Charles Delcambre with a Jarlsberg in his right hand, and a Gouda #2 in his left.
Charles’s Story
I am a retired physician after 25 years in medicine. Prior to that, I was a chemical engineer. Making cheese brings me back to my chemistry roots! It’s a true joy to be in the kitchen making cheese!
My wife, Debbie and I have been retired now 8 years. She does not cook, so I generally shop for groceries and cook our meals. And make our cheese! Debbie is a master quilter, and we enjoy traveling.
This picture was taken when we were in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, last year.
We live in a rural log home in a development in Fancy Gap, Virginia, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Southwest Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. We’re about 30 miles from the grocery store in any direction.
One of our herb planters on the back deck. They have mint, thyme, oregano, sage, chives and rosemary. There is a limited growing season as we live at 2950 feet elevation.
View off our back deck of the mountains.
I started making cheese in September with great help from the New England Cheese Making Supply Company where I got recipes, ingredients, equipment and encouragement.
Supplies
I decided to try making cheese after seeing some artisan cheese for sale at a farmer’s market. If they could make cheese, maybe I could, too!
I am a cheese lover by history, and I have been astounded to pay $15-30 for small portions of artisan cheeses, both in markets as well as grocery stores.
I decided to make cheese, searched for recipes and found NESC. I found the website invaluable.
My first cheese
I first tried to make mozzarella with ultra pasteurized store bought milk, but curds would not form. I spoke to customer service and learned about using dried milk for making the mozzarella and adding cream to approach whole milk.
Having learned about the problem with ultra pasteurized milk to make cheese, my choice was raw milk, which is not legal for sale in Virginia or North Carolina.
Using your Good Milk List, I discovered Mabry Dairy in South Carolina, albeit 180 miles away. I have come to love my relationship with the farmer and her family, and I just love to hear her calling, “Come on, girls!” And then getting fresh, warm milk 10 minutes later!
Cows at Mabry Dairy
I ice it down to transport, and then make cheese the next two days!
Since September, 2020, I’ve made Gouda twice, cheddar, alpine tomme, Gruyere, Swiss, Havarti and Jarlsberg.
Gouda #1 right out of the press
Cheddar right out of the press
Opened cheddar at 3 months
Alpine tomme at 2.5 months (4 months planned)
Gruyere at 3 months (8 months planned)
Havarti in the process of being waxed
We opened the Gouda with family this past weekend and ate the whole delicious cheese in one sitting!
Tasting my Gouda
I’ve also got a Swiss cheese in development, currently in the 65F range.
Swiss cheese at 2 months
Planned next (in two weeks) are Tomme de Savoie and Toscano Pepato. I have planned another cheddar and my first soft cheese, Camembert, in February. I generally make two cheeses a month.
I use NECS recipes, but I streamline my notes to follow more succinctly. It helps in my understanding of the recipes better.
My Sous Vide
I’ve made use of my sous vide equipment to achieve water bath temperature controls in my sink. I gently heat sometimes on the stove, then maintain temperature in the sink bath. Temperature increases are achieved utilizing the sous vide bath.
My Cave
I’ve got my Cheddar, Alpine Tomme, Gruyere, and Havarti all aging in my basement, currently 58F and 80% RH. It’s just a tad warmer in the summer.
The cages in the basement were built out of a multilevel mouse cage. If it would keep them in, it would keep mice out! We are not sure we have mice, or rats, but we put the cages on isolated shelves prophylactically.
Recently, I purchased a much needed temperature controlled wine cooler to serve as my cheese cave. I will place my new cheeses in it to mature (hopefully) more mold-free than in my basement.
And my cave is now in my bedroom, so I get to sleep with my cheeses. I can achieve constant temperatures with this cave, and humidity is achieved with setting a bowl of water in the cooler.
My Press
My press was purchased from NESC after I committed to cheese making. I use this press with weights 5-70 lbs. it works like a charm, and it’s easy to set up and clean. Weights are spring loaded with a gauge that is easy to read. Using this press eliminates precariously placed free weights and water jugs.
All molds and cultures were purchased from NESC as I needed them. I have a good collection now as my family gave me gift certificates for my birthday, and I filled out my supply.
Waxing
I waxed my Havarti successfully, my first experience with waxing. I added 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening to 2 pounds of the beeswax to make it more pliant.
Havarti waxed at 5 weeks (10 weeks planned)
I waxed Gouda #2 but the waxing failed because I had moisture under the wax. I have since removed the wax on the Gouda and will age it with a natural rind.
Gouda #2
Goals
My goals for my cheese making are several:
First, I want to be comfortable making different cheeses. This takes experience, and I am growing in confidence, understanding I may come upon a failure someday.
Secondly, I want to understand the variables of stirring and pressing to control moisture in my cheeses.
Thirdly, I want to understand the chemically different cultures used and their effectiveness in controlling the flavors and textures of the final cheeses.
I hope someday to attend a cheese making class, perhaps the 201 class at NESC. I understand availability is quite limited, especially with the Covid restrictions. Thus far, I am self taught following recipes.
I’ve read Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll and Artisan Cheese Making at Home by Mary Karlin. I have found these references invaluable in my self education as well.
