese producers, has been made for thousands of years and one of the oldest types of cheeses made. It’s easy to make it yourself, just follow this easy recipe:

Ingredients: 1 quart whole goat milk 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 clove freshly grated garlic A few pinches coarse salt Optional: Rosemary, chives, parsley, herbs de Provence, fennel fronds, dill, or dried apricots.

Directions: Fill a medium saucepan with goat’s milk. Heat gradually until it reaches 180° F. Watch closely. It shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.

Once it hits the correct temperature, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let it stand until the milk starts to curdle, about 20 seconds. Don’t expect large curdles, like cottage cheese. Only a slight clumping will occur. Add a few extra droplets necessary, but don’t overdo it!

Line a colander with butter muslin, a pillow case, an unused cloth diaper, or several layers of cheesecloth. Place it over a large bowl to catch the whey drips. Ladle milk into the colander. Pull up and tie the four corners of the cloth together and hang it on the handle of a wooden spoon. Set it over a very deep bowl and allow the whey to drain until the cheese reaches a soft, ricotta-like consistency, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Transfer to a bowl and fold in salt, garlic, and herbs of your choice. Serve on fresh bread, salads, with fruit, or on its own. Goat cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but after a few days, the consistency won’t be as lusciously smooth and spreadable.

Don’t miss our article on basic cheese making.

Denise Dill is a co-op livin’, garden diggin’, homegrown cookin’ fool who creates soups of song out of local ingredients. She’s currently working as a baker and soup maker while she completes culinary school. In the past, she worked as an urban gardener and community cooking educator. She has also toured the country as a folk musician, opening for such acts as Pamela Means and Hamell on Trial.

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