I Made Cheese

On Friday I was reading my city newspaper. I read an article about what can and what cannot be recycled. I learned that the ricotta containers I've been putting in the recycling container actually can't be recycled. For years I thought they could. I hate it that I am adding so much plastic to landfills. I eat about a half cup of ricotta nearly every day for breakfast. I mash a half of a banana with the ricotta and put it into a pita that just came out of the toaster. If the containers can't be recycled, what could I do (besides switch breakfast menus)? I wondered if I could buy ricotta in a bag. That also would be plastic. What about a paper carton? I've never seen ricotta in a paper carton. What if I made my own? Offspring #2 googled ricotta recipes. "It's easy," she said. "Gradually heat up a gallon of whole milk and a quart of buttermilk to 175 degrees. Separate the curds from the whey by straining it though 4 layers of cheesecloth. Eat within a week. It makes 4 cups." Sounds simple to me. I went to the store to buy whole milk and buttermilk. Yikes, the gallon of milk comes in a big plastic bottle. But that can be recycled so no worries there. I noticed the 32 ounces of ricotta costs $5.09 I added the costs of buttermilk and the whole milk. That total was $5.08. Yahoo! I saved a penny. But my ricotta will go bad within a week. The other ricotta had an expiration date in the middle of December. Maybe mine will taste better without all those preservatives. Plus I had to buy cheesecloth and a candy thermometer. Right now the ricotta is draining through the four layers of cheese cloth. To me it smells like butter. The jury is still out on whether it's worth my while to make ricotta - I'll let you know after breakfast tomorrow.