Well- The first Burlington Farmers Market has begun and what a day! I thought I had realistic expectations but even in the poorest economy since I have been on Earth, people were disposing of disposable income. Perhaps it's that they will not travel this holiday season, I am not sure why.
Completely unexpected, I arrived late although I was leaving on time-due to a propane truck straddling my front door so as to prevent my exit. Oh and did I mention that we got 5 inches of snow the night before ? So shoveling and plowing were in order prior to anything else happening. When I arrived, on the very first day, my paid for parking spot was filled by another car. As late as I was, I was forced to set up tunnel vision fashion without saying hello to anyone I knew. In fact, it became so busy at my booth I was unable to walk around at all that day and visit with other vendor friends. I spent about the first 45 minutes attempting to set up my stand with customers rushing in at me. I sold out of most of our lamb in the first hour. Lots of regular customers and some new faces I did see, as well. Ironic, given that I had forgotten my farm sign and was in a corner at the far end of the room.
Our new cheese 'Vaquero Blue,' (cave aged sheep/cow blue cheese) sold out first. Creamy, mild and buttery it was a hit for holiday giving, I suspect. By the way, Vaqueros were the original cowboys that came here from Spain who used more advanced techniques not previously seen here in North America to not only handle cattle but train horses for range use. These were the men that taught the Hawaiians on our ranch (as I have mentioned in previous posts) that later became known as 'Paniolo' in the Hawaiian language- the rugged Vaqueros from Spain. Many thanks to all for supporting us and happy hoiday!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Cheese Caves of Vermont
There are a number of cheese caves in Vermont. What is a cheese cave? It is typically an underground room or building that houses cheese for ripening. Its inherent constant temperature and humidity allow the slow process of 'affinage' or cheese curing to occur. It is a complex process wherein proteins and fats inside the cheese break down in such a way as to create different nuances in flavor, texture and aroma. Just like in the wine industry, the area or soil from which a product comes influences its outcome, or 'terroir'. This term describes the effects of the flora and fauna indigenous to a particular locale, farm, vineyard or even mountain. Although Vermont is a small state, there are large differences in climate and soil types from North to South. One can find a dizzying array of not only cheese types but contrasts amongst those same cheese types, ie, cheddars, bloomy rinds etc.
Some age their cheese in caves, others in cellars. Caves are usually freestanding structures while cellars are below where the cheese is crafted. Several caves come to mind here in Vermont:
Vermont Shepherd (the first cave constructed to my knowledge), Lazy Lady Farm, Willow Hill Farm, Orb Weaver Farm and the newest, Jasper Hill Farm. Somehow we get confused in consumers' minds often with Jasper Hill Farm. I have attended the Burlington Farmers Market now for 16 years and every Saturday approximately 1200 people walk by my booth. I am asked each week at least once if we are from Jasper Hill or if we age our cheeses there. Perhaps it's the word 'hill' that creates the confusion? Of cheese farms in Vermont with the word 'hill' in it, we were the first. There are now several "hill" farms: Willow Hill, Cobb Hill, Thistle Hill, Jericho Hill, Jasper Hill. What is it with the word hill? Someone recently asked me if I knew Twig HILL Farm? I wanted to reply, "It's called Twig Farm, silly!"
We built our cave in 1999 with materials from our farm. The stones that created the retaining walls and the front facade all came from the hill that my husband, David, excavated himself. We built this cave to adjoin to the natural bedrock in the back of the rooms to provide extra humidity...like a mini-Roquefort cave. The seepage that occurs through it is entirely weather dependent, and hence a huge challenge from a cheese maker's point of view. It is not climate controlled so our 'terroir' is exactly that. Each year, analogous to wine, the cheeses ripen into a different 'vintage'. In 2005 for example, it was very wet, so the Blue Moons (our natural rind sheep milk blue) were quite moist with a thicker rind...........much like the texture of a sweet Gorgonzola as it held a lot of moisture in the paste (the interior of the cheese).
