aging cheeses together

[rosawoodsii]

I have four cheeses I'm aging right now:  Minnesota Blue Cheese, Cambazola, Mizithra, and Pepper Jack.  I know I can put the Jack and Mizithra in the same cave, which for me is a Styrofoam container, but what about the other two?  How will they affect each other?  How will they affect the first two?  Do they need separate caves?  Everything is actually in an old farmhouse cellar--used to be a root cellar, but I've been reluctant to expose my mold cheese to the atmosphere since I have no idea what else in in the air.

Also, my Cambodia is getting a nice fuzzy white mold on the sides, but the top and bottom doesn't seem to be developing any, probably because I'm turning it daily. Is that going to be a problem?  I'll need to puncture it soon to develop blue veining.  The recipe doesn't say how often to turn after mold starts to develop, so maybe I shouldn't be turning it as often?

[arkc]

Rosa,

How old is it?  My 'Bloomies' have all started fuzzing at about 6 or 7 days.  Then
by 10 days they are pretty well covered.  But mine too start on the sides first.

annie

[rosawoodsii]

It's about 1 week old, maybe 9 or 10 days.

how often should I be turning the bloomy cheeses?  I'm assuming that's what keeps the top and bottom from getting fuzzy.

[Tomer1]

Daily.

[arkc]

That is not what is stopping the top and bottom growth...What are they sitting on?  Have you left their container opened partially.  They need to be dryish to fuzz. Mine are on Plastic cheese mats.  You can see it in the first photo I've attached.  The second photo is of this 'monster' 11 days later.  Can you attach a photo?

annie

[rosawoodsii]

The cambozola started to bloom, but mostly on the sides.  I flipped it every day for a couple of weeks. and it was blooming on the top as well.  I then slacked to turning it 2-3 times a week.  It's been about 4 days and I went to flip it again today--and found brown mold growing on it everywhere.  First I tried to use brine to clean it but that just smeared the brown stuff everywhere.  Then I salted the entire exterior, but all that did was kill off all the white bloom and now I have a cheese with nothing but brown smear all over. 

Should I just toss it and start again?  I was going to post a recent photo but camera batteries are charging.  I've attached an older photo.  I don't know what the brown mold is, but it seems to be pervasive.  I've thrown away a couple of cheddar and colby cheeses that it got through the wax and ruined.  Heaven only knows what's in the old root cellar.

I had the cheese in a styrofoam container, on a mat on a cookie sheet on a container, with the top skewed so it got a bit of circulation.

[Boofer]

That bamboo mat looks pretty funky. You should ditch it and move to a plastic matting...something that won't harbor infections.

Before you decide to pitch it, maybe try lightly scraping the brown off, applying vinegar with salt to try to regain control.

-Boofer-

[Al Lewis]

That bamboo mat looks pretty funky. You should ditch it and move to a plastic matting...something that won't harbor infections.

Before you decide to pitch it, maybe try lightly scraping the brown off, applying vinegar with salt to try to regain control.

-Boofer-

I ran into this mat problem early and found that if I put them into the dishwasher with a cup of chlorine bleach they will come completely clean and sterile.  I bought enough to change them out regularly and always wash them this way.

[Schnecken Slayer]

I ran into this mat problem early and found that if I put them into the dishwasher with a cup of chlorine bleach they will come completely clean and sterile.  I bought enough to change them out regularly and always wash them this way.
[/quote]

I do similarly, I soak in vinegar then wash in the dishwasher. No problems so far.

[rosawoodsii]

I've gone to mostly plastic mats, but I still have some bamboo mats left so thanks for the tips on sterilizing.  One thing I did find was that after a while the Styrofoam smelled funky.  I think it harbors every awful thing in the air, and since my basement harbors that brown mold, I've switched to large plastic containers to age cheeses in.  I threw away several cheeses that I'd forgotten about for a few months.  When I found them, the wax was completely eaten through and the cheeses were almost unrecognizable. Ugh!  If I ever get that again, maybe I should have it tested.  I may have a secret weapon on my hands.

[Mighty Mouse]

That bamboo mat looks pretty funky. You should ditch it and move to a plastic matting...something that won't harbor infections.

Before you decide to pitch it, maybe try lightly scraping the brown off, applying vinegar with salt to try to regain control.

-Boofer-

I ran into this mat problem early and found that if I put them into the dishwasher with a cup of chlorine bleach they will come completely clean and sterile.  I bought enough to change them out regularly and always wash them this way.

Same here (mostly), I run them through the dish washer and them soak the, in bleach solution before use. I have yet to have a problem. I also change out my mats frequently. I do plan to try plastic mats at some point.