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Thanks for the explanation Alp.  Always appreciated! C4U

Here is the cheese out of the press...



The wrinkles on the side will go away as it ages and settles -they disappear with washing, and as the cheese 'settles' and the sides bulge out a little bit under the weight of the cheese.

Now I will let it air dry until tomorrow, when I will put it into the brine. Mutschli is best if you don't put it straight into the brine but let the cheese 'mature' a little first. I will let it sit at room temperature, giving it a chance to acidify a little more before putting it into the brine which effectively will stop ST acidification.

This cheese weighs 18 pounds right now, that is pretty much 1 pound of cheese per gallon of milk (I probably had about 18 gallons, maybe 19)
It will lose a little weight over the next few weeks, maybe a pound.

Here is the cheese in the brine.

This is a heavy salt brine (Don't know percentage, just added salt until it 'felt' right and 'tasted' right) but as you can see there is a lot of extra stuff floating around in there. I added a lot of different herbs, maybe a dozen. Again, I won't say what all (but it does include Tarragon, Marjoram, and Sage)

I mixed the brine up last night. Today it is a good brown color and smells wonderful. The cheese will remain in the brine for 48 hours, being flipped every 6 hours or so. So there will be a lot of salt intake over that period (this is a salty cheese) and a lot of herb intake as well.

Alpchemy! 

Your provençale herbs betray at least a modicum of southern sensibility, my friend.  I won't tell anyone if you don't tell my French blood I do enjoy a German beer from time to time...!

Hmmm...

Most of my herbs are pretty authentically Alpine, a lot are actually domesticated versions of plants that grow wild at least in the Canton of Bern (such as Thyme and Tarragon -whoops let another one leak out) And the rest are all herbs you are likely to have included in a Swiss herbal mix.

Quote from: Alpkäserei on May 14, 2014, 04:27:51 PM
Hmmm...

Most of my herbs are pretty authentically Alpine, a lot are actually domesticated versions of plants that grow wild at least in the Canton of Bern (such as Thyme and Tarragon -whoops let another one leak out) And the rest are all herbs you are likely to have included in a Swiss herbal mix.

I'm sorry, my alpine brother in making, but those herbs are about as northern as my Oncle Jules, a fictional Parisian.  You can claim a lot, but this one I reserve for my Mediterranean paysans.  Tarragon is ubiquitous, but the rest are a classic southern mix.  Your lot may use my lot's stuff....but La Marsellaise it is.  In Provençale, of course.

"Thyme is best cultivated in a hot, sunny location with well-drained soil."

"Salvia officinalis (sage, also called garden sage, or common sage) is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world." (read:  you got it from the Sirocco).

"Marjoram (Origanum majorana, syn. Majorana hortensis Moench, Majorana majorana (L.) H. Karst[2]) is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavors.  Marjoram is indigenous to Cyprus and southern Turkey, and was known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness."

France, 1; Switzerland, 0. 

I personally gathered samples of a number of herbs in the Bernese Alps and took pictures for positive ID. I wanted to have a good record of what was around, so I could replicate it.

France 1, Switzerland 1

The herbs are not exactly the same as the cultivated varieties, in fact many of the cultivated varieties they use in Switzerland are derived from Mediterranean imports (versions of the plant that are better cultivated) And some of them are actually just very closely related plants (similar to how we have wild Basel native to Indiana, but it is not the same Basel that you grow in your gardens, just a very similar member of the mint family)
Roman occupation had a significant impact, and Medieval trade with Italy was also very important.
So yes, a lot does come from the south -but not Provence, rather Italy.
But this change was so long ago.

Marjoram is, I'll admit, the exception to the rule. I'm actually using it as a substitute for some similar flavored herbs that aren't as easy to find (in a big mix like this, it is close enough)

France 1, Switzerland 1, Italy 1

Then of course there are a great deal of other herbs than those mentioned.

A lot of herbs in Central Europe -like anywhere- come to the land through trade. This includes a few things that originated in the far east, long ago.

You're wrong.  And because I'm French, I win the argument.

And because I'm Swiss, I'm never wrong! 

I win. 

Oh, just stick to your clocks. 

(j/k, btw, everyone...if it's not understood, I have a great respect for my alpine friend.....)

Don't stop now gentlemen, I've only just finished pouring a beer and popping the corn!

Quote from: Geo on May 15, 2014, 07:28:12 AM
Don't stop now gentlemen, I've only just finished pouring a beer and popping the corn!

Oh, just grab a Foster's to water your lawn. 

Please please!  You`re upsetting the cheese!

Inexplicably, I'm deeply hungry.