Hi
Concerning the piercing, officially it should not have been pierced till 6 weeks and aged till 12 weeks, but because of the Shavuot festival I decided to open it now
I was very much aware the big difference in temperature is not recommended, but besides the household fridge I have no other 'cave' yet. I kept humidity by putting damp cloth into the coolbox. As I have no meter I have no idea on RH%.
I learned by reading on internet and trial and error. I started simple w/o rennet using lemon juice. At second try I inoculated such curd with crumbs from a roquefort we bought and a second with the rind of a 'camembert'. Then I bought rennet and some CaCl, and picked up raw goat milk during a trip to the Golan, resulting in the Stilton. I hope to have some pictures later.
I am currently hunting for a second hand fridge, and will need measurement equipment for humidity and maybe pH. Little steps at the time though.
Alex, I am from Chashmonaim, a village next to Modiin. I am very much encouraged by the result forum members show, and hope to get to that level some time. At least for now we had 7 homemade cheeses last Wednesday: 3 types of Tsfatit, the 'Stilton', boursin-like creamcheese, Lebena and Feta. Lot's of good feedback, so this hobby will stay for a while....
Amnon