Playing more non-rennet blues

[justsocat]

As I posted earlier, I’ve got a success  in creating blue mold on rye bread and made a cheese that was pretty good. Now I’m trying to improve non-rennet blues to obtain one I could be satisfied completely. First I purified the mold to eliminate admixtures as thoroughly as I was able to do. Than I’ve made a batch of hard non-rennet cheese inoculated with that mold. Nothing happened during 10 days getting on my nerves. But than, one sweet morning, the mold showed me that it’s still alive. Now this blue looks like you can see at first picture. That nice look inspired me to make another wheel of non-rennet blue. These time a soft one. It is shown at second picture. Still young and white. Hope it gonna turn into a blue too.

[MrsKK]

Looking good, Pavel.  I've thought of using a soft, non-rennet cheese to make a blue, as well, but haven't tried it yet.

Did you add your culture to the curds before pressing them or did you spray it on the surface after removing it from the mold?

[justsocat]

I added it before pressing, Karen. Pressing as Sailor do - with follower and empty glass upon the curds

[GBoyd]

Yeah, those both look nice. I'm going to have to try your recipe for lactic cheese sometime.

One thing though: what did you use to pierce the top cheese? It was my understanding that the hole were supposed to be very narrow, about a mm in diameter, so that they would quickly close up again from the mold. I heard that larger holes were prone to infestations.

But that's just something I think I remember reading somewhere, so has anyone else heard the same thing?

[justsocat]

I'm looking forward for increasing the ranks of non-rennet army, GBoyd
I used knitting needle to pierce the top cheese. In fact, it is about 2.5-3 mm in diameter. As I found out with the previous blue, when holes of such a diameter close there are already enough mold inside and it's time to finish the rind upon it.

[Alex]

You can use bamboo skewers for piercing.

[justsocat]

Yeah! Great idea, Alex! Of course some kind of small pipes. I had a strong feeling that something is wrong with a piercing, and now I know, what exactly. Thank you!

[Tea]

I used the end of my thermometer which was about 3mm wide and the holes still closed up.  So the trick is getting the holes to stay open long enough for the mould to grow.

Pavel, another great looking cheese there.  Glad to see that yours has turned blue.

[Alex]

In order to get a good mold growth, the holes have to be re-pierced several times.

[Tea]

Really!!  I haven't heard of that before.  So at what time interval would this be done.  I have re-pierced my blue/white cheeses, but so far nothing.

[justsocat]

And one more question, Alex. Are there the same holes that have to be re-pierced, or I have to pierce new ones?

[Alex]

Pavel, you should pierce the same holes. The cause of piercing those holes is to enable more efficient development of mold veins. The Penicillum Roqueforti doesn't like oxygen like the P.Camemberti.
Tea, you should do this every 2-3 days until mold appears.

[justsocat]

Another two weeks passed and now that couple of cheeses look as you can see at pics below. When first mold traces appeared at upper (harder) one, than it was a blue explosion. During four or five days there were great changes. And than, further growth of a mold stopped.  The mold overgrew only part of cheese wheel and appeared only inside some holes. During last week there were no changes. Only some white mold covered slightly the blue one. Can I expect any further mold growth now?  Are there any suggestions?
Second cheese showed blue mold already after three or four days but than almost nothing. Only some competitive molds appeared on the external surface and no sign of a mold inside holes. This wheel is aged at slightly low temp and higher humidity. I’m afraid that humidity is close to 100%. Is that a reason for poor blue mold growth? And how can I improve the cheese and are any improvements possible now?

[Alex]

Salt may be one of the reasons according to your description. White mold likes salt but inhibits blue.

[justsocat]

Yes, I think you are right Alex. I age blues in a fridge in containers that are only a little bigger than cheeses themselves. And in order to maintain proper humidity level I sprinkle wheels with dry salt.
That should be a reason for poor blue mold growth. But what could be done at the moment? If I wash the rind will it help? And what I have to wash it with?