All of our mature cheeses are 'plank aged', meaning they are cured on boards-- that were also made here on the farm. We purchased a portable sawmill many years ago to harvest the wood for our house which is post and beam construction and it truly has been handy in building bridges (literally), cow barns, sheds etc. And cheese boards. The wood harvested for the planks is white ash which is a hardwood and very lightweight-helpful for maneuvering and washing. Cheeses are turned daily in the beginning of their affinage and less often as they age. As they give off moisture and develop a rind, the boards must be washed frequently and rotated into different locations through the cave as new cheeses enter each week to begin their aging process. This is a brief introduction to our cave...people often ask to visit our caves. Unfortunately due to food security/sanitation reasons, our caves are not open for visiting at this time. Next project? On to harvesting and milling boards for siding our new cheese house. Finally! Then there's firewood....
Some age their cheese in caves, others in cellars. Caves are usually freestanding structures while cellars are below where the cheese is crafted. Several caves come to mind here in Vermont:
Vermont Shepherd (the first cave constructed to my knowledge), Lazy Lady Farm, Willow Hill Farm, Orb Weaver Farm and the newest, Jasper Hill Farm. Somehow we get confused in consumers' minds often with Jasper Hill Farm. I have attended the Burlington Farmers Market now for 16 years and every Saturday approximately 1200 people walk by my booth. I am asked each week at least once if we are from Jasper Hill or if we age our cheeses there. Perhaps it's the word 'hill' that creates the confusion? Of cheese farms in Vermont with the word 'hill' in it, we were the first. There are now several "hill" farms: Willow Hill, Cobb Hill, Thistle Hill, Jericho Hill, Jasper Hill. What is it with the word hill? Someone recently asked me if I knew Twig HILL Farm? I wanted to reply, "It's called Twig Farm, silly!"
We built our cave in 1999 with materials from our farm. The stones that created the retaining walls and the front facade all came from the hill that my husband, David, excavated himself. We built this cave to adjoin to the natural bedrock in the back of the rooms to provide extra humidity...like a mini-Roquefort cave. The seepage that occurs through it is entirely weather dependent, and hence a huge challenge from a cheese maker's point of view. It is not climate controlled so our 'terroir' is exactly that. Each year, analogous to wine, the cheeses ripen into a different 'vintage'. In 2005 for example, it was very wet, so the Blue Moons (our natural rind sheep milk blue) were quite moist with a thicker rind...........much like the texture of a sweet Gorgonzola as it held a lot of moisture in the paste (the interior of the cheese).
All of our mature cheeses are 'plank aged', meaning they are cured on boards-- that were also made here on the farm. We purchased a portable sawmill many years ago to harvest the wood for our house which is post and beam construction and it truly has been handy in building bridges (literally), cow barns, sheds etc. And cheese boards. The wood harvested for the planks is white ash which is a hardwood and very lightweight-helpful for maneuvering and washing. Cheeses are turned daily in the beginning of their affinage and less often as they age. As they give off moisture and develop a rind, the boards must be washed frequently and rotated into different locations through the cave as new cheeses enter each week to begin their aging process. This is a brief introduction to our cave...people often ask to visit our caves. Unfortunately due to food security/sanitation reasons, our caves are not open for visiting at this time. Next project? On to harvesting and milling boards for siding our new cheese house. Finally! Then there's firewood....
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
First Vermont Snow Fleurie
Well it's unbelievable but even with our attitude, not altitude, we had snow today. October 22nd!
Actually it IS our altitude. We are at approx 1200 feet above sea level, so when there is rain down in town there is snow up here. Just the other day Cobble Hill was covered in a light fog and gorgeous leaves.
Then the colder air moved in and boom! It looked like something in mud season (spring here in Vermont) when there is light snow and the roads are soft and warm and easily damaged by vehicle wheels or even cow's hooves........
