373 Camembert and Other Soft Cheeses, [august, 



directions. Provision is made for artificial heating, and the 

 slides and windows are so constructed that they can be opened 

 and shut at will. The room should be kept at a temperature 

 of from 54 0 to 56 0 F., and not be too dry. If the conditions 

 are favourable the Camembert mould will grow rapidly, and 

 in course of time blue tints will appear upon the extremities 

 of the white mould, and the cheeses generally will assume 

 a greyish-blue appearance. When this point is reached the 

 cheeses must be removed to the cellar or cave. The object 

 in bringing the cheeses into the first ripening or drying room 

 is to get a fairly dry surface, and also to facilitate the de- 

 velopment of the fungi which exercise such an important 

 part in the ripening process. 



During the time the cheeses are in the drying room a great 

 deal of attention and observation is necessary on the part of 

 the maker. If the moulds do not grow freely or the cheeses 

 shrink, then the atmosphere is too dry. If, on the other 

 hand, the cheeses get greasy or points of dark green or 

 black appear, then the temperature is either too low or the 

 atmosphere too damp. In the drying room the sparred shelves 

 should run down the middle and not be placed against the 

 wall, and the cheeses are first placed on the top shelves 

 and gradually lowered as they ripen, and new cheeses are 

 brought in. 



At the stage when the cheeses are removed to the cellar 

 or ripening room they should feel soft and springy to the 

 touch. The atmosphere of the cellar should be fairly damp 

 and still, and little ventilation is required. The temperature 

 should be maintained at about 50 0 F., and the cheeses should 

 be turned daily. The shelves upon which the cheeses rest are 

 covered with wheat straw, which is occasionally changed. 



On removing the cheeses to the lower temperature of the 

 cellar the growth of the moulds is greatly reduced, and largely 

 ceases. The outsides assume a reddish-brown appearance, 

 and the cheeses get a little sticky and glairy on the surface. 

 This is an indication that the cheeses are ripe and ready for 

 sale, for at this stage certain compounds are formed which 

 give characteristic flavours to this type of cheese. If kept 

 too long they will rapidly deteriorate and liquefy, and become 

 unpalatable. 



