As some may know, we have moved onto 147 acres of raw land in Kansas. Such an adventure … we are now living off of the grid as we await for our home, barn and creamery to be built. The 600 lbs of cheese (Gruyere and Montasio-style) that we brought with us along a bumpy ride is being stored in a cooler at Sommerset Cafe in Dover, KS until our cooler is up and running (soon we hope!). Construction of the creamery may begin in a few months, but there are many unknowns. In the meantime …. we are searching for Normandy cows. These would provide us with the ultimate milk for cheese making!!! Fingers crossed. In the meantime, our flock of East Friesian sheep continues to grow. Our pasture is not only beautiful, but delicious. We have over 10 varieties of wild flowers and 5 varieties of grasses (includingContinue Reading
Author: The Cheesemaker's Apprentice
Farmers Markets
During the summer months, you can find us at the Bedford, Canterbury and Contoocook markets. If you have a special request or would like for us to hold something for you, send us an email or message through Facebook/Instagram. We have been working hard preparing fresh cheeses as well as making hard cheeses that will be ready in 3 months to 2 years! Roeburn Farm with their French Alpine Goats in Lebanon, NH are now providing us with goat milk. This is exciting as it helps us round out our milk options when making cheeses. We currently make hard and soft goat cheeses as well as blends of goat and cow. The results have been fabulous! French Alpines are known to cheese makers for their wonderful milk. Roeburn farm has been refining this breed for over 40 years. We are incredibly lucky to have them here in NH. InContinue Reading
Creamery Makeover
Yes. Our primary cheesemonger, Katherine, looks a little different (always beautiful but especially so on September 14th!). And we love our new son-in-law, Solomon. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Huss! Last summer, when we initially opened our creamery, we felt that our little space for cheese making would take care of our cheese making needs for years to come. We were wrong! So this summer we essentially started over, removing and building walls, cutting and pouring new cement, putting entry doors where barn doors were initially, etc. Glad to say we are only a few weeks out to completion. Our project has been a lot of fun thanks to a really great group of people (see our list below). These gentlemen have been creative, reliable, and do great work. An extra thank you to Step Above Contracting, LLC for helping us on the day before our daughter’s wedding. The reception wasContinue Reading
Geotrichum ambush!
Cheese caves are fascinating AND scary places. First of all, they are cold and damp. Often they are isolated and there is an over-riding hum of air-conditioning and humidifying machines which create constant white noise … “if I get locked in here will anyone hear me?” But even after you overcome the physical aspects of the cheese cave, there is the psychological component. Cheese caves are all about damage control. Staying on high alert, catching anything early that could get out of control is key to affinage. Oh, and forget about leaving for any extended time! Making the cheese is the easy part … aging the cheese requires commitment, a dose of insanity and a great spouse willing to jump in to correct any adverse change in temperature or humidity … at any hour! Some cheeses like to be high on the shelf where there is less moisture, a littleContinue Reading