Mold spread

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Thomas Penders

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Hello.
I’m a newbie at cheese making.
I made a Gouda, Parmesan, Farmhouse Cheddar, Blue Cheese, & Farmhouse Blue cheese a few months back, placed them in individual vented Tupperware in bottom drawer of frig. Also placed a glass of water for moisture.
The blue cheese mold has spread to other cheeses. Anyone have this problem?
Do you think they are still edible if scraped?
 
I am sure that they are still edible but what you are doing is creating an environment that allows molds and cultures on the cheese to spread and contaminate other cheese. If the containers you are aging the cheese in are sealed then the likelihood of cross-contamination is negligible. if the containers are "vented" then the likelihood of cross-contamination is considerably higher. If you mats and forms are not well sanitized then cross -contamination is likely...
 
Thanks Bernard.
I did wax a Gouda, just wasn’t sure at what point to wax the other cheeses.
So, a closed environment is best?
Too late to cut off mold & wax?
Could the mold be a different (bad) spore?
 
Thanks Bernard.
I did wax a Gouda, just wasn’t sure at what point to wax the other cheeses.
So, a closed environment is best?
Too late to cut off mold & wax?
Could the mold be a different (bad) spore?

That is a different question: are blue molds on cheese different from cheese inoculated with p. Roqueforti.. and that is something I would love to know because I sometimes find that cheese I am aging develops a blue-ish mold
 
If you didnt add the Roquefort culture and you dont have a "Blue Cheese" in their then I would be cautious about that since you dont know were it came from, I would wash with vinegar if thats the case.
 
I did use the Roquefort culture in two kinds.
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I can't quite make it out but some of that looks like mucor, possibly. I am around it a lot in one of my caves since I make Tommes de Savoie, and grey mucor is a principal mold. You don't want it on anything else.

Blue molds are notorious for their aggressiveness. Personally I'd have a dedicated blues cave, if making these cheeses. YMMV.
 
That is a different question: are blue molds on cheese different from cheese inoculated with p. Roqueforti.. and that is something I would love to know because I sometimes find that cheese I am aging develops a blue-ish mold

Definitely. Just think of all the variants of blue cheeses - P. roqueforti and its various spp., P. roqueforti, P. glaucum, P. stilton, etc. being but a few. It's really common everywhere. When I start a new cave out I tend to make "sacrificial" wheels the first time out, that are massively overloaded with desired species (a lot of time, using the rind of a desired cheese and macerating in water, some goes directly in the vat, some sprayed on aging boards) so that blue (and black mucor, since all my cheeses are 92% RH and higher) is simply outcompeted. I then worry more about maintaining the optimum conditions for my desired species, rather than worrying about eradicating or forestalling any blue, black, etc. development.
 
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