Going away for 2 months - will cheese be ok left aging

[bevchris]

At the end of April I will being going to Canada and the US for 2 months.  I have several parmesans ageing.  By the time we go away they will range between 2 - 3 months old.  To date no mould has appeared on them.  Will it be ok to leave them for this length of time.  They are in a wine fridge set to the correct temperature and humidity.  I am nervous about leaving my cheese's and want to make sure they will be ok while we are away.  Should I have someone come by say once a week to check on them?  Thanks, Bev

[Alex]

If somebody can take care for your cheeses it will be the best to do. If not, I would oil them with olive oil and wrap with shrink.
Have a nice trip

[DeejayDebi]

I was going to say the same - seal them and don't worry!

[bevchris]

Thank you for the advice.
On this forum you talk about shrink wrapping and I just want to clarify.  Is shrink wrapping the same as vacuum sealing?  I don't want to buy the wrong type of sealer as there seems to be different types available.
Also at what stage would you recommend I oil the cheese.  The book by Ricki Carroll recommends when the cheese is 2 months old but could it be done sooner?
One last question, if I am unable to find a suitable shrink wrapper before I go away would oiling and waxing the cheese work the same?
Many thanks
Bev

[Alex]

Shrink and vacuum is not the same. With shrink wrap you don't get the effect of vacuum sealing.
You don't have to oil+wax. wax will give a better sealing then oil and perfectly replace vacuum packing. You will be able to peel off the wax and keep on ageing with natural rind.

[bevchris]

Thank you for your reply.  I now know what I am looking for.

[DeejayDebi]

Vacuum sealing can be done for years shrink wrapping can not. You can find vaccuum sealers in most stores. Foodsaver is a popular brand name.

I don't recommend vacuum packing until after about 3 to 4 weeks so the cheese is dry. Of course you can remove tha bag any time you wish. If posible Ilike to let my cheeses breathe and cut them into portions before giving them away.

[bevchris]

My vacuum sealer has arrived today.   The last parmesan was made last week so they will be dry enough to seal before we go away, I will wait until about 2 weeks before we go to seal them .  Thank you for all your help.
Bev

[bevchris]

I am back from my travels and all my vacuum packed cheeses look good with no mold.  My next question is should I now remove them from the vacuum packs to continue the aging process or leave them in the packs?  Thank you.

[DeejayDebi]

It's up to you. I vacuum my parmesans then throw them in the basement near a back wall for a year or two. A dark inside closet might work well too. Once vacuum sealed they require little to no attention.

[bevchris]

Thank you.  I have decided to leave them vacumn packed.