Two years ago I was inspired to make cheese after reading Barbara Kingsolvers "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". Moz and fromage blanc were pretty easy so I decided to go on to hard cheese. Several really nasty tasting failures later, I was really stumped. Monterey Jack, cheddar, gouda all were completely inedible. I found this forum and have been grateful for the generosity of spirit and wisdom and good advise I've read here. So.....my mistake earlier was (I'm now ashamed to say) that I used a direct set starter and made a cultured starter with it. No wonder my cheeses were awful.
After reading about how so many of you come to the rescue of ruined milk, I gathered my courage and tried again. Yesterday I cracked open a gouda that had aged for 3 months. I was afraid to try it in case it was another failure. It was a bit crumbly, but honestly really good flavor! I couldn't believe it! I made eatable cheese! And it was good. I took a wedge to work and they liked it too. Wow, I feel like a new mother.
Thank you all for your help and generous advice.
