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I've had mold on the surface of a swiss and now a gouda.  What am I doing wrong?  How can I avoid this going forward?  I'm making small 2gal batches of these cheeses.

Make a mixture of vinegar and coarse/kosher salt and wash the surface of your wheel, let it dry and keep ageing.

This happens to all of us. I do the same as Alex. Sometimes, for very stubborn molds, I will use a 70 or 90% ethanol solution. If you really want, you can buy some natamycin and use that to control molds.

In my experience, the root cause is humidity slightly too high.

OK thanks, I'm glad its not so unusual.  I've been wiping with brine, I'll add some vinegar to that.

I do see now that I need to get better at making cheese wheels with smooth surfaces, makes wiping down a lot easier.  I'll be working up some new molds and followers that fit nice and tight.

John, my problem is that I have only two options, too dry or too wet.  I need to figure out how to get to "just right".  I'm sure the spring thaw will help me out considerably.  If it ever gets here!

Lennie it also helps to let it air dry before returning it to the cave.

I'm following directions on that better, but I'm still seeing mold.  On my gouda it said three weeks at 75% humidity so I ut it downstairs (low 60's) and sat it above a plate of water.  It got a mold going within 5 days.

I also cut into my farmhouse cheddar that I waxed, and initially it was fine but now mold/mildew has grown under the wax and seems to have ruined the flavor of the cheese.

Quote from: Lennie on February 25, 2010, 01:00:21 PM
I'm following directions on that better, but I'm still seeing mold.  On my gouda it said three weeks at 75% humidity so I ut it downstairs (low 60's) and sat it above a plate of water.  It got a mold going within 5 days.

Not brine + vinegar, this is too weak. As I mentioned mixture of coarse salt + vinegar with a consistency like mud. This should help you.

OK I'll do that.  I started by using a saturated salt solution.  This morning I made a solution that was 50% vinegar/water and added enough salt to saturate it.

Lennie how often are you washing and flipping your cheeses. Should be daily at first.

I'll flip, but I haven't been washing.  Should I be doing that?

Initially, I flip daily.  I keep this up for about 1-2 weeks.
I wipe down with a vinegar solution every other week, or as needed.
My fridge maintains  about 75% humidity with the help of two cookie sheets of water.

First few weeks I wash a lot. Sometimes every few days. If I see anything I wash - but then I am very sensitive to mold. It it gets a foot hold I will end up with an ichy rash trying to wash it off.

You could try the Blue Ointment for that rash, Deb. 

-Boofer-

As in peniiclium rocquerforte?