I put a 2lb cheddar in the cave last March. It did not press correctly, it looked all cracked on the outside, and at the time I did not know that you were supposed to add calcium chloride to the pasteurized milk. I only started making cheese in February, so this was a new thing still. When I realized that I needed the calcium chloride, and I knew that it had pressed ugly, so I just stuck it behind something else and forgot about it.

I noticed it in the cheese cave the other day, and I had some people over last night and we opened it. The outside did not look nice and smooth, it was cracked and the red color from the wax was in the cracks. However, the inside was nice and smooth. It had a nice smooth texture to it, and a very nice flavor to it. It was a mild cheddar, but it had a creamy flavor to it. My company noted how store bought cheddar is more like rubber. I didn’t realize that until I started making cheese.

I also had some raw milk Swiss left and we had some of that too. We also have 3 home made beers on tap, so we tried several of those also. All in all a good time was had by all.

The raw milk Swiss is the best one so far. I hope that the raw milk cheddar comes out just as good. Even if it is not knitted properly on the outside, I hope it is knitted properly on the inside like this one was.

I took a piece of the raw milk Swiss over to the farmer where I bought the milk the other day. I left him about a pound of it for him to try.  He said that he was thinking about starting to make cheese, but his wife was pregnant and due at any time, so she wanted to get the new baby issue out of the way first.

Sounds good. I find its nice to find something one had forgotten about and find its a nice gem.

I had a kind of cheesy holiday season as well.  My number two son and his wife were back from college for the holiday, and decided that they loved one of my Gouda’s that I had been nibbling on for several days.  End result:  they took home the last two pounds of it when they left.  A few days later my number one son was home on leave from the Air Force.  He found out that his brother had absconded with the Gouda, and commented that Gouda was his favorite cheese, but the store-bought cheeses were very expensive.  Well, as it turns out I had another Gouda that turned 2 months old on Christmas day; so we cracked that one open.  We feasted on it for the duration of his stay, and when he left he took two pounds of that cheese with him.

I’ve been making almost exclusively Gouda.  This was due to my pH meter being inoperative.  I’ve been duplicating the times from previous batches, and they have turned out rather well.  I didn’t want to make a cheddar until I had a working meter.  But I now have a new one on order (thanks for the link Neil), so I should be back in business shortly.

Hope you all had a great holiday season.

I was saving 4lb of Swiss for when my son and daughter in law came home for Christmas, but Joshua couldn’t get leave from the Army so they didn’t get to come. So, we ate it. They’ll be home next year, he’ll be out of the service. I will have to make more.

You might send him a cheese.  I’ve done it - mailed a cheese.  I put plenty of bubble wrap around it and it was received in really good order.  It would really surprise him.