My Jarlsberg #1 & Jarlsberg #2

[Boofer]

I got a little busier than usual during May and June, making my first Baby Swiss and my first and second Jarlsberg cheeses. I looked at the Jarlsberg recipe in 200 Cheeses but it seemed a variation of Emmentaler. Somewhere on this forum Debi posted her recipe for Jarlsberg, adapted from the genuine "Jarlsberg Cheese History and Development" document. I used both of those sources to craft my Jarlsbergs. I had trouble reading the translated version of the History & Development so I pushed it over to a Word format which was a lot easier to read.

Jarlsberg #1 developed a crack on day six in the cave so I pulled it out and tightly vac-bagged.

Working on Jarlsberg #2: when I removed the cheese from the mould for the first flip, it seemed to be a really tight knit. The individual curds were nonexistent and the whole cheese was amazingly soft but firm. It seemed like an epiphany moment for my cheesemaking efforts. Perhaps my early cheeses hadn't been cooked (scalded) long enough to change the curds into something different.

My pH meter didn't behave and give me the readings I was expecting so I proceeded on the recipe's schedule of time and temps. I trusted that the cultures would respond the way that they were expected to as stated in the recipe. Right now, Jarlsberg #1 is tightly vac-bagged and out at room temp which is 70F. Jarlsberg #2 came out of the brine at 2:00AM after a 6 hour soak and is now drying in the cave at 52.8F/86%RH. When it comes out of the cave I'll have to decide whether to vac-bag it too or do something else. Any suggestions?

Jarlsberg #2 is the third time I've used my new Dutch press and it worked great. Both Jarlsbergs were pressed at 182lbs (15lbs with 2 pulleys) for 8 hours. I initially had that at 72 lbs, but my calcs were off (Boy, were they!).

-Boofer-

[Sailor Con Queso]

Boof - Looks good. Are you not using cheesecloth??? Can't see any in the pics.

[Boofer]

Yes, I am using cheesecloth. I tried removing it when I made my Baby Swiss (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4044.msg31393.html#msg31393), but the cheese nodules shoving out the mould holes disturbed me so much that I stayed with the cloth for both Jarlsbergs. Much better.

You can see the cheesecloth weave imprint on the wheel.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

No swelling yet on the baby or Jarlsberg #1. Today, after 6 days drying in the cave, I removed Jarlsberg #2 and tightly vac-bagged it. I will attempt to develop eyes at a little warmer temperature (72F @ 9:00AM). Where the baby and #1 are sitting downstairs at 67F today. Both temps will rise a little during the day, but we are still enjoying cool temps outside. Today it is raining and 55F outside. Wow, how long can this cool weather go on? Monday is the first day of summer. Washington is really trying to live up to its state motto "The Evergreen State". I'm not complaining. This is great for the cheeses that need to be out at room temperature.

At this point, after having read and reread the information about salt and sodium nitrate impeding the effectiveness of Propionibacteria, I am hoping that this series of experiments with it are successful and any residual fears I have are unfounded.

We shall see.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Getting a little whey in the bag of each Jarlsberg, but the Baby Swiss is nice and dry.

I've probably asked this before: should I open the bag, dry the cheese, and reseal?

They sure look good at this point, but no swelling yet. I must be too anxious.

I am really pleased with the look and feel of all three of these wheels. Smooth surfaces with a soft, yet firm, feel.

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

Hi hon looking good really there! I am impressed by your press.

If you find whey in the bag I would open it, dry it and reseal. The whey can sour and help grow unwanted bacteria in the bag - especially at warmer temperatures. Good luck!

[Boofer]

Thanks, I did that yesterday. It looks like I'll need to take it out of the bag and dry it a little more in the cave.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Well, Jarlsberg #1 had more whey collected in the bag, even after I had opened and dried it. This morning I removed it from the bag, dried it, lightly salted it, and put it into a cracked minicave to dry out. My concerns down the road are rind cracking and mold growth. Fingers crossed.... 

