Cheese 101 or 2

Into the molds, sorry the pics are out of order

So I thought you might like to see one of our cheese making adventures. This is a Farmhouse Cheddar Chive. I got a chive plant from the Co-Op we went and checked out and it is growing like a weed in the living room.

Draining the curds

stirring the curds

We use sauerkraut jars as followers to press out the whey

Into the molds

Ready for the brine

12 hours being pressed

Everybody in the brine pool!

After 8 hours in brine they dry for 24 hours

Ready for waxing, I used red

Bought a 4cu ft fridge to make into our cheese cave at 53 degrees

They can age anywhere between 2-6 months depending on what kind of flavor you are looking for. We are going on the longer side just because we think the longer cheese ages the better it will be. We are having a lot of fun with this. Definitely a winter hobby because it turns out to be an all day affair. Drinking and making cheese do not mix. We found this out by accident. You have to really watch the temp on your whey as you don't want it to get to hot.There are now 13 rings in the cave. Will have to eventually eat some so we have room to out more in! LOL