Washed rind herdsman cheese, difficulty establishing geo

[tecla]

I made a mutschli herdsman cheese following NECM's instructions, including putting some geo15 and b.linens in the raw milk: https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes/products/mutschli-herdsmans-cheese-making-recipe

All went well, hit pH 5.2 then I brined it. After brining I put it out, covered with a cheese cloth to dry at room temp (68 F), but it seemed dry to the touch within 48 hours. I'm in Utah where it's very dry air, especially the winter, so I chickened out and put it in the cheese cave at average 55 F and 80-90% relative humidity.

After 10 days I saw a little bit of white mold, that then started showing bits of blue. Dang it! I had washed it a couple of times with the light brine recommended in the recipe, with a little geo and linens added, but I haven't seen any definitive sign of the geo showing up.

I pulled it out to leave at room temperature for a few days. I rubbed off the blue, and have been washing it once a day in non-salty water with geo added, hoping I can beat the blue and get geo going.

Is this likely to work? Anything else I can do to get the geo ahead of the blue so I can get the linens to embed?

I asked on NECM's website, and Jim has great tips for what to look for during the make...but not really how to rescue it.

[Aris]

Don't lose hope, wash it with 3% brine ever other day until the blue mold stop showing up. My unpressed Goat Tomme which is craggy used to have blue mold on it but the frequent washing pretty much inhibited the blue mold and eventually G. Candidum flourished on the rind. When washing the cheese, I use my sanitized hands and rub the 3% brine on the cheese thoroughly. I put my 3% brine inside a squeeze plastic bottle and stored in the fridge so it will not become contaminated.

[tecla]

Anything else? White wine wash, maybe once? I also assume that after I've had a couple of days out in room temperature I should go ahead and put it back in the cave, while I keep washing it?

[Aris]

Personally I wouldn't use wine because it is acidic and can potentially inhibit the growth of Brevibacterium/Corynebacterium. Yes, put it back in the cave. After washing, put it back in the ripening box while it is still damp. Eventually a schmier or a sticky coating will form all over the cheese and will inhibit foreign molds. It will also give that distinct stinky feet or sweaty socks smell. Typically the schmier gives an orange color which is produced by Brevibacterium/Corynbacterium, proteobacteria or etc. My Goat Tomme developed a schmier which mostly inhibited foreign molds. When I stopped washing, G. Candidum eventually took over the rind.

[tecla]

Success, I think!



After the two days of rubbing out the blue and washing with just water+geo at room temperature, it appears the geo has taken off pretty well. A bit hard to see in the photo, but it looks pretty powdery to my eye and no hints of blue at all. Thanks for the help!

[Aris]

It looks good. You only want Geo on the rind and no brevibacterium?

[tecla]

B. linens was in the milk and in the wash I'm using, so it should show up eventually now that the geo is going to work.

[mikekchar]

Once you get full geo coverage, wash it again with light brine and the b. linens will show up.  It needs *both* a pH over 5.8 and high humidity.  The geotrichum will bring the pH up over time, but you'll also need the humidity for b. linens to grow.  Usually it's not *quite* humid enough if you are getting geotrichum looking good like you have it.

If it takes time, don't panic.  It's just that the pH is taking time to move.  It definitely will happen.

[tecla]

Thanks, I'm upping the humidity a bit in the cave, and starting the light brine wash again every 2-3 days. I'll try to report back as I see progress.