Comments on: Plastic Challenge: Danielle, Week 10

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:35:10 +0000

I grate mine in my food processor… cutting as close to the edge as I can get and then chopping the Parm in chunks before processing it. Then I save the edge– throw it in a jar in the freezer– and put it in soups. YUM!!!

I was thinking that ricotta could be easy to make because one batch of yogurt that I made kind of looked like ricotta. It got me thinking that it could be easy.

Thanks for the link… definitely not ready to make my own cheese, but maybe that’s because it seems like a lot of work. I’m able to get Hoop, Asiago, and Gouda without plastic… but I have to really plan ahead to get the cheeses specially cut and wrapped in paper. Hmmm… I think I’ll place an order right now!!!

By: EcoCatLady (AKA Rebecca)

EcoCatLady (AKA Rebecca) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:40:46 +0000

Ha! I’m having the same parmesean problem. Actually, cheese in general is a problem where plastic is concerned. I’ll have to go on an expedition to see if there is a small deli or specialty shop that might be able to help.

BTW – does anybody have a good system for grating it, especially when you get down to the hard bits by the edge? I totally destroyed my food processor in the attempt (it’s OK – I hated the food processor anyhow.) I finally just grated it by hand… it’s just hard to do without grating knuckles too.

I’ve read that ricotta is easy to make… it’s also called “farmer’s cheese” sometimes. But I hate ricotta so I haven’t tried it. I did find a site with all sorts of tools and instructions for making cheese (along with everything else you can think of.) http://leeners.com/ I haven’t had the guts or energy to try any of it yet, but it seems possible…

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:10:06 +0000

Ahh… this is why I am loving doing this challenge!! It’s like a team here… everyone has a common goal and we all have different experiences to help each other :)

…AND like anything… it’s so much better together!!!

Thanks for the recipe… if I can find Parm without plastic… I’ll definitely be making it!!! :D

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:18:40 +0000

Great cheese cracker recipe!
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoos flour
Oven 350 F
Grease a cookie sheet, place little piles of cheese mixture about an inch a part, I like a tablespoon to make the piles. Put in oven, cook til lightly brown, allow to cool and use a spatula. Yum!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:26:44 +0000

I remember your story :) Lucky me, I know all about the grating disk on my food processor :) I also didn’t put it in the tally, but I did purchase the biggest chunk of Parm that I could find. Also, I’ve been using Nutritional yeast for the past 8 months in place of parmesan :)

Bulk tofu… I don’t think so. Though, I know my co-op packages it in plastic containers. I’ve been meaning to ask them if I can get it in my own containers…So I’ll ask next time I’m in… thanks for the reminder!!! …and yes yes yes to tofu ricotta!! :D

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:26:14 +0000

Homemade ricotta is very easy to make….I’ve made is several times…look online for receipes.

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:52:12 +0000

Hi Danielle. I know you can Google for ricotta recipes. I tried making cottage cheese a couple of times, and it just never turned out right for me. But don’t forget, you’re still gonna have those pesky plastic milk caps.

As for parmesan, I went out and bought an entire wheel of a parmesan-like cheese once. It lasted a really, really long time and made for a kind of funny story:

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2009/09/cheese-crazy-plastic-free/

Oh, here’s another idea. Can you find tofu in bulk? Tofu is a good substitute for ricotta in lasagne or manicotti, I think.