I opened my first Bandaged Cheddar over the weekend on a fishing trip with two other guys. It started out looking just like yours and dried of a little at the end of its second month. I was a bit worried as this was my first wrapped cheddar and my fishing partners made fun of it….liking it to theamputated stump of a wounded Civil War soldier. Anyway after much trepidation and an extended discourse on weither their wills were up to date, they tried it and turned from critics into ravenous rodents devouring the whole 2 lb cheese in one night.
I never told my partners but I was delighted that everyone woke up fine the next morning and no one had to make a Kaopectate stop the next day.
I must admit I was surprised at how well the bandaging worked. Texture and everything was almost perfect. Only in one or two spots did the mold even get through the surface bandage, which I thought was strange. Anyway even in those couple of spots the darkest of the molds only slightly stained the surface of the cheese. I tasted one black stained spot and it was fine and I am also still alive to tell about it.
The bandaging, in fact, worked so well that I am seriously considering abandoning my waxing altogether.