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Quote from: george (MaryJ) on June 28, 2011, 12:54:01 PM

Lemon grass loses just about everything when dried.  I've frozen it (chopped) a few times, but it worked better to just dig up the plants and bring 'em inside for the winter.   

I tried that; they died!

Hi darius,

If it's turning out dry and crumbly, from what I gather from reading the forum, that could indicate over acidification (if, of course, that's even a word!)  I think you could try cutting back on the amount of starter.  I think there are some other adjustments that can be made too, shorten the ripening time is one I think.  Your caerphilly probably turns out so good because it's supposed to be a more dry and crumbly cheese, with a bit of a tang.  Might just take a few tweaks to get it to behave for moister makes.

- Jeff

Interesting, Jeff. I'll have to pay attention to the starter amounts. None of my Caerphilly wheels have been as dry or crumbly as the Lancs.

Quote from: darius on June 28, 2011, 12:30:45 PM
Karen, none of my Lanc's have had a creamy paste' they are dry and crumbly. I'm using your recipe, wonder what I'm doing wrong?

What kind of milk are you using?  I believe it was Sailor that first mentioned this cheese and described it as having a creamy texture to it, which is what piqued my interest.

Hopefully someone else will chime in.

Are you keeping it in the ripening container for the entire ageing?

I used both thermophilic and mesophilic cultures in mine, as I used a more traditional recipe and make.  I think this may lower the acidification as the thermos won't be super active, but they, IIRC, will do quite a bit of work over the long haul during the ageing.  I really liked how mine turned out.

I'm using milk from a local dairy, 100% Jersey but P/H and 3.4% BF. I do keep it in the cave, and usually vac-pac after it gas dried a few days.

It may well be that I'm using too much starter. My frozen meso cubes are nearly 3 oz. and hard to cut. I need to get a smaller cube tray and weigh the cubes.

Yeah, jeff and I were saying in a different post that it's hard to know how active bulk starter cubes are.  I do prefer dvi cultures.

Hi,

Ok, so today was 60 days for this one and I've cut into it.  It's now warming up, but I thought I would post a photo.  Will add tasting results soon.  It's final weight was 1254g, and the internal knit is the best I've had yet!  I'm very pleased.  The cutting of it felt very creamy and moist, so I'm hoping this one turned out as expected.  Fingers crossed.

- Jeff

Ok, very creamy and moist.  Flavour is very mild.  Doesn't melt and go runny, but it does get soft and stretchy.  Overally, a success.  Was hoping for a bit of a sharper flavour, but not dissappointed.

- Jeff

Looks good!

Lookin' good, Jeff!

Darius, you say you keep it in the cave, but do you keep it in a ripening container?  I think that keeping the humidity really high is key to the creaminess of this cheese.

Thanks!

MrsKK, you've mentioned you get a good cheddar flavour.  What starter do you use?  I only have flora danica, which I know some people do not care for.  I've enjoyed all the cheese I've made with it, but then, I have nothing to compare to.  I see something called MM100 seems popular.

- Jeff

I use store bought buttermilk.  It isn't a sharp cheddar flavor, more like between mild and medium.

Quote from: MrsKK on June 30, 2011, 04:00:26 PM

Darius, you say you keep it in the cave, but do you keep it in a ripening container?  I think that keeping the humidity really high is key to the creaminess of this cheese.

I usually do an air-dried wheel for 2 weeks or so, then vac-seal. The humidity in my root cellar runs 86-88%. I;m working on an old refrigerator for a cave to control temps but still haven't figured out how to control humidity since it wil be sealed from the root cellar humidity.

Thanks Karen!  This has a mild flavour, and when warmer it's a bit cheddarish, so I think things are similar that way.  Must try cultured buttermilk as a starter sometime.

Darius, I've found plastic boxes with lids keeps the humidity up when storing cheeses in my wine fridge.  Should work for you too.  I've generally been able to let my cheeses form natural rinds, and not dry out and crack unless I leave the lid completely off.  If you check the cheeses daily, then opening the door should allow moist air to get into the fridge.  And, you can put a damp cloth in the box if it's too dry.  However, I've generally found too moist is more of a problem then too dry.  Let us know how it all works out and what your solution is. 

- Jeff