Processed

Mixed Farmhouse

A tier

Mixed farmhouse starters are undefined or loosely defined communities—old whey, a pinched mother, a mixed freeze-dried "farmhouse" pack—that acidify and flavour together. They give the bottle-to-bottle character of a Saint-Nectaire or a raw-milk tomme, including the occasional gas, the broader acid curve, and the risk of a phage day that a single-strain cheddar plant would not tolerate. They are a style choice, not a shortcut. Hygiene and a backup culture still matter. Do not expect the same pH at 6 hours every Tuesday. If you need a legal, repeatable block cheddar, buy a defined mesophile. If you want a living house flavour, this is the variety to maintain.