How to Make Your Own Cheesemaking Cultures at Home

How to Make Your Own Cheesemaking Cultures at Home

Author: Homesteading Family November 29, 2025 Duration: 46:22

Learn how to make cheese the traditional way using natural raw milk cultures like clabber, kefir, and backsplash whey.

In this conversation with Robyn Jackson from Cheese From Scratch, we dig into how to create and maintain your own starter cultures, how to troubleshoot clabber that smells a little funky, and how to use these cultures to make everything from cream cheese to aged wheels.

This episode covers:

• What clabber is and why it was used for generations
• How to build and maintain a healthy clabber culture
• How kefir can work as a starter culture
• When backsplash whey is useful and when it is not
• How to know if your culture has gone bad
• How to make a simple clabber cream cheese at home
• Why natural cultures can make your cheeses taste better than commercial starters

✅ If you want to learn how to work with raw milk in a way that is simple, safe, and incredibly rewarding, this episode will give you the confidence to begin. Learn more here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/natural-cheesemaking/
✅ Grab a copy of Robyn's book, Cheese From Scratchhere: https://homesteadliving.com/product/cheese-from-scratch/
✅ Check out my Practical Homemade Dairy Masterclass here: https://homesteadliving.com/product/cheese-from-scratch/


Time Stamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:54 - American Blossom Linens
4:48 - Main Topic

- Thanks to American Blossom Linens for sponsoring today's podcast. Be sure to grab yourself 20% off your purchase with coupon code "HOMESTEADINGFAMILY". Check out all their amazing products here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/s-american-blossom-linens

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MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

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There’s a quiet revolution happening in backyards and on small plots of land, where people are choosing to grow and preserve their own food despite busy modern lives. Everyday Homesteading, from the Homesteading Family, speaks directly to that reality. It’s for anyone who feels the pull toward self-sufficiency but is short on time, sorting through the noise to find what’s genuinely practical. This podcast focuses on methods that are tried and true, saving you from wasting effort and resources on well-meaning but unproven advice. You’ll hear honest conversations about fitting homesteading tasks into a realistic schedule-think five to ten hours a week-transforming that dream of a full pantry into a manageable weekly rhythm. Episodes delve into the nitty-gritty of growing food, cooking from scratch, and preserving your harvest, all with an eye on efficiency. The tone is less about achieving perfection and more about building confidence through simple, actionable steps. Tune in for a sense of community and grounded wisdom that makes the homesteading journey feel possible, starting right where you are.
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