When to Wrap Camembert

[Heathers]

My Camembert has been white-molding for about 9 days now but the sides have not completely molded over yet. The top and bottoms are profuse with mold and the mold is just creeping over to the sides of the cheese. The texture of the sides is slightly white with mold with tiny brain-looking texture. Sorry no picture.

Is it too early to wrap? If I wrap will the mold comtinue on the sides?

Hopefully someone can help. Thanks!

[BlueCheese]

I would wait till the last point u can hold out. The mold can continue when wraped but if the wrapping paper is against the sides that dont have any then it may suffer.
9 days is still young.

[Heathers]

Still sides show tiny brain texture and only a small amount of new mold growth. Is it too late to spritz the sides with a bit more Penicillium? I guess it's that weird texture that is strange. It's not smoother like the top and bottom was.

Not sure what else to do but wait a bit longer.

[BlueCheese]

brainy texture, sounds like a wild bacteria infestation like when u have a old soup in the fridge for a month LOL, maybe scrape it of and re spritz it.

[Heathers]

It's definitely not a fuzzy growth but rather dense and dry and like little tiny worms. Almost as if it is a deterrent for the mold growth. I'll spray the sides and see what I get.

I have a stilton going now to distract me from any impending Camembert disasters. Dr. Fankhauser did say I should crawl before I walk...oh well I just jumped in anyway.

[BlueCheese]

I started with bloomed cheeses and never looked back in regret. If their is a growth that is not of a white bloom this I would cut it off.

[Heathers]

I've scraped and re-sprayed ad now mold is growing again. I'm so relieved, let me tell you! I upped the humidity (I think it was too dry and I realy need to get a humidistat) and we'll see what happens.

I just got a bunch of raw milk so now I'm off to make a goat and cow milk cheddar (my first cheddar and first time blending milks) and then parmesan later this weekend because I now have lipase.

[BlueCheese]

Great to hear !!

[Heathers]

I wrapped the Camembert, then waited and waited, then when I was shifting them around in the cave I noticed that one felt really squishy. Finally it has gone soft! I was elated and cut it open right then and there. Perfect texture.

It could be saltier and a bit more flavorful. Still I'm happy about this. It was only the second cheese I ever made and started it Jan. 9.

The goat/cow cheese I made also turned out good. It was kind of an experiment.

[BlueCheese]

Congrats !!! it will get stronger as it ages. Salt is one of those things were practice makes perfect

[Heathers]

Apparently salt is tricky. As soon as I tasted the cams I ran (ok I walked over about 2 feet) to my cave where I had just placed four newly salted Brie Double Creme and gave them one more sprinkle of salt.

Thanks!

[Heathers]

I forgot to mention, Neil that the texture was very soft, so I'm not sure how much more aging it would have been able to withstand. I have two more so maybe I'll wait just a little longer...patience is a virtue I must acquire.

[BlueCheese]

the ripening temp is also important, if ripened too quick then they can go off. its the triel and error thing that will be important to get to know your environment and limitations etc. If u cant duplicate the "commercial" environment then one has to go with the next best thing u can achieve with your fridge

[Heathers]

The one thing I can say it that it looks great, and has brown mottling you seen on some more aged brie cheeses. But it did seemto take forever to get to that soft stage. You're right though about the limitations.

I look back and laugh at my worries of the brainy texture...now that most of my other soft cheese are doing the same thing I'm not so worried afterall. In fact I saw that same texture in a french cheese book so I now welcome it!

[BlueCheese]

When I first started, the scary part was not knowing what was normal or what to expect. Thats were experience comes in and u cant get that without making a bunch of test cheeses.