What's in your cave?

[GortKlaatu]

So I was curious about what's going on in your caves.  How many and what kind of cheeses do you generally have on hand at anytime?
My caves always have a variety of things on rotation.  I actually use three different wine coolers--one for natural rinds, one for vacuumed packed, waxed and bloomy rinds and the third is for blues.


Here's what I have going one right now:
 
Cave #1
País Verde --a Bel Paese style that I colored green
The Russian Goat--Époisses style washed in Plum Vodka
San Miguel -- a brine washed curd, a twisted St Paulin style
El Tirol--Emmental style
Tierra Prometida (The Promised Land)--Montasio aged in honey and sea salt
The Hesitant Nanny--Caerphilly style
Colorado Jack--Monterry Jack style bandaged in bacon fat
O'Mikie's MacCheddar--Irish Cheddar made with Monkey Shoulder whiskey
Goatija-- Cotija style
Fleur de Rosita--Pyrenees style with rose petals
Fundido--Raclette style


Cave #2
Goata--goat milk Gouda
Fruta y Uva--Tomme vac-pac aging with dried fruit,
Cabra y Vaca--Morbier style with the ash separating a layer made with cow milk from the goat milk layer
Pura Vida--White Stilton style
Super Hooper Dooper--Piora style with a touch of Shermanii
Trufas de Volio--Belper Knolle style
Matterhorn --Alpine Tomme rubbed with Cocoa
Moni und Ulla -- Butterkäse style


Cave #3
Queso Azul-- a twist on Point Reyes Original Blue
Blue Orosi--a buttermilk blue (made the buttermilk, too.)
Piedra Fuerte --a cow cream fortified goat milk, natural rind blue
Dos Cabritas--Bleu du Queyras style


Plus
Feta aging in brine the regular fridge along with some Brin d'Amour
Cabra Cool --Cabécou style marinating in spiced olive oil
and there's always Chèvre and 4-6 various odds and ends of almost-eaten-up cheeses (right now there's Havarti Dill, Asiago, Manchego, and some blue

[Gregore]

We need proof 

[awakephd]

Not nearly enough in my cave - I've been tied up with an intense schedule that has left no opportunities for making cheese since mid-July, so what's in there is various longer-aging cheeses:

• Romano - made in February 2015 - I'm using the second quarter of this cheese; the remaining half is continuing to age.
• Gorgonzola Picante - made in December 2015 - just a small piece left ... and after all this time, it is STRONG!!!
• Parmesan - made in September 2016 - won't open this for another year or so
• Cantal - made in November 2016 - probably will open at Christmas
• Double Gloucester - made in January 2017 - I just opened this and took out a quarter, resealing the rest. Wow - incredibly creamy and delicious.
• "Cheddasio" - made in February 2017 - an experimental cheese starting with an Asiago/Montasio type of make, but including cheddaring, milling, salting. I've eaten  3/4 of this one; it resulted in a very smooth-bodied cheese like an Asiago, but with faint cheddary notes.
• Asiago - made in March 2017 - Again, just opened this and took a quarter, resealing the rest. Very good depth of flavor, especially for a P&H make.
• Gouda - made in March 2017 - intending to try this as a 2+ year aged Gouda, so a long way to go before I'll open this one.
• Emmental - made in March 2017 - I took out a quarter a couple of months ago and it was quite good; the rest has been resealed to age further.
• Stilton - made in June 2017 - I tried some early on, and it was only fair ... but haven't tried it for 2+ months, so I need to check to see how it is.
• Gruyere - made in July 2017, one of the last cheeses I have made this year; planning to age for 12 months before opening

Eleven cheeses - it sounds like a reasonable amount when I list and count them. But compared to what I have had in the past, the cupboard is getting rather bare ... clearly time to stop this nonsense of earning a living and get back to the important work of making cheese!

[GortKlaatu]

Andy, that all sounds just great. 
I'm impressed that you can age so many of your cheeses for so long--We are usually counting the days until we can crack one open.

[awakephd]

The key is to mix it up, alternating between making short- or medium-aging cheeses to keep the eating pipeline full, with long-aging makes to stock the cave. As my list shows, I've used up all my short-aging cheeses up, and so the pipeline is empty - clearly a crisis!

[Boofer]

Oh my!

So, I'm very curious now. Did you mention earlier about your creamery or the volume of milk you deal with? The quantity and character of your cave collection, combined with your earlier photo spread, speaks volumes about your level of expertise.

One of the primary cheese forum gurus when I signed up here years ago was linuxboy. His advice and guidance helped me and others to better understand the art and science of making cheese. I'm still learning. Unfortunately, linuxboy moved on, leaving a bit of an expertise vacuum. Perhaps we might be able to gain cheese insight from someone who really knows how to stock a cheese cave.

