Letters To The Editor

(Question regarding //www.offthegridnews.com/2013/07/27/how-to-preserve-dairy-products-for-emergency-situations/ via Facebook post)

Dear Editor–

Where would one buy cheese wax for preserving cheese?

Thank you!

-Justin S.

Dear Justin,

Despite what some may tell you, preserving cheeses the old fashioned way is an entirely legitimate means of food preservation, especially if you’re in the position of not having refrigeration. A hard cheese, covered in wax, will last anywhere from 5 to 10 years realistically, and some have been known to last for as long as 25 years. Kudos to you for learning about and utilizing this means of food preservation!

You can find the wax through any supplier of cheese-making equipment. One resource I have found is:

https://www.cheesemaking.com (This is the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company—they have yellow, red, and black wax, plus EVERYTHING else you need for making cheeses) I have read that people are also using beeswax for preserving their cheeses, which is something I’m definitely interested in, considering I have 9 hives of bees. I haven’t researched this enough to give you any information about it, but you may find something in the forum postings here: https://www.permies.com/t/7078/food-preservation/Beeswax-cheese-wax

Dr. David Fankhouser, a professor of biology and chemistry, has a cheese page that has quite a bit of information for beginning cheese makers that you will find helpful as well. I really recommend reading through  his stuff: https://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html. It’s quite an informative site.

Hope this helps!

The Editor