I went and got myself some milk yesterday, and it has been sitting outside (temperature very near zero celcius) awaiting this evening's cheese making session.
This far, I have the following:
My old recipe, I'm recreating this one:
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2369.msg22138.html#msg2213835 liters of raw milk directly from a farm. This time I asked for the fat percentage, and it turns out they have it regularly checked and this time of year it is 4,4 per cent. Great. As I posted elsewhere on this forum, they also do regular listeria and other microflora checks, and the farmer said he can practically guarantee his milk does not have listeria, e. coli etc. Nice to know, really. And since he's almost a friend, I can really believe this and if he would make findings, I'm sure he would report them to me before it was time to cut my cheese.
So, tonight, this really good quality milk, some store-bought buttermilk and some local pharmacy rennet will turn to gouda in my hands.
Unlike the previous ones, this one will definately be waxed. I've experienced that mold will start to develop on my cheeses when they are around 10 days or so. This is why I'm hoping to get a head on the protection and wax it when it is a week old at most. Hopefully it is dry enough by then.