Show Me the Whey...

When transforming milk into cheese, we end up with two products: curd (the clumped-together solids that had been floating around in the milk) and whey (the liquid which held of the solids). The curd gets to move closer toward immortality when it becomes cheese. But the “leftover” whey is more than just a byproduct of cheese making. Whey is full of protein and lactose (this is why there is actually very little lactose in cheese). This means that whey is both nutritious and deliciously sweet. We can use whey for several things:

1. Ricotta cheese. The word Ricotta means “recooked” in Italian. By heating the whey, even more sneaky solids will settle out. Those creamy/fluffy bits become one of the simplest delicacies: fresh Ricotta. Great in lasagna. Even better on a spoon.

2. Feed your critters. Whey can be added to animal feed as a way to enhance the nutritive value.

3. Fertilize your crops. Yep, pour some whey on your crops and you have natural approach to plant food.

4. Grow your muscles. Ever wonder about those enormous containers of “whey protein” in the health food store? Well, wonder no more. This is simply dehydrated whey, full of protein (obviously) and used to “pump you up” for generations.

So, as they say, waste not, want not. That’s whey cool!