Ledger / 2–6 months
Semi-hard
Pressed enough to close, salted enough to keep, aged long enough to lose the raw-milk edge.
Edam: The Low Scald and the Paraffin Coat
70 days pH 6.3 44% moisture 12 kg press 18% brine
Edam is Gouda's leaner cousin: a lower scald, a longer press, a heavier brine, and a wax coat that goes on early. It is a cheese designed to travel, and every choice in the make is about lowering moisture rather than chasing flavour in the first month.
Raclette: A Hot Scald, a Brine Wash, and a Three-Month Window
90 days pH 6.4 40% moisture 18 kg press 22% brine
Raclette melts because it was scalded to 42 C, which drives out enough moisture to make the paste hold together when it liquefies. Under-scalded raclette turns to oil on the machine. The rind wash is light and the aging short, and both of those are deliberate.
Gouda: Replacing a Third of the Whey With Water
120 days pH 6.4 42% moisture 15 kg press 20% brine
The curd wash is the whole idea behind Gouda. Draining off a third of the whey and replacing it with warm water lowers the lactose available to the culture, which means less acid at the end and a sweeter, rounder cheese. Get the temperature of the wash water wrong and you either stall the culture or cook the curd.
Clothbound Cheddar: The Lard, the Bandage and the Six-Month Turn
180 days pH 6.2 36% moisture 25 kg press 1.8% dry salt
A clothbound wheel is the only cheese in this ledger whose rind is a piece of fabric. The larded cloth is a controlled moisture barrier: too dry and the wheel cracks, too wet and the surface goes ammoniated under the bandage without you seeing it. The numbers below are for a 4 kg wheel from 40 litres.