Newbie cheesmaker- question about mold on parmesan while aging

[ascatalano]

Hello fellow cheesemakers!

I just recently stared making cheese and have now attempted my first parmesan.  Please excuse my newbie questions- I've been searching the boards but haven't been able to find the answers I was looking for.    

I have the cheese in an aging box in a temperature controlled wine fridge that we have re-purposed for a cheese cave.  Everything went according to the recipe when making the parmesan, and while I know it is common to see mold growing on the cheese, I'm wondering how much is normal and will I need to remove the mold consistently through the aging process?  So far it's just green and white mold, which I've been able to remove- have tried both a vinegar and a brine solution.  The mold starts coming back after a couple of days- is this normal?  Is there one method - vinegar, brine, or a combo of the two that works better? Should I let the cheese air dry completely after removing the mold before putting it back into it's box?  The recipe I'm following calls for me to rub olive oil on the cheese once it's 3 months old- this should hinder the mold from growing, too, right?  I'd appreciate any advice- I'm so excited to try the cheese in a few months and don't want anything to go wrong!

Thank you!

[John@PC]

Hi from a fellow Virginian (grew up in Covington).   From what I've learned surface mold, especially on very  hard cheeses like Parmesan pretty much stay on the surface and your procedures should deal with it adequately.   That said if you're doing a Parmesan I would vacuum bag it after a few months and forget about it until 9 months or so later, then give it a taste.  If you can't wait to try it cut out a section and vacuum bag the remainder (at least that's what I do with reasonable success).   

[Matthewcraig]

Firstly how old is it if it's got a very thick rind a bit of mould shouldn't make a difference, and on your question about vinegar or brine I would say vinegar as it will not impair the taste, if you could post a picture that would be a help just to see the extent of the growth.

[Marta]

Let me start  by saying parmesan is the type I make most often.  Maybe the humidity is too high in your aging area.  I would agree with JohnPC, if you have a vacuum bag machine, you can remove all traces of mold, let it dry out a bit, and bag it.  That way you don't have to keep checking on it.  I have very seldom found mold growing on a vacuum sealed cheese. 

What weight is your parm?

[ascatalano]

Hi all-

Thanks so much for your advice and sorry for the delay in responding- I've been out of town.  It's a very small batch- only a 2 gallon batch since this was my first attempt.  I'll will try and post a photo later tonight and am definitely looking into a vacuum sealer!

[ascatalano]

Here's a picture of the cheese- this is about 7 days from the last time I cleaned it off.  I've removed the mold again with vinegar since taking this picture and am letting it dry out before putting it back in the aging box. 

[Matthewcraig]

To me that looks like a cross contamination problem do you have blues in your cheese cave with this?

[ascatalano]

No - no blues.  There's a waxed cheddar in there now, but I added that one after this one started showing the mold.  And it's the first time I ever used the cave (it's actually a new wine fridge that I use just for cheese) so I'm not sure what's going on.  Maybe I've made a new Parm/blue hybrid! 

[jwalker]

Fist of all , I've never done a Parmesan , but I have done a few washed rind cheeses.

I would say by the pic , that's not right for a Parm.

There is a thread here  http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10633.0.html  about it though , with lots of good information on washing rinds.

[Matthewcraig]

When you smell it does it smell like "blue cheese" or does it have a different smell

[ascatalano]

It doesn't smell like blue cheese- there's a very slight vinegar scent after I cleaned off the mold, and then it smells a bit like feet! 

[Matthewcraig]

Sadly that might be a failed cheese, you might not of sterilised the equipment properly or something like that, I really don't know how to save it, the only thing you could do it just keep washing it.

[WovenMeadows]

My suspicion is that too much whey (moisture and lactose) was left in the cheese after pressing? That's the kind of stuff that would feed mold like that. It would also make for a sour cheese in the end.

[John@PC]

Surface molds on hard cheeses like Parmesan don't invade the paste unless you have voids, so you should be able to wash (or if needed scrape) it off.   I wouldn't toss it until you take a core sample and check the interior.  If the mold is confined to the surface you may be ok.  One thing I've learned if I have a "failed cheese" (assuming it's a hard or semi-hard) before I toss it I'll vacuum bag and set in the back of my fridge for a year or so  , or better yet cold-smoke it.

[ascatalano]

Thanks all for your advice!  I think we solved the problem- it was too moist in the cave.  I cleaned off the mold with vinegar, let the surface dry out, and then put it back in the wine fridge I use as a cave - this time sitting out on the shelf rather than in the aging box I had bought that had a sponge in it for moisture.  I think the moisture built up too much in the confines of the aging box, and is much more dispersed in the larger fridge space.  I haven't had a problem with the mold returning since.  So, we'll see what happens in November!