This article is one of a series on life in the campo, or country living in Costa Rica, as my wife and I* experienced it on our visits and after moving to Costa Rica. Each is a sort of time capsule, the stories evolving with us as we have lived more experiences and delved deeper into the culture.

On the fincas, our managers keep cows for milk for their families and to keep the grass down between the trees. This crossbreed they call multiple-use cattle, as they use them for milk and meat (but don't try to milk these two guys). From 13 cows, Hector, our partner, used to make 10 kilos of queso blanco per day. If this was sold to a co-op, he only got 500 colones per kilo and the consumers bought it for 800—now you know the markup. So, for milking 13 cows all week, a farmer can expect to make less than 100 US dollars a week (less expenses, and cows can be expensive). I would shoot the cows. As Hector says, dairy will keep you alive, but nothing else. When you buy from the farm market, you are really helping the farmers, because they are making more.

On making cheese: All of the milk is poured into a stainless-steel pan. Then a coagulant agent is added (I forgot what it is called in Spanish; in English it’s rennet), and it sits for about 45 minutes. After the milk curdles, it is cut up and the curds placed in cheesecloth in a stainless-steel sleeve that is open on both ends. Somewhere in this process, sal crudo (crude salt) is added. A weight is placed on top of all of this to press out the whey, or suero. The suero is fed to the pigs and other animals (like the local dog).

After a few days, the cheese is sold. The best cheese is the freshest, in my opinion. I love freshly made corn tortillas filled with soft, sweet queso blanco and then grilled, a Costa Rican grilled cheese sandwich.

Campesinos usually take some of the milk home and bring it to a boil to pasteurize it. Since Costa Rica does not have a problem with TB, it is not uncommon for them on the farm to drink it without pasteurization, but they make sure to do it for their kids. Fresh cream in my café con leche is unbelievably good.

One of our favorite things in Costa Rica is helado (ice cream). The selection is limited, but the vanilla is especially good in our opinion—some of the rest are too sweet for us. We always buy helado while there. Because I am so active on the finca, my biggest problem usually is eating enough food. I always lose weight (like I said before, Hector considers me cheap labor), so I can eat as much as I like with impunity. Helado with fresh fruit and café con leche; it doesn’t get any better.

A Gringa’s Attempt to Make Dairy Products

My wife loves cottage cheese and has it almost every day at home in the US. In the campo, it does not exist; they eat queso blanco instead. So she decided to make it, as well as some yogurt.

Yogurt is easy. Back in our youth, we were dirt poor, so we used to make our own. All you need is a thermos (wide-mouth works best) and some starter. The starter is yogurt with active cultures. Heat the milk to between 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (this temperature range is very important, so use a thermometer), add the starter (about a tablespoon), and bring it back to the right temperature. Do not overheat. Then pour into the thermos and seal and wait between 5 and 12 hours (depending on how good your starter is). You can add sugar, vanilla, etc. to it while heating, if you wish. This makes a delicious yogurt, depending on the quality of your starter.

We were successful with the yogurt—even though the starter was poor, we eventually nursed it to life. However, the cottage cheese was more trouble than it was worth. It ended up resembling something between goat cheese and cream cheese. Oh well, I ate it anyway. Give it to Fred, he’ll eat anything! (Actually, while the previous statement is true, everybody liked this cooked cheese product very much, whatever it was.)  I am sure that some day cottage cheese will be in our future, if only on our visits to the US.

*We are Fred and Amy Morgan, originally from the US. We bought a dairy farm in Costa Rica to plant trees in its pastures, then later caught a dream of turning all the land we can to permanently protected, sustainably maintained forest once the plantation trees have been harvested for profit. Along the way, we made it possible for our former partner to realize his dream of starting a business of his own in his native land. He is featured in many of the earlier stories.

To read more about Finca Leola S.A. and how you can also invest in trees and at the same time help with reforestation, go to Own Trees with Us.

Up