Hi strangers….
Well I know I haven’t been posting much, nor have I been making any cheese.
Due to a hectic schedule at work, taking care of my parents, vacation time with the family and just typical summer commitments I simply have not had time for my cheese obsession.

Well this evening I decided to open a Gouda that I made in February and after having given it a taste I decided it is time to get reacquainted with my hobby.

I’ve tasted this Gouda recipe at two weeks (good), at two months (really good) and now at 5 months (exceptional).

The texture was perfect and the taste was beyond my wildest dreams. It has the sharpness of a two year old cheddar yet the flavor is 100% Gouda. The texture is firm while at the same time buttery smooth and is so elastic that it can be sliced nearly paper thin while still holding together perfectly.

This particular cheese was vacuum bagged and aged at 55 degrees F with no worries about humidity (due to the bagging).

For those of you that use a Ph meter I suggest giving the Gouda recipe a try that I posted in the recipe section of this forum.

I have to admit that I’ve always enjoyed nearly all of the cheeses that I’ve made but I truly do believe this one to be of commercial quality and one that I could put on the market for others to enjoy. Of course the key will be in duplicating this success which still remains to be seen.

Anyway I just wanted to re-introduce myself and to give this update. I honestly hope that within the next month or so life will slow down enough so that I can become MUCH more active on the forum and in the kitchen. Taking care of two lawns and two households can be pretty darn time consuming but in all honesty I wouldn’t change a thing.

So, I hope this finds everyone well and I want to say welcome to all of the new members I’ve seen posting in the last week or so.
Even though I haven’t been active I have tried to check in at least once a week.

Hope you all are having a great summer.

Dave

Thanks for the update, Dave; its good to hear you’re still in the craft.  I know I was beginning to wonder if you had deserted to macrame or something.  And congrats on the Gouda.  I’ve tried your recipe a couple times and will be opening the first attempt in the near future.  The last one - a couple weeks ago - was exceedingly spongey due to what I can only guess was excessive CO2 formation.  It actually was larger when it came out of the press than when it went in; and then it deflated during drying.  The flavor will be tested in a couple months.  BTW, I HAVE had a fantastic pepper jack.  The Jack recipe was one that eluded me.  I always got a very dry cheese; but this one was really good.  So, welcome back and we hope to be hearing from you somewhat regularly.

Welcome back Dave.  I just returned as well.  I had a very hectic 2009.

Good to hear Dave!
By the way, I find the home made stuff superior to the “Commercial” stuff so dont compare with crap. Artisan cheese is another story and wish I they would sell it in my town.