Making cheese 2016 into 2017

[GotGarlic]

I'm bringing wine, too, plus homemade crackers!

Bliss, are you keeping detailed records on your cheese-making? How do you keep track of what needs washing or turning, etc., and when?

Such a cool project. I have a book; I really need to give it a go again. I've made fresh mozzarella, but that's it.

 

[blissful]

GotGarlic, thank you for caring too!

Yes the cheese journal started with a list of cheeses I made each day, a date and a cheese type. Then that part changed when I needed to know when it would be good to eat, so the last column is when it is done aging. Then I needed to know when to wax or move it for eye formation, so that became the third column.

The recipe section, I thought the recipe would be the same each time but it is not, and when it is done aging, I might want to change it. Then the dry cultures were made into mother cultures, so instead of 1/4 tsp of dry culture, it went to 1/4 cup of mother culture. Then the rennet went from double rennet to triple rennet, so 1/4th tsp of rennet to 1/3 tsp of triple rennet.
Each recipe is different for one reason or another. Sometimes it says to press for 8 hours but I sleep until 12 hours, so that is made note of in that recipe, that is why each cheese has a name and number. Swiss3 or parmesan2. Then I can check what I did and repeat it or not repeat it as needed.

Then I realized I was losing control of when to wax and move for eye formation (mostly swiss cheese issues), so I put a weekly calendar page in for each week. I put the date of waxing or moving (to room temp or back to the cave).

So the journal is becoming a book.
1st section: date/cheese type/move or wax/eat
2nd section: calendar detailing when to do something wax or move.
3rd section: recipe for that particular cheese with anything that I did different, wrong temperature, or longer or shorter pressing, or stirred too long (some kind of interruption)

Thanks for the offer of wine and crackers!

 

[blissful]

Sage Derby Cheese, made with sage and spinach (for color), in a type of cheese that uses cheddaring. Air drying then wax and put in the cheese cave. Aging a month to 6 months.

 

[Dawgluver]

This sounds interesting, bliss. Let us know how you like it.

 

[blissful]

I'm worried about the sage derby because there is vegetable matter (sage and spinach) in it and even though it still looks good drying, I'm thinking the vegetable matter will rot or mold. I'll find out in some months.

In the meantime.....
I made another parmesan4.
I decided to wax all the parmesans and the romanos, so I'm melting purple wax and then those will stay aging anywhere from 8 to 24 months. I started waxing cheeses with clear/white wax, not thrilling. Then I waxed all the cheddars and colbys and some of the swisses with a red wax, that worked out great.
Today I made the first blue cheese, only 2 gallons of milk, two cultures penicillium roquefortii and flora danica (meso type). It only takes 30-40 days to age, so I'll know how good it is or is not soon enough. I do love blue cheeses.

 

[Dawgluver]

Yeah, I wondered how the spinach would hold up.

There are a few of us here who love purple. A nice choice for wax color!

 

[blissful]

Oh yeah, thank you for reminding me. I'll take pictures of the purple waxed cheeses and the red waxed cheeses, for the purple loving people.

 

[Dawgluver]

And then you can send them to us, and we will age them for you! Or wear them! Or test them!

 

[blissful]

And then you can send them to us, and we will age them for you! Or wear them! Or test them!

I knew I could count on ya'll.

 

[blissful]

The romano1 in purple.

Inside the cheese cave.

The white one on the top right is colby. The red ones are cheddar, colby, and the bulging one is emmentaler--round, the red square ones are the guiness infused and merlot infused cheeses. The Parmesans and Romanos are purple. Happy purple to you.

Dawg, I smelled the sage derby and looked it over, it still looks good and smells nice, so I'm worrying less. I may wax it tomorrow or the next day.

 

[Dawgluver]

Wow, bliss, they look beautiful! You must be a proud parent!

 

[blissful]

Wow, bliss, they look beautiful! You must be a proud parent!

Yes, and I go downstairs and talk to them once a day. They are so well behaved for such young'uns. That one colby that is crooked, and waxed in clear or white wax, is the first one that will be cut open, end of May, he's the most unruly one.

 

[Dawgluver]

Please tell them hello from me!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

There is a cheese available throughout Michigan that comes from a town named Pinconing. The cheese is called Pinconing, and comes in medium, sharp, and extra sharp. The extra sharp is aged just as you would cheddar, and has all the flavor and texture of a 5 to 7 year aged cheddar, even the mineral crystals.

