Hi there,
I wash my cheeses with 10% saltwater every second or third day...
Would it be an idea to add Choozit Geo 13 (Geotricium) - and how much - to the wash water each time. I'm a little scared of Listeria etc. and therefore I change the saltwater every time.
I don't think that drybrushing will be sufficient at the moment...
:-) Danbo
I just dry brush and let the rinds grow some amazing natural stuff on them. I've even left them for months without brushing in a much too humid cheese cave area and they were fine once brushed. In fact, I just opened 2 tommes and a Caerphilly that were all ages about 14 months under too humid conditions and they are lovely with craggy rinds and all I did was dry brush. For me somehow I feel like a "real" cheesemaker when I have these unique natural rinds. Perhaps you're looking for a totally clean rind? If so you could rub with coconut oil and continue to coat it a few times (put the oil in a soft place to soften bit and smear on with your hands). Once the coating is keeping the rind from drying out too much it's easy to just massage it if you see any spots of mold.
Yes. Dry brushing works great. You get mold, but there's no big deal.
Quote from: Danbo on January 15, 2015, 09:09:53 PM
Hi there,
I wash my cheeses with 10% saltwater every second or third day...
Would it be an idea to add Choozit Geo 13 (Geotricium) - and how much - to the wash water each time. I'm a little scared of Listeria etc. and therefore I change the saltwater every time.
I don't think that drybrushing will be sufficient at the moment...
:-) Danbo
Another thing here is that if you have Listeria in your kitchen I'm fairly certain you have other problems. ;)
I keep all my washes in spray bottles----have one with wine, water, salt-------one with a lite brine-----one with a heavy brine------one with a brine and vinegar------you get the idea-----I can just spray my cheese with how much I want and where I want, without worrying about contaminating the wash solution. The spray bottles are inexpensive. It works well for me.
Qdog
Nice idea qdog and a cheese for you!
Stinky: I guess you're right. I'm very thorough (misspelled?) when cleaning and sanatizing the kitchen. :-)
Qdog: Why didn't I think of that. It's so simple and yet clever. I'll try that - worth a cheese! :-)
It's spelled properly. :)
Hurrah! ;)
No new cheeses the last couple of weeks...Spring is comming and the garden, patio and greenhouse needed some attention 8) . Also I really needed a break after having made cheese almost every day for weeks... :o
But... After this easter I will start up again - promise! ^-^
Quote from: Danbo on March 27, 2015, 09:20:09 PM
No new cheeses the last couple of weeks...Spring is comming and the garden, patio and greenhouse needed some attention 8) . Also I really needed a break after having made cheese almost every day for weeks... :o
But... After this easter I will start up again - promise! ^-^
*taps foot* >:(
Qdog- great idea with the spray bottles!! How often do you need to change the brine in the bottles/ does it get gross of in there too long? AC4u!!!
Danbo- I fully support your break in cheesemaking . The spring is a good time to get ready for the crazy summer. Also thanks for asking your question I was wondering if I should add geo to my wash also- thinking it could potentially fight back the blue mold a bit. Who knows !
Quote from: Mermaid on March 27, 2015, 09:27:43 PM
Qdog- great idea with the spray bottles!! How often do you need to change the brine in the bottles/ does it get gross of in there too long? AC4u!!!
Danbo- I fully support your break in cheesemaking . The spring is a good time to get ready for the crazy summer. Also thanks for asking your question I was wondering if I should add geo to my wash also- thinking it could potentially fight back the blue mold a bit. Who knows !
It would not be a bad idea, but don't think that's your issue.
What's my issue?
Well, getting blue mold. Either the spores are freely roaming around or you're encouraging the conditions overmuch.
Try oiling the next cheese you make. I'd suggest an Italian type for that. You could see if it grows it as much.
Also, do your cheeses get blue mold coming back and back or does it slow down at a certain point? I've found that the second to the third or fourth week are when molds attack the most, but if you drive them back they stay away once your rind is good enough.
Quote from: qdog1955 on March 27, 2015, 08:19:51 PM
I keep all my washes in spray bottles----have one with wine, water, salt-------one with a lite brine-----one with a heavy brine------one with a brine and vinegar------you get the idea-----I can just spray my cheese with how much I want and where I want, without worrying about contaminating the wash solution. The spray bottles are inexpensive. It works well for me.
Qdog
Great idea. Last year Walmart's garden area was selling fantastic little spray bottles for about $7. These were pressure bottles that one pumped up. When I started making cheese several months ago I had two left and now use one to hold a freshly made Clorox solution (1tsp Clorox/1 gallon of water) and the other for undiluted white vinegar. I use the Clorox bottle for to disinfect surfaces, sinks, vats, etc. and the vinegar to spray on my hands before touching cheese, ingredients, tools, etc. I wipe the liquid off with paper towels. Next time I'm by a Walmart I'll stop and see if these are still available. :D
Quote from: Kern on March 28, 2015, 12:43:23 AM
Quote from: qdog1955 on March 27, 2015, 08:19:51 PM
I keep all my washes in spray bottles----have one with wine, water, salt-------one with a lite brine-----one with a heavy brine------one with a brine and vinegar------you get the idea-----I can just spray my cheese with how much I want and where I want, without worrying about contaminating the wash solution. The spray bottles are inexpensive. It works well for me.
Qdog
Great idea. Last year Walmart's garden area was selling fantastic little spray bottles for about $7. These were pressure bottles that one pumped up. When I started making cheese several months ago I had two left and now use one to hold a freshly made Clorox solution (1tsp Clorox/1 gallon of water) and the other for undiluted white vinegar. I use the Clorox bottle for to disinfect surfaces, sinks, vats, etc. and the vinegar to spray on my hands before touching cheese, ingredients, tools, etc. I wipe the liquid off with paper towels. Next time I'm by a Walmart I'll stop and see if these are still available. :D
Just a note; I always thought that bleach dilutions would last for a while but I hear that not really more than a week at the very most according to some. Bleach in the bottles doesn't last more than 6 months even and there's info online somewhere about how to decipher the expiration code if you want to make sure the bottle you're using hasn't already expired. Learned this from farm biosecurity disinfecting info.
Wish I could take the credit----but I'm pretty sure the idea came from the forum----maybe Al Lewis? No they shouldn't go bad----unless they have whey in them-----and Yes, some people use Geo and the red stinky stuff in spray bottles---haven't done that, so can't tell you how that works.
Qdog
QuoteJust a note; I always thought that bleach dilutions would last for a while but I hear that not really more than a week at the very most according to some. Bleach in the bottles doesn't last more than 6 months even and there's info online somewhere about how to decipher the expiration code if you want to make sure the bottle you're using hasn't already expired. Learned this from farm biosecurity disinfecting info.
That's what I understand too Kathrin. The Chlorox website (https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/shelf-life/) says the sodium hypochlorite in liquid bleach will eventually loose it's chlorine and break down to a salt and water solution. At room temp. shelf life should be 1 yr. but that can be affected by higher temperatures so if you do have a sprayer with a bleach solution it should keep pretty well in a cool 55F environment.
That's what I understand too Kathrin. The Chlorox website (https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/shelf-life/) says the sodium hypochlorite in liquid bleach will eventually loose it's chlorine and break down to a salt and water solution. At room temp. shelf life should be 1 yr. but that can be affected by higher temperatures so if you do have a sprayer with a bleach solution it should keep pretty well in a cool 55F environment.
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Better yet make up a new solution whenever you make cheese. ;)