-Boofer-

[GortKlaatu]

Hola Boofer


I'm certainly no expert--I just keep plodding along.  I do have degrees in microbiology and chemistry so that does help some with the "sciencey" part of things.  But I think the reason it's called ARTisan cheesemaking is because even tho you need the science, without the art behind it, you don't end up with great cheeses.


I have 4 dairy goats and depending on who's milking, preggers, or resting, the quantity of milk varies during the year.  Right now Rosita and Sofía are milking and are very late in lactation.  I only milk once a day these days.  (I use to milk twice a day for twice as much milk, but it's a real pain.)  So right now I'm getting 1 1/2 gallons every morning.  When Vera comes on producing early next year and then Gertrude after that the quantity will change. 


So I'm making a 4-6 gallon cheese about twice a week.

[GortKlaatu]

We need proof 

LOL
I took some quick snaps of the caves this morning while I was turning cheeses.
Here's the Gouda I made just out of the mold.  And my first Butterkaese drying before going in the cave.

[FooKayaks2]

Great thread, things have slowed down in the last few months with a new baby, so the rate of consumption is exceeding the rate of refilling however I currently have

6 jar St Marcellins - my take on a David Asher recipe, not using Kefir though. + 3 St Marcellins not in in jars as I ran out. These are about 10 days old and displaying varying degrees of Geo growth.

1 x 14 week old Parmesan - made whilst one paternity leave
1 x 14 week old cloth bound cheddar
1 x  6 month old Appenzellar
1 x 4 month old Appenzellar
1/2 an 18 month old Beaufort
1/2 of an 18 month old gruyere that was washed in a cherry cordial and brandy wash solution.
90% of a 17 month old Parmesan
1 small piece of a 26 month old Parmesan - saving for a special occasion
1 small half of a 3 year old gruyere I found ( about 400g) - which I will try today now I have found it.
A jar of Shankleesh in olive oil
1 piece of 2.5 year old cheddar

All of the whole cheeses are around 3-3.5kg, I am currently making 27l batches in a 30L pot, direct heated.

[5ittingduck]

Aged between 3 years and 1 week.
About half gouda of various types, the rest include Parmesan, Caerphilly, Romano, Manchego, fetta, a couple of cheddars (most old cheddars died when a fridge failed and everything got frozen) and a load of flavoured cheeses.
Maybe 70kg?

[GortKlaatu]

70 Kg?  That's a lot of cheese!

[AnnDee]

I have 1 cave dedicated to my washed rind like Raclette, Mutschli, Morbier and Tilsit.
1 for white mould cheeses; currently I have Chaource, Saint Marcellin, Valencay and Brie.
1 Natural rind; Cotswold, Farmstead, Lancashire, Gouda, Caerphilly, Appenzeller and Montasio.
1 for blue: Fourme d'Ambert and Gorgonzola
2 for vacuumed packed: Derby, Cantal, Parmesan (17-18 months old), Gouda, Cumin Gouda, Chili Gouda, Asiago, etc.
And 1 small display chiller for a bit of everything.
I make cheese 3-4 days a week, even when I don't ask for it the local farmer deliver milk to my doorstep! I am currently teaching some people here to make cheese too, less work for me, that is my motive of course.

[H-K-J]

Blue mold

[Boofer]

I have 1 cave dedicated to my washed rind like Raclette, Mutschli, Morbier and Tilsit.
1 for white mould cheeses; currently I have Chaource, Saint Marcellin, Valencay and Brie.
1 Natural rind; Cotswold, Farmstead, Lancashire, Gouda, Caerphilly, Appenzeller and Montasio.
1 for blue: Fourme d'Ambert and Gorgonzola
2 for vacuumed packed: Derby, Cantal, Parmesan (17-18 months old), Gouda, Cumin Gouda, Chili Gouda, Asiago, etc.
And 1 small display chiller for a bit of everything.
I make cheese 3-4 days a week, even when I don't ask for it the local farmer deliver milk to my doorstep! I am currently teaching some people here to make cheese too, less work for me, that is my motive of course.

Wow! What a gathering of cheese!

Who eats all that cheese? You sell to restaurants, yes?

Wow....

-Boofer-

[Scarlettbri12]

I don't have much as I've just begun my journey   

Currently I have one "cave" (mini-fridge with humidity and temp controllers). Its holding 2 vac-packed goudas, half of a vac-packed attempt-at-havarti-that-didn't-turn-out-a-havarti, a natural rind tomme, beer-soaked tomme, and a lancashire.

I plan on making more soon, but other things in life are taking most of my time (moving!), so once things settle down I can set up my second "cave" (stand up freezer, going to have a temp and humidity controllers hooked up as well). Once that is done, I plan on making the smaller one a higher humidity cave so I can foray into the wonderful world of white mold!