I have read some old articles on making cheese using fig sap. So I gave it a try this morning. So far the curd is forming nicely. I will update you with the steps when the cheese is fully formed.

i would definitely love to see the progress on this. would love to learn how to make cheese at home. tho, my wife won't like it if it involves smell. 

Looking forward to it. That's really cool. Thanks, Bass.

This sounds like a great idea- looking forward to hearing more about how it goes

Curious also.

Very interesting Bass .

What kind of cheese?  The fig sap supplies the rennet but that's used in most cheeses.

  This is great to hear.  I'll be very interested to hear about it.  Vegetarian renet is expensive to buy it.

Bass - a very interesting topic.   I look forward to hearing about the results.

I have found a few articles and references to using the latex for rennet over the past years but have not made the time to make cheese.    I pasted two links that might be of interest.   Doing a web search for "ficus carica"  "rennet" "cheese" etc., may yield some interesting results.

Blessed are the Cheese makers - the Roman Military Research Society  http://www.romanarmy.net/cheese.shtml

16th Century Italian Cheese Recipes from the book Compendio de i Secreti Rationali di M. Leonardo Fiorvanti Bolognese, Medico & Cirugico (Compendium of Rational Secrets of M. Leonardo Fiorvanti of Bologna, Medic and Surgeon)   From From Stefan’s Florilegium - Society for Creative Anachronism - Making Renet from Fig Leaves
http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Ital-cheese-art.html   

Ingevald

The curds didn't have the thick consistency as I'm used to with the regular rennet, but it did form. It just takes a lot longer to thicken up.
I started with it yesterday, it still haven't finished, hoping by tomorrow I will have a few blocks of cheese. It already smells like e fig sap, and I sampled it even though its not done, it has a unique flavor with slightly bitter after tone.
People who will be visiting Sunday for the gathering will give me their thoughts.

Here's the cheese, it was made using fresh cow milk and fig sap. Process lasts 3 days. It has an unusual good taste.

That looks wonderful Bass . Lucky those getting together Sunday to try it !

I wonder if It ages well...

Goody:)

Bass - the photo of your cheese looks great.   It is also good to hear that it has a good flavor.    Is there any bitterness in the final product?

  In this article "Studies on Vegetable Rennet" from 1941 http://deriv.nls.uk/dcn6/7530/75306202.6.pdf  (they only have the first page of the article on this link), they state that ficus palmata imparts a bitter taste and ficus carica they state, does not.

There is one other link that I should have posted the other day from the New England Cheesemaking Supply company - This is from their blog and has some good references http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2011/04/making-rennet-from-fig-sap.html

Ingevald

I have tried a tiny amount and had a light bitter flavor that makes it more interesting and gives it the unique flavor. Maybe I should market it this cheese, Then I would grow figs only for their sap. :-)
About to try some again soon

Great work!   Is it a mozzarella style?

No, somewhat close to feta

you never cease to amaze me Bass...

Excellent work!  What method did you use to collect the latex?

You could mix it with dried fig pieces too.  They sell such a cheese at Costco.  You could even wrap it in fig leaves.   Then send some to all of us.  

I pinched the tips of a few fig trees and allowed the to drip I to this shot glass. I collected probably 1/3 of a tsp. which was added to the raw milk after pasturizing it.
3 days later I got cheese. I have them wrapped with fig leaves now.

Bass...I noticed that the cheese is even formed to look like figs sitting on top of that fig leaf...nice job...very creative...and it has a feta taste...I like feta.

Oh I didn't mean for it to be looking like a fig lol.
I have to say that it really tasted good, and they had the aroma of figs.

I enjoyed this post from Bass, and wondered if anyone else has tried it? Maybe fig sap could be milked by slicing cuts in the stem starting towards the tops, and working down as those cuts heal. I also wonder how well this works with dried sap. It would be good to be able to store it for later use. The cheese Bass made looks to be a loose soft cheese. What would this cheese be like if aged? Fresh unpasturized milk is expensive here, I wonder how this would turn out with high quality, cream on top organic milk? This could be an interesting product for farmers markets.

Mike in Habover, VA