Little crop of Caerphilly

[mjr522]

Dave--I will go ahead and brush it down.  I did rearrange things, and will post some more pictures once I've brushed it down.  Thanks for the advice.

Bobby--I'm not the best person to ask about the molds.  Hopefully someone else will give you their opinion.  The only times before this one that I have let mold grow on my cheese is when I've put it.  Otherwise, I've always tried to keep it off.  With that said, if you think it smells good, I imagine it would be fine to let it grow.

[mjr522]

Okay, here are before and after the brushing pictures.  I never flipped it, so the top is dry and the bottom is still moist.  The after picture is of the moist bottom.  Instead of just brushing off, some of the mold filaments clumped up.  It's ugly for now, but hey, it's neglected.  I actually think it might turn out okay, though I'm still pretty sure the mold will creep down in through the open rind and ribbon the cheese.  It doesn't smell bad--I can smell a little "earth" (dirt...).

Before:

After:

[Tiarella]

Sounds OK, but I think that I would brush the mold down. A student of mine made one, and her house is very humid, so I have her brushing the mold down with a nail brush, and it's forming a nice rind.

I'm experimenting with loving neglect also but with a slightly different twist.  I rubbed mine with coconut oil after the rind dried well.  I draped a piece of cheesecloth around it because we had a couple of flies in the house....unusual for us and I didn't want them landing on the cheese.  Although our air was dry at first we've settled into a humid stretch now and there are some molds growing on the cheese.....just a bit of blue and white.  The smell is quite cheddar-ish.  The flies were gone yesterday so I've taken the draping off of it.  it's sitting on a rack right on our kitchen island for now.  It's next to a bowl of garlic and shallots from the garden and in the same room as about fifty peaches ripening in trays.  I make bread in this room, cut up lots of garden vegetables, etc and I'm curious how that might impact the rind although I have no control specimen.

The blue mold smells strong in a good way but I am not sure if it's PR or wild blue yeasts.  I think of the yeasts smelling musty (until they're brushed) and this doesn't smell musty.

[Boofer]

It's ugly for now, but hey, it's neglected.

Boy, Mike, you're a brave soul. I couldn't just let my cheese idle like that...too many things wanting to seize the opportunity to trash it. The only time I might consider such a tactic is when I've established the rind with PLA or linens so that there is something else in there fighting for control of the cheese while I sit back and twiddle my thumbs and contemplate my navel. ::)

-Boofer-

[mjr522]

Tia--have you got any pictures of yours?  I think the coating of coconut oil will provide quite a bit more protection than the coating of pure neglect I applied to mine...

Boofer--it became suddenly easier to neglect one when I had 8 of his brothers sitting right there waiting to be taken care of.  (As a side note, my wife just asked me what I was writing about, and as I explained your comment, she said, "Who said that... La Boof?"  I didn't think she ever read any of the forum despite my spending hours reading the posts.  Apparently she has at least noticed you, even if she didn't get your name quite right.)

[bobbymac29649]

Hi Mike,
Can you tell me where to find that Egg Crate?  I went to Lowes yesterday and had no luck.
Thanks..
Bobby

[mjr522]

Sorry--I saw you asked this in your last post and then promptly forgot to answer.  I actually got mine from home depot.

[bobbymac29649]

Just ordered some!  Thank you sir...

[Boofer]

she said, "Who said that... La Boof?"

;D

-Boofer-

[Tiarella]

@Bobby, when using that egg crate stuff, I  recommend you use matting between the cheese and it.  The weight of many cheese will create too much of the grid impression and it's probably not food grade plastic  either.  That said, I've seen some cool pillowy imprints on some soft bloomy cheeses.

@Boofer, I like it.  La Boof!  makes you sound very mysterious and sophisticated.   ^-^

[mjr522]

I agree with Tiarella, even though I don't always remember to do what she recommends...the grid pattern looks cool, but when you flip the cheese twice and it doesn't get back on the original imprint, it doesn't look as good.

[Tiarella]

Tia--have you got any pictures of yours?  I think the coating of coconut oil will provide quite a bit more protection than the coating of pure neglect I applied to mine...

Okay, here's a photo.  notice that it didn't get flipped for days?  I'm waiting for the ambient humidity level around here to drop so that I can brush this crop of molds off but it may be another day or so.  It's not living on a windowsill, I just needed more light than the rest of the room offered. 

[mjr522]

I think that looks very cool.  I tried to get some better air flow for mine, and now it's all dried and cracked.  I think I might copy your coconut oil idea next time. 

[Tiarella]

I think that looks very cool.  I tried to get some better air flow for mine, and now it's all dried and cracked.  I think I might copy your coconut oil idea next time.

Well, if you want to copy mine, make sure you have dozens of peach ripening (and molding) in the same room, lots of fresh veggies around on the counter and make bread a few times.  Wouldn't want your cheese child to be disadvantaged!   :o

[mjr522]

Do you think 3 small children and a big dog running around are equivalent to fruit and baking?