Today Valençay day !

[Tiarella]

I'd send you milk if I could!  It would give me a break.  I did remember that I wanted to mention that on my last Valencay make I did some round ones in ricotta baskets and pressed a whole star anise seed into the middle of the top.  I didn't know if it would add any flavor or just make a stylish statement but it really does add some flavor.  you can smell it when you open the cheese paper and taste it just a bit when you eat the cheese.  Pretty nice and very easy.  I did not steam or boil the seeds because I trusted that the PC would preclude any stray molds from growing. 

My cave overfloweth into much of the basement cold room and I just had to buy more cheese boxes.  I must have about a dozen filled with everything from washed curd, Caerphilly, shitake brie, chaource, Valencay, washed rind, etc.  Keeping up with all of them is a lot of work!  But very fun.  I only have this much cheese because I make it every three days. 

On the PC versus Geo.....your rind wasn't too thick, right?  So maybe you already do a good balance of PC or Geo or your conditions are just right unlike mine which always go crazy with PC only.  I was reading the descriptions of strains of cultures and molds at www.getculture.com and comparing the different PC and Geos.  Good evening.