Manchego update

Wow, this manchego got moldy!  Trying to get a good olive oil rind is tough.  It had some moldy spots in the past and I just cleaned them off with brine.  The last time, I thought I would really make sure it didn't get mold on it by salting it and then rubbing olive oil on it.  The problem was that every time I cleaned it, the skin would come off - never establishing the rind and probably losing some cheese in the process.  I thought I could hit it hard with some salt and leave it for a week or so to really build up a rind I could wash off without sacrificing the rind... no such luck.

So, I cleaned it off again.  The rind still came off this time, losing quite a bit of the cheese in the process.  Also, I noticed the cheese has become relatively soft.  Interesting.  Well, this cheese has a long way to go still... so we'll see.  Maybe next time I'll just leave it as it is and if it turns out edible at the end of a few months, great, and therefore maybe I don't need to worry about the mold so much.  If not, I know I need to continually fight the mold.  This time, I'm going to do the salted olive oil rub again, but put it in the garage fridge.  Maybe the wine room is just too warm and the cooler temperature will keep the mold at bay... at least long enough to establish a good olive oil rind.