First two Stiltons - a continuing saga

[george]

So I decided it was time to start playing with moldy things, and made my first Stilton on 12/16/10, using Ricki Carroll's recipe (from the book, not the website).  Did NOT have a proper size hoop that I was willing to tie up for four days, so I ended up doing some pressing for the first day or so using 8 lb and 3 lb dumbbells just to fit all the curds in the hoop I DID have.  Immediately ordered  a couple of new hoops.   That recipe called for 1/8 tsp P. roqueforti for a 2-gallon batch, and milling into walnut-sized pieces (of course, I'm thinking walnut SHELL-sized, so I had some pretty big curd chunks I was trying to press down to fit).  I knew there were lots of air spaces and whatnot in there, and was convinced that it was going to be a miserable failure, but since it was an experiement more for the process than anything else, I kept it going.  Then I discovered this wonderful place and realized that it probably will be okay, if a little odd.  The thing was REALLY blue at the end of the four days in the hoop, but I went ahead and smoothed it anyway (after having read all about that here).

Got the new hoops a few days later, and made Stilton #2 on 12/22.  Noticed that the NE Cheesemaking website recipe called for only 1/16 tsp for FOUR gallons, so I made this one (even though was 2 gallons) with 1/16 tsp to see what would happen.  Significantly less bluing right out of the hoop, and since I'd seen a lovely picture of John's Stilton curds which were a LOT smaller than I'd done with #1, I went ahead and tried to duplicate that.  (I believe it was John's cheese #33, but I'm not sure.)  Anyway, went ahead and smoothed that one, too. 

I'm attaching what few pictures I've got that are relevant to all of the above, plus what they look like now at 18 and 12 days old, respectively.  A day or so ago I noticed that they are both getting a lot of white fuzzy mold on them in addition to the blue.  I know it's not direct p. candidum contamination, since I haven't gotten around to cams yet so don't even have any of that, and I didn't even have any geo till last week, and the Stiltons are in a covered container so I don't think it could have jumped all the way across the large table, grapple-hooked its way up to the cover and slithered inside.

So that's a long-winded way of saying - should I wipe down these white fuzzies?  Are they supposed to be there?  If I need to wipe 'em, should I use brine or vinegar?

Also on the various pics - both of them are starting to show some brown spots in various places (not sure how well you can see this in the pics).  I'm not sure whether that's because I smoothed them AFTER the blue mold had already started to grow, or whether it's the beginning of the lovely crust forming.  It seems a little early for the crust?  (Oh, the recipe also said I was supposed to pierce them immediately after removing from the hoop, but I didn't, based on other's experience here - I'm waiting for the rind to start forming, and then pierce - that should be at around week 4 or so, right?)

Ignore the round/oval patches on the sides of the cheeses in the pics - those are just the marks of my fingertips when flipping them.   

[george]

More pics