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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Caves => Topic started by: Brian on November 24, 2008, 03:17:47 PM
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OK
Where I live (Oregon) there isn't a lot of ground water, so everyone here including myself have 2500 gallon underground water storage tanks.
I built a shed over the top of it and insulated it. I have built a couple of shelves on the inside and have a remote out there that shows temp and humidity.
Seems the constant water temp of 55 degrees keeps the temp regulated and also keeps the humidity up at around 80-85%. Temp outside here is 30 but inside the "cave" is 47 degrees.
So now I have 2 Chedders, a Gouda and 2 Romanos that will make there home there. Wish me luck!
B
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sounds Ideal, watch out for critters trying to get a free meal.
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Yea I know.
The door is TIGHT. Damn shed is nearly airtight too.
Only critters getting in there would be a bear. Which apparently are up here but I haven't seen any sign of one. Setting a mouse trap just in case for the little guys.......
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You can catch a little bear in a mouse trap :o
Sorry just joking ;)
Well I wish you luck with your cheeses. Going into summer here, so it is going to be an uphill battle keeping cheese for a while. Still haven't organised my fridge yet. sigh
Keep us updated.
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Brian, that is a novel idea! I've heard of Cheese Cave's and Cheese Cellar's but never a regulated Cheese Shed, sounds great, post a couple snaps for us when you get time . . .
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Yikes.
We've had snow and it's kind of dry. I had to put a bowl of water next to the cheese since the humidity has got down to 60%
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Sometimes a bowl of water doesn't have enough surface area to evaporate water, one trick is to hang a towel in water and over edge as huge surface area.
If that's not enough I read about in France where aging room thaey splash water against the walls, but walls were tiled ;).
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Not to contradict you CH, but in my full-sized-upright-freezer-turned-cheese-cave, a small pan of water raises the internal humidity to about 90%.
hmmm
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Of course you can, never a problem, if we don't correct each other we are all going to be in trouble and making non-optimal cheese :D.
Good point, funny, when I tried an old upright fridge, a bowl of water wasn't enough for me . . . in this thread though Brian has a Cheese Shed in Oregon USA, so I'm guessing a lot larger volume and leakier than a fridge to keep humidity high in.