Let’s see what I can do. Appreciate the interest! I post pictures occasionally on Instagram, but don’t have them all in one place. The insurance company has been on me to put together a book with pictures and details of the significant pieces, so maybe this is a good time to do that.
we did a thread once on what else one collects. I showed my artisan turned bowls, Tom Reddick some antique quilts, lots of interesting hobbies.
Hah! I didn’t see that. I just got back from one of our local farmers markets where they have a stand. Really didn’t need any cheese today but I was glad to see they were there.
So my update after another two batches is that, while something that looks and mostly tastes like a ball of mozzarella is very easy to make, something that tastes and feels like great mozzarella is decidedly NOT easy to make. I guess sort of like anyone can throw together the ingredients for sourdough bread and get something that looks like a loaf and tastes pretty good, but getting the chew/crub/crust/tang all right is an art.
We’ve watched dozens of videos, read dozens more instructions, tweaked temperature and process here and there, and each successive ball has been better than the last. We’re still not there yet, though. We think it’s possible our rennet is too old (the kit was ancient) since we know the milk is superb, so we’ve ordered new rennet for the last two gallons. I’ve been nicking a few tablespoons of the milk for my coffee in the meantime. 
That, in a nutshell, is why I do not see myself ever attempting what you are. I just don’t think i have the patience for it either.
And I do not have access (or haven’t found it yet) to the level of fresh mozzarella you have where I live in suburban Detroit.
It’s a fun project during SIP, and even the worst batch was very tasty. I am sure we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t have access to the exquisite raw milk we can get here in PA. There’s just no point unless you can get great milk.
keep trying. It’ll click eventually.
update.
Nothing past the last post. It’s easy to get something edible, really hard to get something good. Never got anything like the results we wanted. Might try again someday, but my advice is don’t bother.
Yeah that was kinda our experience. I think it’s one of those things that you need the light to come one before you can figure out why things are working or not. I’m taking another stab this week
Relatively good access to fresh made mutz and lack of patience also puts me in the “wouldn’t make my own” camp.
My real awakening to the importance of fresh made came during my trip to Campania in 2016. We were at two separate buffalo farms, including Vannulo. Mind Blown. The milk went almost straight from the buffalo to the cheese room, and we tasted samples right out of the vats. The refrigerated stuff wasn’t even close.
Good luck, Chris. We tried so many different tweaks and approaches, and because the milk was outstanding, pretty much every batch tasted good. The only thing we can think kept going wrong with the texture is that our rennet may have been old since the kit we used had been sitting on the shelf for a while. We may try again with new rennet when tomatoes are in season.
Thanks, Sarah. We ordered fresh rennet from a place in Wisconsin so I hope to eliminate that as a bad input.
It didn’t come as fast as I’d planned so no I’m using whole milk in my morning latte. 
I stole some of the whole, raw, unhomogenized milk for my coffee, too. Tasted fantastic, and I only use 1/2T or so.
yeah, reminds me of being a kid and drinking milk out of the bulk tank at my Uncle’s farm. It’d settle if you left it in the fridge so we’d have to shake it up.