I like the way the surface has been formed by the vacuum bagging with the little bit of whey. Nice and smooth. The temp is around 66-72F.

Jarlsberg #2 is still tightly bagged and showing a little moisture, but not so much that I'm in a panic yet. It's upstairs where the temperature is 75-80F. Just a little experiment to see how the propionibacterium shermanii behaves with different temperatures.

-Boofer-

[Sailor Con Queso]

The P. shermanii will actually love the warmer temps, but every other biological, chemical, enzymatic, process going on will hate it. Move it back downstairs or you will end up with a bitter tasting cheese.

[Boofer]

The P. shermanii will actually love the warmer temps, but every other biological, chemical, enzymatic, process going on will hate it. Move it back downstairs or you will end up with a bitter tasting cheese.

Wilco. 

There's that much difference, huh?

On Jarlsberg #1, EVOO helped to pull the cracks back together within one day. It's still weeping in the minicave at room temp (68.3F/79%RH). I moved Jarlsberg #2 downstairs. The upstairs temp was 73F @ 7:45 this morning. It has been warmer up there during the past week (79F).

I rather expected some swelling from one of the three by this time. The Baby Swiss is at 22 days in room temperature; J#1: 19 days; J#2: 9 days. Patience, I guess.

Perhaps I did have some swelling and that's why J#1 cracked. I will try to keep it in the minicave with its EVOO rind protector in place. It still needs to lose some of its moisture.

What's the maximum time that anyone has had a Jarlsberg, Swiss, etc. out to develop eyes?

I went back and looked at some of the earlier pics I posted on this thread and it does appear that J#1 had some slight swelling. Hoojah! It could be that the rind didn't hold and it blew. Eh, what are you going to do? Try, try, try again....

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

This was a tightly vacuum-bagged wheel, but now the bag is puffed up with gas. Looks like all my eyes are floating around between the wheel and the bag.    :'(

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

Looks like the cheese has more cracks somewhere.

[Boofer]

Looks like the cheese has more cracks somewhere.

The only cracks seem to be on the flat top and bottom.

I think I've had another epiphany moment today!!

The cheese is in the vacuum bag, hoping that the bag helps support the rind and prevent gas from escaping into the bag and instead redirecting it to the inner part of the cheese. Well, that doesn't totally work as advertised. The cheese develops a crack (for me, in the top and bottom) and the gas fills the bag as in the photo. Today, when I pushed the sides of the wheel towards the center, it closed the crack (I was pushing on the bag as well).

So it occurred to me that I need a belly belt to hold all that goodness in and close the crack. The band around the wheel does accomplish that...it closes the crack. Voila!

I'm sure since the crack is already there that gas will continue to escape. Just maybe not as great and perhaps I'll get some good eyes after all. Then again, if I plug it here, it'll probably open up somewhere else. We'll see.

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

Boy that cheese just want to crack. Looks plenty moist but not much of a rind. Could be why it's cracking so easily. My cheeses generally sart to get a bit of a rubbery like rind after a few days or so drying on the counter. Although I have a very dry heat in the house in the winter and pretty warm in the summer.

[Boofer]

Boy that cheese just want to crack. Looks plenty moist but not much of a rind. Could be why it's cracking so easily. My cheeses generally sart to get a bit of a rubbery like rind after a few days or so drying on the counter. Although I have a very dry heat in the house in the winter and pretty warm in the summer.

Well, I gave them a week in the cave and they seemed like they had developed somewhat of a rind. I then oiled up #1. After bagging #1 a couple times and drying it between bagging cycles, I decided it needed a bit more drying time. I pulled it from its bag and gave it another several days in the cave to dry up some. Then I tightly vacuum-bagged it and the bag started to swell. It isn't losing whey in the bag any more. When it got to be close to popping, I took it out again, dried it off, and tightly bagged it again (couple days ago.)

-Boofer-