Author Topic: 'Baby' B. Linens?  (Read 6128 times)

Revilo

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'Baby' B. Linens?
« on: August 06, 2015, 02:56:39 PM »
Hi,

I recently got a B. Linens culture and wanted to try it out. I made Camemberts (ME & PC) and then added about half the PC amount of BL. I didn't have any Geo at the time so I'm not sure if it's possible for them to grow. They have been ripening for about 3 weeks now (about 2 weeks of washing the rind) and this fluorescent yellow has appeared in patches on all the cheeses.
I have read (mainly here in the forum) that it could either be 'baby' B Linens or some kind of slime mould from it being too humid. Does anyone recognise the mould in the picture? (sorry not the best lighting)
Thanks in advance
Oliver

Offline Gregore

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2015, 05:42:55 AM »
Not sure what that hole is all about but every where else looks like linens to me.

Offline NimbinValley

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2015, 09:41:24 AM »
The yellow is likely pseudomonas inflorescens, a contaminant from water that thrives in wet conditions.  It's not dangerous but can cause bitterness.  The linens is the background pinky/orange colour. 

Revilo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2015, 03:20:44 PM »
Thanks for the replies  :D
Apart from the glow in the dark colour, they look and smell really good. Wondering if I should still eat them   ^-^ Might wait a few more days.
A bit of the rind got stuck in the sushi mats causing the hole :(

Revilo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2015, 03:45:15 PM »
I'll wait and see what happens....

Stinky

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2015, 05:43:59 PM »
Eat them once they get soft.

Revilo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2015, 09:08:50 AM »
I ended up taking them to some friends' house and they all got eaten up. They were really good actually and no one complained of any ill effects  :P They got squashed while transporting them but that didn't really matter ;D

cheesytokyo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2015, 08:18:07 AM »
I have been getting the same thing consistently and also found in the forums that it is a combination of geo and BL.  I was really worried about it too, but this time I decided to let it grow without scrubbing it off.  The smell was always good.  No metallic or bitter taste in the cheese (5 week butterkase - maybe an older cheese will get the off flavors from pseudomonas inflorescens?).  I sampled it to multiple people and even sensitive stomachs had no ill effects.  That's interesting about the pseudomonas inflorescens - I've been using bottled mineral water - maybe I'll experiment with distilled and see what happens.  Meanwhile I've decided it's a rare strain of BL only found in Japan!  ::) ;D

JeffHamm

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2015, 11:45:22 PM »
Those are some nice looking cheeses all the same.  Glad to hear that they were well received.  I've had that yellow show up a few times too, and have had no ill side effects as a result.  Well done.

Revilo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2015, 03:08:05 PM »
Thanks Jeff and Cheesytokyo, good to hear that the mould sounds pretty harmless  :)
I used a folded up cheese cloth to wipe the cheeses and I would (try to) sterilise it by putting it in a bowl of boiling water beforehand. I would then cool it using standard cold tap water, which I suppose may have introduced some other cultures  :-\

cheesytokyo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2015, 04:36:27 AM »
I sterilize my cloth in a rolling boil for 15 min, take it out with tongs, then when its cool enough to touch (a matter of seconds), I untangle it by hand and it cools off very fast - no need to cool it in water :)  What do you wipe the cheese with? any kind of salt solution?

Stinky

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2015, 03:23:27 PM »
Next time, try using a brush instead of a cloth. It makes the whole thing go much better with washed rind cheeses. See http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10633.0.html

Offline Boofer

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2015, 05:55:27 PM »
I tried 2"x2" gauze pads at first, but then got steered to these by another forum member. They work well and don't leave lint or fall apart.

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Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

Revilo

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2015, 08:44:03 AM »
The spray was made of:

500ml distilled water
5 tsp Salt
1/64 tsp PC
1/128 tsp PC

(all approximate  ;D)

Thanks for the link to Alpkäserei's Post Stinky. Very informative  :D I'm currently trying to make the Mutschli you suggested and will try and make a nice rind with BL. Was thinking of rubbing some red wine or port into it too

Did you sterilise the cotton pads Boofer? Or are cosmetic things generally sterile already? They look like a great way of making it less stressful  ^-^

Stinky

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Re: 'Baby' B. Linens?
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2015, 07:20:24 PM »
Ah, nice! If you're doing a wash, I'd say something like 1/6 part red wine, 5/6 water, and 8-16% salt content is great. If it's a small cheese, don't overdo the getting wet our you might get more linensy flavors. If you just leave it damp each day, you'll get enough to do the job while leaving the inside great.