Old cheddar- please advise

[Cloversmilker]

This is a 6 year old bandaged cheddar that was hidden away in the bottom of the back frig a few years ago.  It was originally about 6 pounds.  It has been infiltrated with blue mold, and has also turned quite brown.  Is there any reason not to eat it?  The center tastes good; quite sharp and tangy.  The blue does not overpower.  I'm nervous about the brown edges though.   

And why was it abandoned so long?  Well, I had several of these large cheddars of about the same vintage.  They were made with the milk from my previous Jersey.  All but this one were opened and eaten at my father's memorial about a year and a half ago.   After that, it was hard to bring myself to open this last one. 

[Tomer1]

Cheese archiologist

[Crystal]

I'm of the opinion that you should never waste cheese... I'd probably keep eating it even if i got sick... But that doesnt mean you should!

[Cloversmilker]

In the cold gray light of the morning, I decided to compost it.  No one else here liked the looks of it.  "What IS that!?!"  "Where did THAT come from?!?"  but a little less polite were the gist of the local comments.  And I believe the photo gave a more favorable impression than the reality. 

I'm going to clean the bottom of that frig out tomorrow.  No more ancient surprises. 

[boothrf]

Very, very, very good decision!

[JeffHamm]

I must say, from what I can see I think you made the right decision.  Unless there was a decent central core that you could remove, the brown edges just look too much like spoilage to me ; but of course, it's hard to tell from a photo.

- Jeff

[linuxboy]

All cheese is spoilage. Good cheese is about controlled spoilage. You have to smell, taste, and otherwise use your senses to see if it's really not edible. Much of the time, can cut away the rind/mold and eat the heart of the cheese, still tastes good.

[JeffHamm]

LOL.  You're right, of course.  I was using spoilage with all the negative connotations that tend to go with it.  Controlled spoilage we often refer to as fermentation, or ripening, etc, but of course, they all refer to similar underlying processes going on. 

- Jeff

[Cloversmilker]

Some of the center was good.  A fist sized bit perhaps.  Overall this definitely rates as spoilage ran amok though.