.... because only my boxer ended up enjoying the outcome of this little experiment. The three cheeses shown were made from the same raw milk, which was split into two vats. The small cylinder and the brick are from the first vat and are effectively washed curd, while the big cylinder was made simultaneously but separately and is akin to a hard stirred curd cheddar. Except for the starter cultures, no adjuncts were added artificially. Both the brick and the small cylinder were made, brined and afterwards treated like open Petri dishes to see what would happen. The brick was washed by hand (literally) with a seawater-strength brine. The small cylinder was poked full of holes, and then left to its own devices, except for turning every day. The large cheddarry cylinder is still aging, but the two wild ones got slaughtered last week. Both were creamy, with some interesting flavours and a supple body. Unfortunately, they were both also undeniably bitter, and much more than is bearable. I am interested to see if the large cylinder will have the same defect, which could point to the milk. But if I had to be honest, the real reason is probably the vast assortment of fauna and flora that roamed the rinds.