My first Traditional Cheddar.

[Crystal]

What a shame Jeff!Maybe just eat the good bits now..? lol, i would HATE to throw away so much nice looking cheese!

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I'm just going to age this a bit and see what happens.  It doesn't smell off or anything, so I'll wait to see what developes. 

- Jeff

[anutcanfly]

I worry when my turn will come!  I have kefir and sourdough starter burbling away in my work area, and a dog.

[JeffHamm]

I did wax this one quite early, about a week after making it.  Although that seems unlikely to be the cause of gass I'll wait to see if it continues to balloon, or see if it deflates now that it is out of the wax. 

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

It seems to have deflated.  If I hadn't waxed it, I doubt I would have noticed anything.  I'm thinking it was waxed too early.  The rind is still quite "green" and quite pliable.  I'll cave it for awhile and try to wax it again when it has aged a bit more.  The photo shows it as it is now; you can still see some of the b.linens contamination that prompted me to wax it.  Still, it now looks "normal".

- Jeff

[anutcanfly]

Yeah, I think I was vacuum packing to soon as well.  I keep finding moisture on my cheeses after I have packed them and if the seal gives and air gets in they smell yeasty.  I've learned my lesson on vacuum packing.  Don't buy the bargain brands!  A fair percentage lose the seal long after you have put them away.

[Tomer1]

Im not sure how that is possible since you seal them by heat = building a molecular bond. 
Gas production in a bag which is not permeable (usually made for the porpuse) enough will fail as a result of that.

Thats why I think you should not vacuum seal so quickly a cheese which uses a gas producing culture.
Moisture on the surface is a different thing , you should let the cheese form a good rind before sealing it up. 
Its formation will create a moist and friendly enviroment for anarobic spoilage organisms which in return can cause flavor and aroma defects.  Alternativly you can spray it with an antibacterial product.

[anutcanfly]

Haven't a clue where the air actually gets in.  It's like there are tiny imperfections that allow air in at a very very slow rate. The plastic is thinner as well, so that would allow for easy punctures.  I've started drying them for 2 weeks in the cave now prior to sealing.  Time will tell what else needs to be done.

[Crystal]

Glad your cheese is ok Jeff! Now i have a cave i can dry mine a bit longer too. Im really thinking of getting a vaccum sealer, i hate waxing, its so boring and painful brushing it on, and no, i dont have enough to dip, or a big enough pot!

[JeffHamm]

Thanks Crystal.

I don't mind waxing all that much.  Doesn't take all that long, and I'm not sure I trust my vaccuum sealer.  I've got a Montasio vac pac'd that keeps bluing on me.  Grrr.  Mind you, I've had mould develop under the wax too, but I can cut that out easy enough.  I seem to recall reading that flora danica does produce a bit of gas, and buttermilk has the same cultures (but different strains), so it too probably produces some gas.  By waxing early, trying to shut down the b.linens contamination it picked up, I probably hadn't given it enough time to release the gas that would normally escape until the rind firmed up enough.  That's my theory any way, and I'll stick to it for now. :)

- Jeff

[Crystal]

Sounds great to me Jeff, and since i dont know any better, ill go with your theory! LOL! I guess its just trial and error some times, even the experts cant tell us what we did wrong.

[DeejayDebi]

The gas is there in the cheese - is is a biproduct of the femetation, water (H2O) etc. ust changes form. All the players are in the bag before it is sealed. Makes it easy to watch your "swiss types" when the bag points down on one end it draws your eyes in.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Ok, so I've now had this out of the wax and in the cave for a while.  Now, I've taken it out of the cave and put about 1/2 tbls salt over one face.  AFter that drew out some moisture, I've rubbed the slurry over the face and around the sides.  I'll repeat this process this evening.  Basically, I'm trying to condition the rind a bit before attempting to wax it again.  Will see how that goes.  It's looking like the cheese is ok as the swelling has not come back.  It must have been a result of premature waxing.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I should have taken a photo, but basically, this one has made a full recovery.  It's now down to 1004g, has a nice firm and smooth rind, a touch of geo or some other wild "helper" shows up but easily brushed off, and today it's gone back in the wax.  I foresee no further issues with this one and it should now be added to the list of hibernating species that inhabit this cave of mine.   I'm hoping to take this one out to next Christmas, or beyond, so we'll just wait and see how that goes.

- Jeff

[anutcanfly]

Good save!  Don't forget the pictures come x-mas.   :)