In the days of colonial and frontier settlers, the technology we take
for granted today was not available. This lesson looks briefly at the
differences in the working and eating conditions between the late 1800s
and today. A video survey of life in the 1880s and a trial butter-making
activity, as well as an Internet Quest for information on cheese will
culminate in a hands-on cheese-making experience and tasting activity.
Students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast a housewife's daily work regime during the
1880s and today
- Describe the role played by women homesteaders in the 1880s
- Describe and demonstrate the simplest form of cheese-making
- Describe and demonstrate the role of acidifying agents in the cheese-making
process
New
York Standards for Science
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/guides/mst/
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles,
and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment
and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
New
York Standards for Social Studies
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/social.html
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate
their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in
which we live - local, national, and global - including the distribution
of people, places, and environments over the Earth's surface.
Students will communicate about how people live, work, and utilize natural
resources.
Video:
Frontier House #1: The American Dream
Frontier House #2: The Promised Land
Frontier House #4: Survival
Web sites:
Keeping
the Pantry Full on a Frontier Homestead
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay6_3.html
This site is a part of the extremely comprehensive Web site developed
by PBS to accompany the Frontier House series. The page chosen for this
activity contains an essay on food preservation on the frontier.
The
History of Cheese
http://www.idfa.org/facts/cheese/cf34.pdf
This site provides some historical background about the theories as
to how and where cheese was first made.
Cheese
of Antiquity
http://www.windward.org/ush/cheese.htm
Information on the cheese-making process and possible sources of plant
rennet is provided in this site.
New
England Cheese
http://www.cheesemaking.com/history.html
This very comprehensive site includes information on cheese making history,
trivia about cheese, recipes for making cheese, and how to order supplies
for cheese-making at home.
The
Old Timer Page/ The Way We Used To Do It...
http://www.waltonfeed.com/index.html
This site provides a wealth of information about everyday life in the
late nineteenth century. It includes information on springhouses, icehouses,
and making butter!
The
Cheese Wizard
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/1288/intro/Intro.htm
This site includes the history of cheese-making, background information
on the process, and recipes.
Per class:
- Computer and Internet access
Per pair of students:
Per student:
- One copy of each student handout.
Demonstration of denaturing of protein
Per class:
- 1 clear plastic cup (12 oz. size)
- 1 fresh raw egg
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar or 1 cup of lemon or lime juice (use
bottled concentrate)
Butter-Making
Per pair of students:
- 1 cup of fresh heavy cream or half and half
- 2 quart size Ziploc freezer baggies
- Pinch of salt
- Plastic knives for spreading
- Plain saltine crackers
Cheese-Making
Per pair of students:
- 2 cups of whole milk, heated to 85 degrees F.
- 1 gallon size Ziploc freezer baggie (do not substitute lighter weight
baggies)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or the equivalent of the juice of 1
lemon (about 1/4 cup lemon juice)
- Small amount of fresh dill (optional)
- Pinch of salt (to taste)
- 1 18" inch square of fine cheesecloth
- 2 JUMBO size heavy duty plastic cups (for collecting whey and suspending
the cheese over)
- 1 long pencil
- Small crackers
- Plastic spoons and knives
Per class:
- Large pot to heat milk in
- Cooking thermometer
- Long handled spoon to stir heating milk
- Heat source (i.e. hot plate)
- Measuring cup
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