I am making monterey jack using 8 gallons raw milk that is 24 hours old. 5 of the gallons were chilled after milking in a propane fridge, as our milk fridge was full. I doubt that little propane fridge cooled all that milk too quickly, and am thinking that this might be the source of the issue.
Basically, it seemed like bits of cream were floating on the top of my milk during ripening. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like they might have even been little curds. I did forget to stir in my culture for like 5 mins. Doubt that would matter though.
After renneting and cutting, my whey is a bit whiter than normal, but because it is Jack, I am not too concerned. The interesting thing is that some curds float. Not many, but some. My speculation is that perhaps these are the curds from the top layer of my milk that was looking funky. I am considereing scooping them out and discarding, in fear that they will not cook properly. Any ideas?
Sorry no pics, cant leave the kitchen!
