Mold Problems

[Lennie]

I've had mold on the surface of a swiss and now a gouda.  What am I doing wrong?  How can I avoid this going forward?  I'm making small 2gal batches of these cheeses.

[Alex]

Make a mixture of vinegar and coarse/kosher salt and wash the surface of your wheel, let it dry and keep ageing.

[linuxboy]

This happens to all of us. I do the same as Alex. Sometimes, for very stubborn molds, I will use a 70 or 90% ethanol solution. If you really want, you can buy some natamycin and use that to control molds.

[Cheese Head]

In my experience, the root cause is humidity slightly too high.

[Lennie]

OK thanks, I'm glad its not so unusual.  I've been wiping with brine, I'll add some vinegar to that.

I do see now that I need to get better at making cheese wheels with smooth surfaces, makes wiping down a lot easier.  I'll be working up some new molds and followers that fit nice and tight.

John, my problem is that I have only two options, too dry or too wet.  I need to figure out how to get to "just right".  I'm sure the spring thaw will help me out considerably.  If it ever gets here!

[DeejayDebi]

Lennie it also helps to let it air dry before returning it to the cave.

[Lennie]

I'm following directions on that better, but I'm still seeing mold.  On my gouda it said three weeks at 75% humidity so I ut it downstairs (low 60's) and sat it above a plate of water.  It got a mold going within 5 days.

I also cut into my farmhouse cheddar that I waxed, and initially it was fine but now mold/mildew has grown under the wax and seems to have ruined the flavor of the cheese.

[Alex]

I'm following directions on that better, but I'm still seeing mold.  On my gouda it said three weeks at 75% humidity so I ut it downstairs (low 60's) and sat it above a plate of water.  It got a mold going within 5 days.

Not brine + vinegar, this is too weak. As I mentioned mixture of coarse salt + vinegar with a consistency like mud. This should help you.

[Lennie]

OK I'll do that.  I started by using a saturated salt solution.  This morning I made a solution that was 50% vinegar/water and added enough salt to saturate it.

[DeejayDebi]

Lennie how often are you washing and flipping your cheeses. Should be daily at first.

[Lennie]

I'll flip, but I haven't been washing.  Should I be doing that?

[wharris]

Initially, I flip daily.  I keep this up for about 1-2 weeks.
I wipe down with a vinegar solution every other week, or as needed.
My fridge maintains  about 75% humidity with the help of two cookie sheets of water.

[DeejayDebi]

First few weeks I wash a lot. Sometimes every few days. If I see anything I wash - but then I am very sensitive to mold. It it gets a foot hold I will end up with an ichy rash trying to wash it off.

[Boofer]

You could try the Blue Ointment for that rash, Deb. 

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

As in peniiclium rocquerforte?