Monty Jack with Garlic and Chives

[nccheesemike]

Last weekend I made a Monterrey Jack Cheese and added Garlic and Chives. Overall make went good. 2lb recipe. The pH went a bit lower than I wanted due to not salting enough but I believe we will still have good cheese. pH ended at 5.1 vs target 5.3-5.4. Just put it in the cheese cave and plan to keep a natural rind. Age for 3 months before I try it. Enjoy the cheese pic

[DoctorCheese]

How much chives and what kind of preparation?

[nccheesemike]

I just bought some dried chives at Whole Foods for this cheese. As I was warming up the milk to add culture I

Boiled 1.5 cups water and added 2 Tbsp Chives
Boiled for 12-15 mins
Cooled water and strained chives.
Water from chives was added to the milk right before the culture was added.
At Molding I mixed 1/2 Tbsp of Garlic Powder and the 2 Tbsp of Chives into the curds mixed them throughout then pressed my cheese.

That photo is how it turned out after pressing.

[blucrsr]

How did this cheese turn out?  Was the garlic flavor good?