my blue still not going blue

[jeddog]

My blue still not going blue and hasn't started going mouldy at all.
It was the last batch made and i dry salted them.

 It seems a little slimy but only a little what can i do.

I have three

regards James

made on the 13/04/2012

[george13]

You still have some time, you are approaching the date however, so make sure your environent is somewhat humid 85%-90% at least.  If everything else whent well it should start any day now.

[tinysar]

I wouldn't fret just yet, but one of the more experienced blue-makers might be able to give you an answer if you provide a bit more info about your method, eg:

What were they inoculated with?
What was the ambient temp/humidity during the drying-at-room-temp stage?
How are you aging them?

[jeddog]

I didn't do a "drying-at-room-temp stage"

Is it to late to do?


I have taken them from my cheese cave and now are sitting on the kitchen bench with the lid off the container..

should i let it dry a bit?

James

[Tomer1]

Its not exacly drying, but fermenting to encorage PR growth at optimal temp.   At what temp are you keeping it right now?

[Sailor Con Queso]

It's impossible to help you without a lot more details about your make and aging conditions.

[zenith1]

How did you do your salting? Did you heavily surface salt the wheel?

[jeddog]

sorry for the late replay everyone.

The recipe is from "home cheese making" by Carole Willman
the starer used is lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris and lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis.
and heavily surface salt the wheels
im aging my cheeses in my temp controlled cave at 12c in sealed containers.  i have 7 blue cheeses, 4 are looking great and
the three i speak of, are not that good. 

I did forget the room dry those three.

Last night i left the lid off the containers and out of the fridge ( last nights temp was approx 12c) and resealed them this morning.  I left them on the bench for the day and then put back in the cave tonight..


james

[tinysar]

As mentioned, the "room temp drying" step is more about encouraging the PR to get started - the "room temperature" suggested is usually around 20-22 degrees C. But if your "room temp" is the same as your cave temp, it probably doesn't matter where they go - they might start a bit slowly though. I'd leave them in the cave where they have a nice humid environment, wipe them down if they're going slimy, and let them out to breathe every once in a while.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Heavy salting probably killed the mold.

[Tomer1]

If you surface salted the surface,SURFACE growth is discoraged.  It doesnt mean you wont have perfectily fine paste development and veining.  relax.

[TAMARA]

Hi Jeddog,

We are neighbours - I am also on the Mornington Peninsula (in Mt. Martha).

I have also had some intermittent problems with blue mould growing very well on some cheeses and not so well on others, even in the same batch. I have found that if they are too wet, it simply doesn't grow so perhaps your lack of 'drying time' did affect your 3. I would suggest that if they are now dry(ish), that you mix a pinch of the roquefort mould spores with a 200ml. boiled COOLED WATER (not hot as this will kill the mould). Allow the mixture to rehydrate for an hour then shake well.  Spray the cheeses all over with the mould mixture. Repeat in 5 days if desired.

I worked with a cheesemaker in the USA who only inoculates his blues via spray with the spores rather than putting the mould itself in the milk and he finds this works just as well, in fact, he swears by it.

I hope that helps.

Regards,

TAMARA

[jeddog]

Thanks TAMARA,
We are local to each other.   
I find that any questions asked on this forum take a while to be answered, as everyone's for the wrong side of the planet..

nice to have some local support..


I was thinking, would it help to put the cheeses that aren't so good with the cheeses that are going good (have them share containers).

What do you think?

James

[JeffHamm]

Hi jeddog,

It couldn't hurt.  Also, what might help, is when you flip your cheeses flip the "good ones" first, then the naughty ones.  This way, you may get some spores on your hands and transfer them.  That can only help too.

- Jeff

[TAMARA]

Hi again,

Yes I agree re flipping the cheese and certainly, put them in the same container. In fact, when I flip them, I usually sit the good ones on top of the 'not so good' ones to rub off some of the active blue spores.... seems to help and certainly can't hurt.

I also agree re timing. There are quite a few aussies and kiwis on this forum which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

By the way, are you getting farm cows milk or just supermarket?

Regards,

TAMARA