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##Place the cheese on the drying board and try to keep it somewhere as close to 50 degrees F as possible. It is winter and my basement is about 55 degrees so that's what I did.<br />[[File:gouda_16.jpg|600px]]
##Flip the cheese daily to ensure even drying.
##If any mold forms, wipe it off with a cheese cloth dipped in vinegar. Check the image below and you will be able to see that there is a rind that has formed on the cheese. I read, later, that the optimal drying conditions is 50 degrees F and 85% humidity. I dried my cheese in closer to 50% humidity. I suspect that the dry environment contributed to the cheese forming the rind as the outside dried too quickly.
#Waxing
##The last, optional, step is the wax the cheese like the professionals do!
##WellThe book says to refrigerate the cheese for a few hours before waxing to help the wax adhere. I chose to leave it in the fridge overnight just based on my schedule. I decided to cut the cheese into 1/8ths and wax 6 of them (I ate the other 2 ;P). Note that cutting the cheese and letting it dry overnight caused cracks to form in the softer inside of the cheese. If you are going to cut up your cheese wheel into smaller chunks before waxing, I'm writing this article while recommend you do it right before waxing to avoid these unsightly cracks.<br />[[File:gouda_17.jpg|600px]]##Ok, onto the waxing. The first thing to do is setup a double boiler and get good ventilation because wax fumes are combustibles. The doubler boiler keeps the wax from getting heated above 212 degrees F. See my ghetto double boiler below.<br />[[File:gouda_18.jpg|600px]][[File:gouda_19.jpg|600px]]##Once the wax has melted use a waxing brush to paint the wax onto your cheese . I found that the easiest way was to do the "top" with a couple coats (letting it dry between coats). Then holding the cheese so and edge is drying so flat and level and painting that. Continue on with the other sides and finish up with the "bottom".<br />[[File:gouda_20.jpg|600px]]##Optionally you can wax a paper label into your cheese which is kinda cool. I haven't had tried 3 different methods shown below. From left to right: 1.) Laying down a later of wax and pressing the label in. 2.) Laying down a chance to do this yet! layer of wax, pressing the label in, and the waxing the "border". 3.) Laying down the label and the waxing over the top. I'll update this part once in the future with a note on which techniques seems to hold up the best.<br />[[File:gouda_21.jpg|600px]]##As for clean up. Hot water and a couple paper towels seems to do the trick. You can see that a real mess was made of the board during this process. I get to scraped excess wax off of the cheeseboard and put it back in the pot for use later.<br />[[File:gouda_22.jpg|600px]][[File:gouda_23.jpg|600px]]##As for the excess wax, I lined a small tuperware with foil and poured it in to let it dry into a block. I'll put it in a ziplock bag for next time.<br />[[File:gouda_24.jpg|600px]]
==References==
*[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1270920.Cheesemaking_Made_Easy Cheese Making Made Easy: 60 Delicious Varieties by Ricki & Robert Carroll]
[[Category: Bushcraft]]
