Hi Maureen; Welcome to permies! As a preteen I spent every summer in rutland Vermont, life without Vermont cheddar would be lacking indeed ! I can certainly see your interest in learning how to make cheese. If it is available to you, I highly recommend getting a copy of David Ashers awesome book "The
art of natural cheese making" I
think of it as my cheese making teacher in a book. Your question about A-1 A-2 milk, I will try to give you a short version of a lengthy subject. If you would like more detail, look in the
cattle forum here at permies for a post labeled A-2 A-2 we go into a long discussion about the differences between A-1 versus A-2 milk. OK here we go , to start, all goat milk and sheep milk are A-2 A-2 , most, but not all dairy cattle are A-1 A-1. You hear all the time about babies who are allergic to cows milk and have to drink goats milk... if they knew of and had a source of A-2 cows milk it could be consumed without ill effect. A-2 A-2 milk has one extra casein than A-1 milk. That one little thing changes how digestible the milk is for those who are allergic to it. Adults ,although many do not understand that they have an allergy , can be allergic to A-1 milk products (like butter , cream , cheese, milk ) My wife spent years not knowing ... after her reactions were pointed out to her it became obvious she had been suffering for years and had not made the connection. Anytime she consumed ANY A-1 dairy product within seconds her nose would plug , her voice get raspy, her belly wouldn't feel just rite. And 2 days later mood swings , depression... not from pms (as we thought for a while) but from A-1 milk products ! Try going out for a nice dinner where any cheese or butter effects you this way I don,t know how she did it. The day we finally found labeled A-2 A-2 milk in the store we were as excited as children, wondering if this was all bunk or if she would have a new lease on life ! One 1/2 gallon of frosty cold Guernsey milk 4" of cream floating on top... with a big smile she shook in the cream ... popped the lid and took a long drink... We both waited... her smile grew to huge proportions and she took another long drink... with a cream covered lips I got a big wet kiss ! She was so happy ! She still can,t go out to dinner without a reaction , but at home ... mmmm real butter .... heavy
spoon cream ... icy cold milk oh my , dinners have gotten outstanding here once she threw out nasty the margarine and yucky coconut milk that she had been using at home. Not all people are allergic to A-1 milk products, i'm not , but if you are or even think you are then locate and try A-2 A-2 you will be shocked & very pleased if it works for you. I hope I haven,t rambled on to long , this is a lengthy subject with opposing opinions about the validity of the claims made. I don,t really care if some people do not believe. I Know it works , i,m sure I've gained weight since the cooking improved around here and a happy healthy wife always makes for a happy life!