Cheese Factory
Farmtown Park has one of the most comprehensive collections of artifacts used in cheese and butter making in Ontario. The collection reflects the importance of the dairy industry in Eastern Ontario and the role the farmers, cheese makers and butter makers have had, and continue to have, in the industry.
Cheese curds would be packed into this mold or hoop and then placed in a press for the excess moisture to be squeezed out. The mold would form a round of cheese. 2013.219.1
Wooden box by Kimble. Box holds metal frame that drops in and containts 20 test tubes. Small measuring cup with long handle. The protocol has been based on the methylene blue reductase test that has been used in the dairy industry for decades to determine the potential for bacterial spoilage of milk. 2013.195.1
Double walled cheese vat with mechanical paddles mounted above the centre. Drain in bottom at end. Made of tin and painted silver later after use had ended to prevent more rusting. This vat came from the Hilton Cheese Factory, north of Brighton, and was used up until the 1950s. 2013.214.D00356
Pail for carrying curd from cheese vat to hoops. It is flat on back side for scraping along bottom of cheese vat. Holding handle on front, top carrying handle. 2013.240. D00338
Milk strainer in a rack attached the cheese vat. Has 24 screened holes. This strainer was lined with cheese cloth or a felt type line which would strain the debris out of the milk before entering the vat. 2103.213 DE0358
Taylor thermometer with snap latch on back for attaching to side of pail or vat. Used to track the temperature of the milk , curds and whey in the cheese making process. 2013.279.1
Weigh tank for milk including flow trough and dipper. Early on a farmer would be paid for his milk by the weight at the cheese factory. 2013.187.D00317
Frame strung with fine piano wire. A curd knife would be dragged along the inside of the vat to cut the curds into uniform pieces after the milk has first set. 2013.217.1
Six holes in circular end scoop, metal bar has loop in end for holding. This aerator would be used to stir the milk before being piped over to the vat. It would mix the cream into the milk and it would also bring any foreign objects to the surface for skimming. 2013.192.D00324.1
Hanson cheese spring scale for weighing curd pails before being emptied into the cheese hoops. 2013.280.D00355
Metal box. Insert sleeve. Top and bottom have drainage holes in them, along the edges of the lid and throughout the bottom. This allows the whey or moisture to drain off of the cheese. This type of hoop would make a square 60 lb. cheese. 2013.249.D00974
Drain at the bottom connects with the drain valve of the cheese vat. It would strain any bits of cheese off to prevent them getting into the whey. The whey was fed to pigs and later used to make whey butter. 2013.220.1
Large wagon for delivering milk cans. It holds up to six large milk cans. There is a lip around the edge of the bed and small bench seat at front. 2013.185 D00312
Long wooden wheel attached to a wooden shaft. One rope in wheel groove going to the ground. Another going around the shaft and attached to the can hoist. Used for raising dairy cans from wagons. 2013.186.D00321
Stainless steel box with domed removable lid. Marschall maker label. power plug. Six removable racks of twenty test tubes. One end rack with nine tubes. Steel scoop, pipet and steel scoop. Small square of purple methyl paper. The protocol has been based on the methylene blue reductase test that has been used in the dairy industry for decades to determine the potential for bacterial spoilage of milk. 2013.194.1
Long, thick metal syringe with a wide mouth and T-shaped pull handle at end. Used to test the sediment that would settle in the milk. 2013.193.D003251
Agitator in the cheese vat. 20134.226.1
Hand operated curd mill made by M.F. Beach Co. Ltd. mounted above cheese vat. A curd mill would be moved along the side of a vat and cheese would be hand fed into the mill so that it could be cut into smaller pieces before it was put into hoops for pressing. 2013.215.1
Used to pump whey off of cheese curds. Made by Viking. 2013.224.D00360
Movable weigh tank scale made by Buffalo Scale Works. Sliding weight and hook on end for additional weights. Farmers would be paid for their milk by the weight. 2013.190 D00316
Drip pan for whey at end of cheese vat. The pan would collect any excess drippings from the vat when the whey was being drained off. 2013.223.D00359
Five one gallon bottles of reagents. Original labels on bottles. Different bottle styles and labels. Bottle 1 still has some colour reagent in it. Bottle 2 only glass stamp label. Bottles 1-4 are Hansen's Danish Cheese Colour. Bottle 5 is an alkali bought from Smith's Hardware of Belleville. The cheese colour was used to change the milk from white to orange before it is made into cheese. It was thought to be more appealing to have orange cheese as opposed to white cheese. 2013.199.D00970
Metal blade held in track in middle of rectangular mold. Blade can be raised and lowered. This would cut a block in half perfectly. 2013.250.D00975
Wood curd rake. First tine is shorter than the rest. Used for raking the cheese curds to the side of the vat or for stirring while the cooking process was taking place. 2013.227.D00327
Standing cheese maker's desk. Slanted lifting top. Front door to storage. Dark wood. The cheese maker would use this space for storing his testing equipment and to record any of the paperwork involved with cheese making. 2013.203.1
Blue Hansen's Rennet test bowl with white interior. 3 floating thermometers wrapped in wood sleeve. Glass case with circular Rennet tablets. The thermometers would be used to track the temperature of the milk, whey and curds throughout the cheese making process. 003.009.006
Horizontal gang press. Hand cranked. Adjustable sizes. Stamped on the end plate with company information. Made of metal except for presses themselves which are wood. Used for pressing cheese 2013.269.D00348
Green metal rack holding 20 Marschall sample testing bottles. Each of these bottles would be identified by a number or name of the famer who ships milk to the factory. A sample of the milk delivered to the factory would be placed in one of these bottles and would be tested for its fat content. 2013.191.1
The wooden cheese paddle was used to stir the milk while in the cooking process and later to stir the curds and whey. 2013.216.1
Double tub wash basin on legs. Stainless steel. This tub would be found in the make room and would be used for sanitation of equipment as well as washing hands. 2013.283.1