So I've been working on a gouda and it's been aging for 1 month. Over the last few days, though, I've had this bright yellow mold on the outer edges that is concerning me. It looks... unnatural. However, I have an untrained eye so can someone give me some feedback on how this looks?
(http://i33.tinypic.com/afil4w.jpg)
I am quite the amateur, though I'll try to help...
Try bathing it in some brine. That may help... :)
Hard to tell but that almost looks like B. linens. How does it smell?
It was starting to smell VERY strong and kind of funny so, after some more research, I opted to brine the cheese again for about an hour which took off 90% of the discolored areas mold. I have since rubbed it down and have it back in my cheese fridge on some drying racks. I have to say that I don't think I had brined it enough the first time. It now seems to have a thicker outer layer which wasn't acheived upon my first brine.
I have also removed the lid I had on it because I think I wasn't cleaning enough of the perspiration off of it, or cleaning it, as I should've been doing more frequently. I plan to brine again in 3 days to get the remaining discoloration removed.
Sound like a plan? Lol
Brining: Brine in saturated salt brine for 3-4 hours for every 1 lb of cheese, flipping at least once.
Cleaning spots: Make a salt and vinegar solution and scrub the unwanted spots until completely removed.