Stilton Aging

[Delislem]

Hi all,

I tried this last year when I made my first Stilton and thought it would be fun to try again. Attached is a timelapse of my aging cheese. I will keep updating it every week.

http://youtu.be/QJlF30gsAm4

[shotski]

Comming along nicely. It is hard to tell the size of the wheel, did you start with 2 gallons?

[Delislem]

It's a one gallon. About 4-5 inches in diameter. Next time I'll do 2 gallons,.

[Delislem]

At the end of week 3

http://youtu.be/wbfqw6ZAPd8

[Al Lewis]

Really cool.  Seems like it should have a little brown or tan in there by now though.

[Delislem]

It's not really visible on the photo but there is a bit on that side. There is more on the other side. Last year I had none at all. It was all greyish green/blue. The taste was great though.

[Al Lewis]

Cool!  I think it depends a lot on whatever localized molds are floating around in the air.  I'm sure that makes each one unique. ::)

[Delislem]

My cave may also be on the drier side: 85% humidity. The orange mold grew when the cover of my aging container was almost completely closed and there was a bit of condensation on it.

[Al Lewis]

That's strange because mine is usually at 85% or a little higher.  I didn't use a container however due to the size of the thing.  I also take it out each day to breathe for a while. ???

[Delislem]

Now after 4 weeks

http://youtu.be/Pfd7vutbL2I

[shotski]

coming along nicely. Do you have a side view?

[Delislem]

Unfortunately, I didn't take any side shots.

[Delislem]

And here is the finished products at 2 months. Much less blue than I hoped for and much less than last year. Seems like the curd was too tighly packed to allow for air. The holes I punched seem also to have been too small and closed bcak quickly. Still a great tasting cheese. I'M starting a 2 gallon one today.