Farmhouse Cheddar and a New Vacuum Sealer!

I had some farmhouse cheddar ready to either wax or put in some plastic yesterday. I decided that I much prefer the no-mess vacuum sealer and plastic. I don't think I will have to worry about the humidity if I use plastic, just the temperature as the cheese ages.

I am short on counter space, so I wasn't sure I really wanted one more appliance to go on the counter, but after the few experiences I've had with cheese wax.... well, I thought I could make a place for the vacuum sealer. I'll give my cheese wax to someone who might want to give waxing a try!

I bought a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer (model V3835) on sale at the local grocery mega store. It was $152 for the machine, and I spent another $30 on bags. I've had a GREAT time sealing stuff the last two days!

 The new addition to the family!

I sealed the Farmhouse Cheddar I finished on Tuesday, the colostrum from this spring, a bunch of dried apples for my daughter, some mesophilic starter for cheeses, and some fresh veggies from the fridge.

My next experiment is to see if the sealer will seal the mylar food bags. They cost about 50 cents each, so trying one out won't cost too much. Hubby has them in the lab for storing other things. He has a huge sealer, too, but it doesn't vacuum seal things, it just heat seals them.

Onto the Farmhouse cheddar!

Here is the link I used to make the mesophilic starter:
Little House on the Great Plains

And here is the link I used for great step-by-step instructions on making the Farmhouse Cheddar:
Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Here is how the cheddar looks all wrapped up nice and neat in a plastic vacuum bag!

My hope is that I will have time to take photos the next time I make cheese. It is always nice to have photos and step-by-step directions to remind me of how to do something (or what to avoid the next time I try it!)