When I was new to making cheese, I rarely allowed my cheese to get any older than three months old. It was exciting to taste test what I had made...but I know that I never tasted the full possibilities in the product, either.
Anyway, this week I opened two cheeses that have been aging for quite some time. The first was a year-old cheddar, my first that I had made in over two years. It was quite moldy and even very colorful once the mold was scrubbed off.
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee217/MrsKK/100_1333_zpsf62ab82e.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/MrsKK/media/100_1333_zpsf62ab82e.jpg.html)
Once cut into, it has an almost marbled appearance. (http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee217/MrsKK/100_1331_zpsdacdb2d1.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/MrsKK/media/100_1331_zpsdacdb2d1.jpg.html)
The texture is slightly crunchy, it is dry-ish, but not enough that it falls apart. Very, very tasty.
The other cheese is a Raw Milk Tomme that is 17 months old. Creamy texture, very sharp flavor. Very very good. Sorry, no pics on that one!
So, my conclusion is that, once I am geared up for making cheese again, I need to alternate a long-aging cheese with one that is meant to be eaten at a younger age. That way, maybe I can get past the urge to eat them all before their time.
Words of wisdom, indeed!
That looks like a fantastic cheddar. A cheese to you. And yes, I highly recommend making some quick ones while aging out a bunch of others. Aged gouda is great too! :)
- Jeff
I'm taking the same approach , I jumped right in and made too many cheeses , hopefully by the time I have tried half of them , the other half are very old , with others still aging at different levels.
Cheddar looks good.
Cheers , Jim.
Quote from: jwalker on April 20, 2013, 01:24:36 PM
I'm taking the same approach , I jumped right in and made too many cheeses , hopefully by the time I have tried half of them , the other half are very old , with others still aging at different levels.
Cheddar looks good.
Cheers , Jim.
Made too many cheeses? Never heard of such a thing! :o
I go in phases of making a lot of cheese, then not making any at all for months on end. Usually make a lot when my cow is first fresh, then once the calf/calves are taking most of the milk, I rarely have enough for cheesemaking, so I go through a dry period. About a month or two before I dry her off, I wean any calf she may still have on her, then I'm milking and making cheeses again. The Tomme and cheddar are the only cheeses I have right now. Sad...
Your lancashire is a good quick make, and butterkase is another that is nice quickly. Caerphilly is quick and one of my favorites, and of course cams are ready in about a month or so. Those give a good range of quick cheeses, with time to make longer aging ones in between (cheddars, aged goudas, parms, etc).
- Jeff