not what I expected

On Sunday Ælfwynn and I made cheese, using the same recipe I'd tried before, though again with thyme instead of basil (and more of it than last time), and minus the tomatoes since I didn't think they added that much and their acidity tended to turn the cheese around it brownish. This time, it seemed to be a bit more watery than before. I used a different brand of whole milk, and I wonder if that made the difference. I'm still not sure what the best way to store the cheese for giving it the best shelf-life is. I'd wrapped the previous batch up in plastic wrap after it'd been pressed sufficiently, and that certainly seemed to work reasonably. However, I know that in general plastic is not the best thing to store cheese in, since it traps in moisture, so this time when it was done being pressed I just wrapped it up in baking paper. That actually seemed to attract moisture, so the next day I unwrapped it. Two things that I've heard for preserving cheese are to rub it in butter or oil on a regular basis, so that it builds up a sort of rind, and to put it in a salt bath. I decided to try the latter. I wasn't sure exactly how much salt to use, but I was afraid of making it too salty in case it leaked into the cheese, which was already salted, and I didn't want the cheese to be over salty. It's been in the bath since yesterday morning and I just sliced a few pieces and the result was not what I expected. I think that in fact the water is leaching the salt out of the cheese, since it is less salty than it was when it was fresh. The thyme flavor is still very strong and fresh though, which is nice. But I'll have to keep experimenting.