Pinconing cheese is an aged Colby style cheese that was first made in Pinoning Michigan. It is a rich, semi-soft cheese that at room temperature will saturate you pallate with delight. The extra sharp is crubly though, and has to be sliced with a sharp knife, or cheese knife, as a wire cutter simply causes the cheese slice to disintegrate.

It would serve you well to learn how to make this cheese as it is wonderful, like that good butterkase, or an aged cheddar.

I'm not telling you what to do, but rather, if you can make it, it's a very good cheese.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

The romano1 in purple.

Inside the cheese cave.

The white one on the top right is colby. The red ones are cheddar, colby, and the bulging one is emmentaler--round, the red square ones are the guiness infused and merlot infused cheeses. The Parmesans and Romanos are purple. Happy purple to you.

Dawg, I smelled the sage derby and looked it over, it still looks good and smells nice, so I'm worrying less. I may wax it tomorrow or the next day.

You are a true rock, I mean, cheese-star! How come my wife didn't get that I love Making cheese bug? We could have made it a hobby that we both could have loved. Heavy sigh. You have a very fortunate partner. I hope you are appreciated.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Just Cooking]

The romano1 in purple.

Inside the cheese cave.

The white one on the top right is colby. The red ones are cheddar, colby, and the bulging one is emmentaler--round, the red square ones are the guiness infused and merlot infused cheeses. The Parmesans and Romanos are purple. Happy purple to you.

Dawg, I smelled the sage derby and looked it over, it still looks good and smells nice, so I'm worrying less. I may wax it tomorrow or the next day.

Those are spectacular...

Ross

 

[blissful]

CLOTN, thanks for the compliment. If I can make cheese anyone can. DH drilled holes in containers to use as molds and had followers cut to fit. Then he built a press ($40 in materials) because the presses out there are great but expensive. The cheese cave is just a working used refrigerator or freezer that has an external thermostat ($28). Once you have those things, well, most of the other stuff is less expensive--cheese cloth, milk, cultures, rennet, CACL2, thermometer (40 degrees F to 140 degrees F), pots and pans and utensils, wax. I've got a supportive partner!

There are some cheeses that are not in the cheese cave. Once something has matured it needs to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. I bought a vacuum sealer for that. If you like a cheese when it is matured, usually, if you store it back in the cheese cave it will continue to age. That can be good and it can also over ripen sometimes giving off an ammonia odor or over softening. The ammonia odor may dissipate after an hour or so and it may still be eaten.

The three cheeses you don't see in the cheese cave are Butterkase, Havarti, and Caerphilly, and they take between 4 and 6 weeks to mature.

There are also 6 cheeses not in the cheese cave and are at room temperature, 3 waiting to be waxed and drying, a blue cheese just beginning to develop, and 2 swiss cheeses that are in the process of developing eyes--expanding.

I don't have much wisdom about the pinconning cheese but I can say that the colby and cheddar recipes I use, use the same ingredients for those cheeses. DH likes the colby while I prefer the cheddar. The way the two cheese are different is, colby curds are washed with hot water, lowering the acid level, while the cheddar is not and after draining the cheddar goes through a cheddaring process (layering and turning to develop the acid). I think of them as sibling cheeses that use the same cultures and coloring. Colby will be more pliable and Cheddar more likely to crumble when you slice it, and if you age anything long enough it will have more sharp flavor and it will be drier and crumblier. I might have to make some colby for long aging and see how that turns out!

Cheddar cheese curds don't need a cheese cave, a mold (use a colander), a special culture (use kefir or cultured buttermilk) or a press. After you wing it a few times, you'll be hooked and then it's just a matter of getting equipment together for aged cheeses. You'll need liquid fresh rennet or you can find rennet tablets. Calcium Cloride CaCl2 can be purchased in liquid or powder. You can make them white or colored orange. I can give out my recipes here and say whether they were successful or not for me, if anyone wants to try anything. If I can do it you can too.

 

[blissful]

Just Cooking, thank you.

 

[blissful]

Made Gouda1.
Smoke flavored Gouda2.
Mottled Colby3 today.

The blue cheese is getting BLUE, who'd of thought of that?!?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Made Gouda1.
Smoke flavored Gouda2.
Mottled Colby3 today.

The blue cheese is getting BLUE, who'd of thought of that?!?

Since you make Ghouda, let me tell you about a cheese I just tried - Ghouda aged 1000 days. The cheese is sublime. It has a full-bodied mature flavor, similar in flavor and texture to a 3 year aged small farm cheddar, but just different enough to tell it's not cheddar. It's really had to describe the difference in flavor, bit there is a difference. I'm a fan.

Just sharing.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North