Yesterday I cut into the Edam and was startled at how many holes there were:

I just looked up some information on the Flora Danica bacteria culture that I used and indeed it produces a fair amount of carbon dioxide.  Flora Danica (literally flower of Denmark) is commonly used in Danish cheeses such as Havarti, Gouda and Edam.

Tasting notes:

• There is some tartness from the bacterial culture.  It is not the same as the tartness of cheddar.  It seems to be tart but also carry a hint of butter to the flavor.
• Aside from the slight tartness, the flavor is quite mild.
• The cheese is a little firmer than I expected but produces nice clean slices when I cut it.  I seem to have gotten past my problem with producing cheese that is too crumbly.

This milk for this cheese was from All-Natur_L farm near Alvarado and Cleburne.  I will probably concentrate my efforts on raw milk from here on out.  The quality and flavor of raw milk is remarkable and that is a quality I want in the home made cheeses I produce.

I still have a cheddar from All-Natur_L milk aging.  I will wait a couple more weeks before cutting that one.

Tomorrow I plan to buy several gallons of raw milk for more cheeses.  A friend has asked me to make him some Gouda and I want to make an Emmenthaler.  I guess I’ll have to make both!