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Landscape, soil, cheese and me: Difference between revisions
Landscape, soil, cheese and me (view source)
Revision as of 17:40, 10 December 2021
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[[File:LandscapeSoilCheeseMe_soil-biota-scales.jpg|thumb|3 different scales of observation were used to see as much of the soils’ biota as possible: macro, meso and microscopic.]] | [[File:LandscapeSoilCheeseMe_soil-biota-scales.jpg|thumb|3 different scales of observation were used to see as much of the soils’ biota as possible: macro, meso and microscopic.]] | ||
===Soil=== | ===Soil=== | ||
During the last week of April, I extracted a small piece of soil from the pastures of Hoeve de Koeberg, René and Claudia’s organic farm — the farmers I got along with the most. Along the purchased milk, this soil sample was brought back home and “visited” with a microscope to look for living beings in it | During the last week of April, I extracted a small piece of soil from the pastures of Hoeve de Koeberg, René and Claudia’s organic farm — the farmers I got along with the most. Along the purchased milk, this soil sample was brought back home and “visited” with a microscope to look for living beings in it; thus reflecting on the decomposers’ primal activity to decay and recycle organic matter, the environmental changes threatening this mutualism<ref>I explored this question thanks to an interview of [https://www.wur.nl/fr/Persons/Gerlinde-prof.dr.ir.-GB-Gerlinde-de-Deyn.htm Gerlinde de Deyn], from Wageningen University & Research.</ref>, and its analogy with the way microbe societies make cheeses. | ||
*Soil analysis of milk providers: 1 hectare grassland next to the farm's main barn. | *Soil analysis of milk providers: 1 hectare grassland next to the farm's main barn. | ||
#Trowel sampling: 16 small 10cm deep samples of soil were mixed together. 10 and 20g were extracted and mixed with 100g demineralised water before observation. | #Trowel sampling: 16 small 10cm deep samples of soil were mixed together. 10 and 20g were extracted and mixed with 100g demineralised water before observation. | ||
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[[File:LandscapeSoilCheeseMe_whey-container.jpg|thumb|The leftover whey from the 163L of milk used for cheese production was collected in a 100L container<ref>Mauser Open Head Drums found in the garden.</ref> and exhibited during the Open Studios 2021.]] | [[File:LandscapeSoilCheeseMe_whey-container.jpg|thumb|The leftover whey from the 163L of milk used for cheese production was collected in a 100L container<ref>Mauser Open Head Drums found in the garden.</ref> and exhibited during the Open Studios 2021.]] | ||
===Cheese=== | ===Cheese=== | ||
The cheeses were made 5 days a week with raw goat and/or cow milk from the 4 farms around Maastricht. They were curdled with rennet to make uncooked soft cheeses, that could be pressed too. Half of the cheeses were ripened with various ferments (<i>G. candidum, P. camemberti, P. roqueforti</i>) and the other half developed their own milks’ “wild” microbiota. They were aged for 1 week to 1.5 month in a cold moist room (the Mush-room<ref>Jop Mens built the Mush-room in the Jan van Eyck Academie, in perspective of growing mushrooms in it. Unfortunately, the Covid19 related lockdown made it impossible for him to farm mushrooms. The cool atmosphere and the sealed plastic room constituted the ideal conditions for Robin to ripen cheese on site.</ref>) without any energy input. | The cheeses were made 5 days a week with raw goat and/or cow milk from the 4 farms around Maastricht. They were curdled with rennet to make uncooked soft cheeses, that could be pressed too. Half of the cheeses were ripened with various ferments (<i>G. candidum, P. camemberti, P. roqueforti</i>) and the other half developed their own milks’ “wild” microbiota. They were aged for 1 week to 1.5 month in a cold moist room (the Mush-room<ref>Jop Mens built the Mush-room in the Jan van Eyck Academie, in perspective of growing mushrooms in it. Unfortunately, the Covid19 related lockdown made it impossible for him to farm mushrooms. The cool atmosphere and the sealed plastic room constituted the ideal conditions for Robin to ripen cheese on site.</ref>) without any energy input. | ||