Hi, so I've made two cheeses so far, both were successful. But, both used a danone yoghurt starter culture (lacto thermophilis and bulgaricus and others?) . i want to try to get a mesophilic culture but i live in korea. there are basically no cheese making supplies for the public. i can buy rennet for 38 dollars/2oz bottle online and also online can buy some kind of kefir making culture, but the bacteria listed include about 8 different types (though including both cremoris and thermophilus), maybe not ideal for cheese making? there's NO buttermilk and sour cream is nearly non-existent in my entire large city but i could buy it if it could be used as a starter for a mesophilic culture. also i can buy imported camembert, brie, cheddar, some blue cheeses etc. it seems like ordering stuff online is too expensive for my tastes. Please note-technical issues regarding sanitary/pure harvesting are not a problem for me as i've been doing this kind of thing with beer for a long time and have good equipment/techniques.
so my questions are:
1. Can I harvest a starter culture from sour cream or an existing mesophilic cheese or anywhere else? how?
2. I want a penicillium candidum cheese or a blue cheese soon. I can just cut off a very clean piece from an existing cheese, dissolve in water and use it? Is it effective?
3. Does anyone know of any other way I didn't think of to get a mesophilic culture? I'd really rather not spend 50 bucks ordering some stuff from afar...
Sorry if I've used some terms incorrectly. I'm new to this forum. please give me any advice!! or ask any question about cheese in korea if curious