I made a round of stirred-curd cheddar with four gallons of milk on April 4, 2011. I pressed it at 50 pounds for 24 hours, then dried for ten days before cream waxing it on April 15. I hard waxed the cheese 23 days after I had cream waxed it, on May 9. Today I turning my cheeses, and I noticed that it had bubbles under the wax. I can't tell whether it is between the hard wax and the cream wax, or between the cheese and the cream wax. I also can't tell whether it is water bubbles or air bubbles, although I'm assuming it's the former. I was wanting to age the cheese for three months before cutting it open, but now I'm wondering if I should cut it open now and see what these bubbles are about, or if I should wait for the beginning of July like I had originally planned and just keep a close eye on it until then. Any opinions?
I have no idea why the cheese is doing this. The cheeses that I made after that one are all fine, as least so far.
Naomi
You will probably have to find out what the bubbles actually are, whether it is accumulating whey or a gas. Then you can decide what direction to go in in with the wheel. It sounds like you processed the wheel correctly during the drying stage, so it could be a late blooming contaminant that is giving off gas. You are going to have to cut open the area on the wheel that is affected and take a look. You can always re-wax that area.
Good answer Zenith. A thumbs up for you.
annie
Thanks for the input. Since there are bubbles in more than one place on the cheese, I've decided to just leave it for now and keep a close eye on it. I'll be cutting it open in less than a month anyway, but I'll do it earlier if the bubbles get any worse. Once I cut my cheese open I may be posting back here asking for input, depending on what I find.
Naomi