Hello From Jamaica

[Joanna]

Hi,  My name is Joanna and I live in Jamaica where I have a small herd of Nubians.  I make and sell chevre, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, yogurt, quark and a bloomy rind cheese.  We don't have any laws about pasteurization of goat cheese since almost no one makes it, so I'm good to go.  Sales are brisk among expats and hotels.  I'm presently visiting my son in the Philippines and am preparing to visit the agriculture dept here in Dumaguete, Negros to ask questions about goats, cheese, etc.  Anyone on the list living in the Philippines?

[Cheese Head]

Hello Joanna in Jamaica!

Hope you didn't mind but I split your post off into a new thread as I thought it might get lost at the end of someone else's.

Another goat keeper! Congrats on your business, looking forward to your input and advice! Also, I think you are the first in Jamaica so i added new Geographic Board just for Jamaica, in case you have any local type stuff.

As far as I can remember, there have been two members, one in Philippines and one in Toronto, Canada who was from Philippines but haven't seen either for a while.

Again welcome!

[DeejayDebi]

Welcome Joanna -

Any local cheeses we should know about from Jamaica?

[Joanna]

Hi Debi,  Afraid no Jamaican cheese I know about.  It's not a tradition.  But I have named my bloomy rind cheese after the little hamlet we live in and call it the Tom's Hope.  Of all the cheeses the bloomy rind is apparently the one that most closely reflects the local conditions and is different on every farm, never mind every country.

I have been ripening it in an old fridge regulated to stay at 54 degrees.  I have to put it in plastic boxes to keep it humid enough but can only fit in 3 dozen at a time, not enough to keep up with the demand since it takes 3 weeks to ripen.  Next season I want to use a 20 cu ft freezer instead and am debating whether to get a humidifier or just go with a small towel in a bowl of water.  I'd like to eliminate the boxes because caring for the cheese would be easier if I could have it on racks.  But I'm worried about getting a build-up of condensation on the lid of the freezer which would drip onto the cheese.

Any ideas?

[Cheese Head]

Joanna, both old member here DaggerDoggie and I bought and tried small chest freezer's with external Johnson Controls thermostats and didn't work, walls sodden in condensation and eventually puddles on bottom, tried leaving lid cracked, still no work. Also, some people have tried vertical freezers, but coolant shelves dripped water on cheeses.

There are some very experienced cheese makers on this forum who rarely look in this Intro/Welcome Board, probably better if you post your situation and circumstances in Problems or Equipment Aging Board .

[DeejayDebi]

I think a refrigerator is the way to go. It's easier to add water than to get rid of it sometimes. I knew a guy that built a big insulated plywood box and used an air conditioner and a humidifier that worked well. This was a walk-in unit and he lived in the desert.

[Joanna]

Thanks Debi.  I've moved this to the problem board.  Still trying to get the hang of this forum.  A bit taken aback to hear about the problems you had with a freezer.

[FRANCOIS]

Not sure what shipping is like, or import/export regs, but if you can justify it financially, you should consider a profesional ripening cabinet.  There are a number of suppliers that can ship them from the US or Canada.  It will make things much easier for you.

[Joanna]

Thanks Francois, I'll check that out.  Might be too expensive for me though.  Also I try to go as low tech as possible.  The electricity supply here is both expensive and extremely unreliable.

Joanna in Jamaica