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NOFA-NJ
Conference
Saturday,
January 26 2008
Cheese Notes
1.
Washington’s
Crossing. Ely Pork Products. Newtown
PA. Susan and Dwight Ely. Dwight
Ely’s family has farmed this land since the mid-18th century,
when his Quaker ancestors arrived from England. In the late 1970s, he saw
many Bucks County farms disappear under the
bulldozer blade and resolved to move in a different direction. In 1980, he
established a beef and pork business and soon became well-known as a skilled
butcher and master of cured meats. In 2006, after trips to France and Switzerland and visits with
numerous cheese producers, Dwight and
Susan started a creamery. They make three different styles of cheese; the Washington’s Crossing
is a washed curd, semi-firm, smooth, nutty, 20 pound wheel of cow’s
milk cheese that age 2 – 3 months.
2.
Jean-Louis.
Bobolink Dairy and Bakeyard. Vernon NJ. Nina
and Jonathan White. The Whites are important pioneers in America’s
artisan cheese community. From their origins as hobbyist cheesemakers, they
defined a very personal direction for their food pursuits. In 1993, they opened
the Egg Farm Dairy in Peekskill
NY, where Jonathan created a
variety of products. In 2000, they moved to New Jersey and two years later, opened
Bobolink Dairy, where they raise historic cows, especially the endangered Irish
Kerry breed, because these animals produce great milk for cheese. The Jean-Louis reflects a deep commitment
to traditional methods of farming, food production, and local consumption. Named
in honor chef Jean-Louis Palladin, the cheese ripens
slowly over 4 – 8 months and evolves into a rich, intense cheese with a
beautiful natural rind and earthy, meaty flavors.
3. Oldwick Shepherd. Valley Shepherd
Creamery. Long Valley NJ. Eran and Debra
Wajswol. Eran and Debra are
among America’s
most innovative artisans.. In 1995, they opened
Farmersville Cheeses in Hunterdon
County and consumers
discovered their unique traditionally-based sheep cheeses. In 2005, they moved
to a 120-acre farm in Long
Valley, where they built
a remarkable underground cave by blasting 150 feet into a hillside. Located deep
underground, the vaulted cave has separate rooms to age hard, blue,
soft-ripened and other cheeses. While Debra and Eran
make more than a dozen cheeses, each handmade batch is a “limited
edition.” As a seasonal dairy, they make cheese from May to late fall and
then age the wheels with most becoming available the following year. The Oldwick Shepherd, made with
sheep’s milk, is a mold-ripened firm cheese with a pebbly-textured rind,
smooth paste and complex aromas and flavors of milk, caramel, nuts, and
mushrooms.
4.
Tiklemebleu.
Hendricks Farms and Dairy. Telford,
PA. Rachel and Trent
Hendricks. The Hendricks Farm and
Dairy, located in the far northern suburbs of Philadelphia, is a 60-acre diversified farm. Trent grew up on a
10-acre farm and at an early age promoted the benefits of organic food. He and
Rachel wanted access to food for their family, food produced in an
environmentally and financially sustainable fashion. This commitment led them
into diversified farming – eggs, beef, pork, and lamb – and into a
sophisticated cheesemaking enterprise. They make twenty-five organic cheese
varieties from both raw goat and cow’s milk. The goat’s milk Tiklemebleu ages
3 – 4 months and develops a soft-ripened, exterior blue mold.
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