Where to Start with David Asher
David Asher is a Canadian organic farmer, farmstead cheese maker, and educator based on the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. He runs the Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking, traveling widely to teach traditional, non-industrial methods of cheese production. Asher advocates for raw milk, homemade cultures, and natural rennet, positioning himself as a voice against the industrialization of the craft. He is the author of The Art of Natural Cheesemaking (2015) and Milk Into Cheese (2024), both published by Chelsea Green. His foreword writer, Sandor Ellix Katz, places Asher’s work squarely in the tradition of artisan fermentation.
Start here
The Art of Natural Cheesemaking
David Asher · 320 pages · 2015 · Moderate
Themes: natural cheesemaking, raw milk, traditional methods, fermentation, aged cheese
A philosophy-driven approach to cheese making that rejects industrial shortcuts in favor of traditional methods. David Asher teaches you to cultivate your own cultures, make your own rennet, and work with raw milk to produce cheeses with genuine terroir.
Why Start Here
Asher’s first book is the better entry point because it covers the full scope of his approach to natural cheesemaking. He begins with the foundations: what milk really is, how cultures work, why commercial rennet differs from traditional rennet, and how to set up a simple aging environment. These opening chapters are some of the best writing available on the science and philosophy of cheese.
The 30-plus recipes cover a wide range: fresh cheeses like paneer and chevre, brined cheeses like feta, stretched-curd cheeses like mozzarella, washed-rind varieties, alpine styles, blues, and gouda. Each recipe explains the underlying biology in accessible language. You learn not just what to do but what the bacteria and enzymes are actually doing inside the cheese.
The book asks more of you than a typical beginner guide. You will need to source raw milk, cultivate kefir grains for your starter culture, and possibly prepare your own rennet. But the payoff is cheese with a depth of flavor that store-bought cultures simply cannot produce.
What to Expect
A 320-page book with color photographs throughout. The opening sections on milk, cultures, and rennet are essential reading before you attempt any recipe. Asher writes with the conviction of someone who has built his entire life around traditional food production. The foreword is by Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation, which signals the book’s place in the broader world of traditional food crafts. Expect to invest more time and thought per cheese, but also expect more distinctive results.