Have been making cheese for several years and want to expand to do Brie and Camembert. My problem is finding a place where I have air circulation and about 55 degree temp. My old frig in the barn goes down up to 45 but then shuts off if nudged up a bit so I am growing the proper penicillum candidum for the brie and some other rather dubious mold when I discover the nudge causesd the frig to shut off entirely. We don't have a basement or root cellar. Any ideas?

-- Judie Hansen (briarrose@manin.nc.us), June 26, 2000

Answers

I make peccorino(sheeps milk). I remember one of my fellow cheesemakers told me about digging a hole, lining it with bricks ,putting wheels of cheese in, covering with herbs and or oak leaves , somehow covering the holes so that no critters would dig it up , waiting a month or so and having some sort of moldy, stinky good stuff.

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), June 26, 2000.

Aha! Same problem when it comes to brewing certain types of beer. Williams Brewing, at www williamsbrewing.com has a controller that will allow you to keep that old refrigerator at the proper temp. A little pricey as I remember, but I bought one, and the cost per use is pretty low, since it ought to last forever! GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 26, 2000.

Just replace the thermostat in the fridge. It needn't be a specialty or expensive one, just as long as you have the proper temp/humidity range. At the company where I work, we made a ripening room out of a salvaged 'sea container'. When lacking a cave, pit or root cellar: Cooling/heating unit, humidifier, sealed space=ripening room! Good luck!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), June 27, 2000.

I found it's possible to make a lovely Brie/Camembert by doing it in the wintertime, in a cool corner of my kitchen. I put the cheese on a bamboo cheesemat on a counter, lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top (but don't wrap tightly!), turn daily until the lovely white coat grows and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and age in the fridge.

Summertime's usually better for making fresh Mozzarella and Caerphilly...

-- Julia (farmer@westco.net), June 27, 2000.