Cloth-bandaged, traditional Cheddar

August 2021:
Cloth-bandaged, traditional Cheddar. This was the only cotton cloth I had in the house that night, a clean dishtowel. Molds of ripening will grow over the cloth as the cheese ripens in a plastic box in a 55F (13C) spot like a refrigerator, or my basement in winter.

To bandage a Cheddar, glue 2 circles of ordinary, cotton cloth on each round end, using sticky melted lard or melted butter. Then stick two rectangles around the sides.

After a few months, bacteria and molds of ripening colonize the cloth and consume the nutritious fat, adding flavorful enzymes and protecting the traditional, Cheddar cheese.