Asked by Community Member ·February 14, 2021 ·49.4k readers

LAB does not separate - troubleshooting

Good day, I am experiencing difficulties with getting my LAB to separate. The milk does make curds in my jar, however instead of forming a thick layer at the top it seems to get drawn in towards the middle and sit there. I'd love to upload a picture here. Probably the best way to explain it is that it forms an elongated curd sitting vertically in the jar. I followed Chris Trumps' recipe quite precisely, and allowed for plenty of time to ferment. The only difference is that I was using a smaller jar, with about 1 US pint of milk inside. Is that too little? Also, could I have waited too long? Does the thick layer of curd at the top sink down again after a day or so? Another note is that I took the fermenting LAB for a drive to the farm. There is a mention of not shaking the jar on CGNF Hawaii's instruction page for LAB. Would this be the problem? I did attempt to scoop out the curds which was difficult but obviously I did not get all of it. Then I strained the solution through a fine mesh bag used for nut milks. It seems to be more cloudy than the serum in Chris Trumps' videos. I am not sure whether that is safe to use? Framed differently; what exactly is the danger of allowing any of the curd to slip into the strained serum? Any thoughts are very much appreciated! Have a great day wherever you are! Rein

From the KNF library

From the KNF library Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books · Sep 2026 · 3 sources

The library does not explain the standing curd. It does speak to several of your other questions.

The basic course splits one gallon of milk across three half-gallon jars, each filled 2/3 full. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 17) It gives no minimum jar size.

Waiting too long has a cost. One Cho source says to remove the cheese after 7 days, because left in place it melts and goes through a secondary reaction. (Cho, Recipe, p. 55) The library does not say the curd sinks back down.

Curd in the serum: Drake's office hours say the curds will not hurt you, and a fine cloth strains them out. (Office Hours Nov 2023, 1:08:27) The UH-CTAHR sheet is stricter.

Finished serum is a light yellow liquid below the cheese. (Cho, Recipe, p. 55) The basic course says to pour off just the clear whey and strain if needed. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 17) The library does not say whether cloudy serum is safe.

Sources

1:08:27 Office Hours (Nov 2023) — Endophytes in knfFood, Kelp Food, Coffee Leaf Rust Drone · “the curds will not hurt you, and you can strain them out through a fine cloth”
p. 17 Student's Manual, Basic Course · “Add milk to bring jar to 2/3 full (@1 gallon evenly split between all 3 jars)”
p. 55 Cho, Recipe · “When LAB are produced after 7 days, remove the cheese, which is separated from LAB. If the cheese is left as is, the cheese melts and undergoes a secondary reaction.”