Hi everyone! This weekend I’m going to attempt to make a chevre and age it a bit. My husband is out of homebrew so that means I can clean out his beer fridge, hook up the temperature controller and try aging some cheese. The most information I can find on aging chevre is at this link: http://www.cheesemaking.com/Chevre.html (scroll to the bottom, to “Beyond the Basics.” And of course, I have a few questions…

First, during the drying period, I’m supposed to, “set on open air shelving in a 60-65 °F room with a fan to move air over the cheeses.” Since I don’t have a real life cave, just my kitchen and a mini fridge, I’m wondering if anyone has any advice to best accomplish this. I can easily put the this cheese in my sterile fridge, but not with a fan, or moving air. Alternatively, I was thinking I could place the cheese on it’s mat over or near a cooler of ice in my kitchen, next to a fan and carefully monitor the temperature. If I go this route, I’m wondering what you all do to ensure good hygeine in cases like this. I can scrub my entire kitchen with soap, bleach and star san, but still will not be confident that I’ve eliminated the chance of a tiny particle of something getting near my cheese, especially when there is a fan going.

Seondly, I am not planning to add mold to this batch of cheese, but this page indicates that, “natural yeast and molds from the environment will form a natural mottled surface of white and blue molds as seen in many French style farmstead cheeses.” How will I know if the natural molds that form are good or bad? I know much of this knowledge will come with practice and experience, but what is a newbie to do? If you know of any online resources that could help feel free to send them my way! Thanks so much for your help and expertise!

Besides spaying down the fridge with bleach solution, theirs not much you can do, just opening the fridge will allow yeast particles into the fridge. Fan wise i would use one of those battery operated ones that are small, you dont need anything big to move air around or fast, just a constant slow turn.
Sprinkle salt on the surface is the best way to protect the cheese, some people have dusted them with ash.

Look for the desired result behind the instructions.  “set on open air shelving in a 60-65 °F room with a fan to move air over the cheeses” suggests to me it was originally aged in a cave or cellar with some air movement occasionally. If you get your fridge temperature correct you could just open the fridge door to exchange the humid air for dry air a couple of times a day and will probably achieve the desired results.

Great advice! Thank you both so much!