Garlic and Basil Havarti

[Mondequay]

Made my first havarti last weekend. We vac sealed it yesterday and took a little bite. To my surprise it is already very good. I've read lots of differing opinions about how long to age this cheese. This one being the most startling: "Harvarti - eat at 60 days, at 90 it starts to go down hill, at 120 it is sour/bitter."

Anyone want to chime in with their opinion? It's 4.5 pounds and I don't want to waste a morsel!
Christine

[BigCheese]

Looks very nice! I found at 2 months mine was not very tasty. 2.5 we started eating it. I cant imagine it being sour 2 weeks from now (that will be about 120 days I think). I think it is hard to give a blanket assessment. You can always vac bag and refrigerate to slow down the development once it is at a point that you like.

[Alex]

I had Havarties aged for 2-3 months and then kept in the fridge for another 1-2 months. I never noticed any side taste.

[Cheesetart]

I have a dill havarti that I find keeps getting better with age.  When I first cracked it, the dill was a bit overpowering and not much "cheese" flavor (I can be heavy handed with spices).  But over the last few months, I have been pleasantly surprised with it -- the cheese has definitely matured and has improved with age!

[Brentsbox]

Did you add fresh basil and fresh garlic?   I would like to experiment with some herbs but dont know how to keep unwanted bacteria out if using fresh.   

[Mondequay]

Thanks for the help. I'm going to wait until the 2 month mark and then keep testing it. I guess I forgot that I can put it in the fridge to slow/stop the aging! Hehehe

Brentsbox, I used homegrown and dried basil and garlic. For 2 gallons of milk I added 1 tsp garlic and 1 T basil. Only time will tell if that was the correct amount.
Christine

[Mondequay]

Sorry, that was 4 gallons not two.

[DeejayDebi]

I think the time might depend on the person and methods used. I have had young ones from one recipe taste good at 2 months and older ones after 6 or 8 months from other methods that started to tastes more like a mild cheddar. Sealing the cheese with keep it more moist and it will last longer as a Havarti.