My partner in crime (and master mind of the sour solstice title) might rip this post down when he gains access to the site, but for now he can’t. Cheese??? you say??? Forget the technical definition, this stuff claims to be similar in texture and of the tangy taste and smell. Thats cheese enough for me!
What you do:
1. Soak 2 cups of cashews overnight (12-24 hours). They will start to sprout, because they’re aliiiive!
2. Blend up 2 cups cashews and 1/2 cup – 1 cup of whey (and if you are me, you would have made ricotta cheese – relatively unsuccessfully – right before hand) depending on what type of food processer or blender you are using. My blender needed more liquid to get going.
(I used whey, but I read recipes online that put in the powder from capsules of probiotic or kefir water… will have to try that out sometime.
3. Once its blended up, put it into jars. Mine was basically the consistency of hummus, and I suppose you could make it firmer but letting it hang out in cheese cloth. Recipes I have read said to let it sit for 24 hours, but I tasted mine after that and decided to let it sit for longer. Wondering if the whey I used was active enough??
4. I put olive oil on the top, because I read that olive oil keeps oxygen out (so the surface doesn’t mold) but lets CO2 out (the by product of fermentation). Sounds good to me.
5. Put it in the fridge. Must figure out how long this stuff keeps….
This is the first fermented product I have made that isn’t naturally acidic. Kombucha and lemons both have an acidity content that helps keep “bad” bacteria out and lets the “good” stuff flourish. I’ve read that fermentation is scary to most people because they’re worried about eating something spoiled. I can relate to this fear, but for now I’m a blind believer in the fermentation philosophy: if it smells bad, don’t eat it.
Sour Solstice 
I’ve always wanted to do this! How’d it turn out?
I wasn’t too stoked at first, but now that I’m using it, its growing on me. It was kind of a weird tangy taste, but not something I’d say I would seek out. Mine was comparable to hummus in consistency, but I think you could make it dryer with cheese cloth.