Is this the elusive Mycodore?

[mtncheesemaker]

This is a 3+ month old tomme that was inoculated with B. linens, Geo, Mycodore and KL 71. I've never had this particular mold color before even though I have used Mycodore in other tommes. It smells kind of mushroomy. I also have 2 camemberts that are growing some of this same mold.
Just hoping this is a good thing.

[linuxboy]

They grey one? Not likely. Mycodore starts out creamy, and then sometimes turns other shades, but usually just stays various off shades of white. It's easy to confuse it for geo. I see what looks like a geo/mycodore mat in the rest of the cheese, with mottled spots of b linens.

[mtncheesemaker]

Thanks, any idea what it might be? i.e., is it safe to eat?

[linuxboy]

Don't know, would need to study it. I would eat it, yes. There's this stigma about eating mold, because moldy food is considered as ruined. But the reality is that there's mold present in a lot of food. We just can't see it most of the time. Almost always, it's harmless. And when it isn't, the consequences are not quite as dire as they are with bacterial pathogens. And with cheese, the likelihood of ingesting something dangerous in the rind of an aged cheese is tiny. It's much more common to taste something that is no palatable (bitter, astringent, etc)

[mtncheesemaker]

Thanks for the response. I've been brushing it back, hoping to develop a tasty, complex rind.
I'm not shy about eating molds, hope I don't get into trouble!

[Helen]

Funny! My last tomme developed a similar looking mold. I just thought it was mycodore and let it grow. However, I am not eating tomme rind.

[dttorun]

Mine is worst :-) I too let the mycodore go wild...
It is morbier by the way. Good paste, not so good rind.
Tan

[mtncheesemaker]

Have you cut into it?

[dttorun]

Yes, here it is.
Tan

[Boofer]

Looks good. Nice thin line. Taste?

-Boofer-

[mtncheesemaker]

Here's the tomme at 4+ months; cut yesterday. Quite tasty.

[Tomer1]

Are thos holes from pressing or did you use a gas producing culture blend?

[mtncheesemaker]

It's a very lightly pressed cheese; I use only 4-6 lbs on a 4 lb cheese. I added Geo, Mycodore, KL71 and B. linens to the milk; I don't think that those contributed to the holes.

[smilingcalico]

Those appear to be mechanical.  Holes from gas production tend to be more uniformly circular.

[Boofer]

Gorgeous cheese, Pam!

Well done.

-Boofer-