240 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



In the other method of making sage cheese, either a 

 vat with a movable partition or a large and a small vat 

 must be used. In many cases the receiving can is used as 

 the small vat. After the milk is properly ripened and 

 ready to set, one-sixth to one-seventh of the milk is put 

 into the small vat. To this small vat, green coloring mat- 

 ter is added. Juice from the leaves of corn, clover, or 

 spinach was formerly used as coloring. Consequently the 

 manufacture of sage cheese by this method was limited 

 to the seasons of the year when these leaves could be 

 obtained. Now, however, the dairy supply houses have 

 a harmless green color paste which is much cheaper and 

 can be secured at any season of the year. The amount 

 of color paste to use will vary from 30 to 35 c.c. for every 

 1000 pounds of total milk. This should be added to the 

 small vat of milk. It gives a green milk and later a green 

 curd. 



Both vats are worked along together, until the time for 

 removing the whey. Then the partition in the vat is 

 removed or the small vat is mixed with the large one. 

 The green curd should then be evenly mixed with the 

 white one or an even green mottled cheese will not result. 

 The curds should not be mixed until they are well firmed 

 or the white curd will take on a greenish cast and spoil 

 the appearance of the cheese. 



After the whey is removed, the curd is allowed to mat 

 as in ordinary Cheddar but care must be exercised to pile 

 the curd so that it cannot spread or " draw " out. If 

 it does draw out, the small green spots will be stretched 

 out and large blotches or patches of green will be the 

 result. The cheese-maker must watch the curd closely 

 or he may not secure the much desired small green mottles. 

 When the curd is well matted, it is milled as in Cheddar. 



