How a Packed Cheese Press Led Us to Clothbound Truckles

Last month, you joined me in the cheese room to see how we press loose curds into wheels.

Today, I want to share a story about how necessity led us to one of our favorite cheeses, Four Leaf Clover, and the community partnerships that make these clothbound truckles possible.

When Good Problems Force Great Solutions

Back in 2017, we made a big decision: to stop shipping our milk to the co-op and process every drop right here at Clover Creek.

It felt right, but suddenly I had a problem I’d never faced—our 60-wheel cheese press was bursting at the seams.

You know that feeling when you’re trying to rearrange a packed refrigerator?

That was me every day I made a big batch of cheese, trying to flip wheels with zero wiggle room.

Something had to change.

Discovering Our English Heritage

That’s when I remembered reading about clothbound truckles—those beautiful barrel-shaped wheels that English cheesemakers have perfected over centuries.

What if we could make a few, larger wheels and free up press space?

Each truckle is beautifully wrapped in a lard-saturated cloth that protects and seals the wheel.

Here’s something that surprised me: cloth-binding originated in America as a way to ship cheddar back to England.

Sometimes the best solutions come full circle.

How do we make our Clothbound Truckles?

The process of making truckles is very similar to our regular cheddar, since it is from the same curds.

But instead of ten pounds of curds, I pack twenty-six pounds of curds into a ten-inch pipe that I use as a hoop.

Our scale maxes out at 22 pounds, so I have to split each truckle between two buckets—not elegant, but it works!

After I took that video, I upgraded our truckle press so that I can fit two truckles in each hoop.

I can make up to six truckles every time we make cheddar.

And when the cows are in their peak spring milk production, I need all six to keep the press from getting too full.

After redressing and pressing overnight, the clothbinding begins.

Our Local Partners Make It Possible:

Lard: Ronald at Country Smokehouse (our local butcher shop) saves pig fat for us, plus we use lard from our own pigs when we have them.

Muslin cloth: I’ve become Traditions fabric shop’s best customer—already used up a whole bolt since April!

The Cloth-Binding Ritual:

I cut out circles that have a one-inch overlap around the top and bottom. I melt the lard and then dip the cloth in until it’s saturated. Then the top and bottom of the truckle get covered with the cloth.

Finally, I cut a rectangular piece of cloth that will cover the side of the barrel shape. This, too, gets saturated in the lard and wrapped around the cheese to fully seal it inside the cloth.

Watch me wrap a wheel in the video below:

Then it’s back into the press for another 24 hours. The extra pressing time seals the cloth to the rind of the cheese and makes sure that there are no air gaps for mold to grow.

The next day, (now day three from cheesemaking), the truckles come out and go back into the cooler to age.

What This Means for Your Cheese

Here’s why I get excited about every truckle we make: that clothbinding seal creates a completely different texture than our regular cheddar.

It’s creamier, more luxurious—like the difference between a firm handshake and a warm hug.

Over six months (or more) of aging, beautiful green and gray molds bloom on the cloth, adding layers of complexity you can’t get any other way.

We check on them like gardeners tending plants, brushing away excess growth in the early months until they find their natural balance.

Once they’re ready, we’ll cut each truckle up into wedges and wheels of Four Leaf Clover.

More Than Just Bigger Wheels

Producing truckles solved our press space problem while creating something extraordinary for you.

Each one is a testament to traditional methods meeting modern needs.

Every truckle represents our commitment to doing things the right way, even when it means learning new skills and building new relationships with local suppliers.

Next month: Join me in the aging rooms where I’ll show you the art of caring for cheese as it transforms. We call it “Affinage,” and it’s where patience becomes flavor.