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Hello and thanks for the add.  New to cheese making.  I've made a bit of the soft stuff in the past (yoghurt, motz, etc.) but took the plunge into the deep end starting in January.  Thus far, I've got a few attempts under the belt, starting with a cheddar (perhaps the curds were too dry)


A farmhose cheddar attempt (thanks Gavin & best wishes to Kimmie)


An Ale & Mustard Seed


And another cheddar (from Gavin as well)


And a Saint Paulin (just starting to show colors on the rind)


Lots of questions but I'll lurk and search first for most of them.  One thing I would like to know is, where would I find more information on target pH values during the process?  I've been monitoring and recording but not quite sure what I'm supposed to be targeting and many of the recipes I find online do not mention pH. 

This seems to be such a nice and warm community and I look forward to the day when I can actually taste some of my cheeses.  Maybe a Caerphilly this weekend!

Welcome to the forum!  By the pics I'd say you're off to a great start.

Targeting pH's in the process has really helped me out a lot.  I (and many others) have found Gianaclis Caldwell's book "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking" a great resource...all of her recipes have pH markers, plus the book itself discusses pH in good detail.  Also helpful is her 24-minute video https://gianacliscaldwell.com/2017/01/21/ph-and-acid-in-cheesemaking/ which covers a few details not found in her book.

Good luck and please post results of your cheeses when the time comes!

Thanks for the info, I'll go grab that book.  The hardest part of this hobby is apparently the waiting part...

Well actually I forgot to add, that there are quite a few recipes with pH markers, spreadsheets with pH markers, and posts with pH markers here in the forum...there's some in the library and the rest you just need to do searches to find them.  So I'd recommend spending your "waiting" time doing "searches" and you might be surprised just how much info you will find!  Good luck!!

ThurstonCounty, welcome to the forum!

On the cheddar, are you thinking the curds were too dry because of the cracks and seams? Note that cheddar requires a LOT more pressure to close the rind than most other cheeses, so the pressing weight needs to be considered as well.

and howdy from Birmingham, Alabama! Expat Scotsman here.

A cheese for you (thumbs up) for all your cheese!

Quote from: ThurstonCounty on February 23, 2020, 01:31:35 AM
The hardest part of this hobby is apparently the waiting part...

Fresh cheeses!  No need to wait :-)  They have been a revelation to me.  It surprises me greatly, but if I've got a choice between one of my aged cheeses and one of my fresh cheeses, I almost always reach for the fresh cheese.  There are many, many amazing cheeses that are ready to eat in 1-10 days!

Hello - I am in Richmond too and dabble periodically in cheese making (I'm a microbiologist).  Where are you getting your milk?