But wait! Vermont Snow Fleurie? This is not a misspelling of 'flurry' it's the name of one of our delicate cow's milk cheeses, La Fleurie. This means 'bloom' in French and is in itself a play on words as it is a cheese of the 'bloomy rind' style, like Brie or Camembert. What's new? It has been chosen by Williams-Sonoma for an American Farmstead selection for the holidays. It is a unique cheese as it begins like a rich Chaource with its inherent cheesecake-like texture (a very good thing) and then ripens more silky thru the middle into a buttery creamy decadent event! La Fleurie can be consumed at all stages of its maturation which makes it widely appealing to all at a party or holiday meal. With two out of the four cheeses in this collection from Vermont, this is a fantastic gift for the holidays. Click here to order Williams-Sonoma
Actually it IS our altitude. We are at approx 1200 feet above sea level, so when there is rain down in town there is snow up here. Just the other day Cobble Hill was covered in a light fog and gorgeous leaves.
Then the colder air moved in and boom! It looked like something in mud season (spring here in Vermont) when there is light snow and the roads are soft and warm and easily damaged by vehicle wheels or even cow's hooves........
But wait! Vermont Snow Fleurie? This is not a misspelling of 'flurry' it's the name of one of our delicate cow's milk cheeses, La Fleurie. This means 'bloom' in French and is in itself a play on words as it is a cheese of the 'bloomy rind' style, like Brie or Camembert. What's new? It has been chosen by Williams-Sonoma for an American Farmstead selection for the holidays. It is a unique cheese as it begins like a rich Chaource with its inherent cheesecake-like texture (a very good thing) and then ripens more silky thru the middle into a buttery creamy decadent event! La Fleurie can be consumed at all stages of its maturation which makes it widely appealing to all at a party or holiday meal. With two out of the four cheeses in this collection from Vermont, this is a fantastic gift for the holidays. Click here to order Williams-Sonoma
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Whey Fed Pigs Rooting Heaven
As I looked behind me while taking some fall shots of our farm I heard some happy soft grunts (which are the cute sound relaxed pigs make) and lo and behold there were the pigs up in a field toward our old Christmas tree operation! First they came toward me thinking I had some treats for them
Then after realizing I was just hanging around on this beautiful day taking pictures they went off and continued rooting.
A few seconds later, something strange happened! The pigs began to make an alert sound and I looked to my left and whoa! An otter running across this upper pasture right by me!
Then off he went back into the woods.
Back to rooting heaven........."Wait! I think I got a grub. Yum!"
"Come on guys, someone's here with some whey. Let's go!"
"Yay. They brought cheese too."
Happy pigs rooting heaven.........Hmmm. Why was the otter there? Did he want cheese too? What a sighting... Ewe otter try Willow Hill Farm cheese too!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Perfect Pickler
Now ya'll know ( I can say this-my mom is Southern) that I am into all things fermented, so when I spied a gadget on TV on a show that rated kitchen thingys, I said "Hmmm. I'll check out their website and see what's up." Well I did, and was enamored.
I adore lacto-fermented vegetables and preserved meats, and oh heck I'm a cheese maker for goodness sake! Each and every day I deal with what someone once coined the 'controlled rotting of milk'. Haha! So when I saw a new rig for making pickles without a canning setup or a cold basement, I decided to go for it. Every culture in the world has a propensity for consuming some kind of fermented foods, be they vegetable, meat, dairy (i.e, cheese, yogurt, kefir) or fruit. Done properly, raw fermented foods are a huge benefit to the digestive system, which begins to change for the worse as we age.....
This item called the Perfect Pickler is a large bucket with a lid, spacer and primary fermenter (like I use in home brewing). All you add are the vegetables, some celtic sea salt and water. In 96 hours you have fantastic raw fermented pickles that are crunchy, a bit spicy (if that's what you want) and oh-so healthy. My first batch with this thing I used River Berry Farm cauliflower, carrots, garlic, ginger, green beans, fennel and red pepper I had on hand. If you look closely you can see the 'spacer' which is merely a ramekin set inside the brine. So if you have never had your own raw fermented pickles some good books to get you going are: Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. This thing is fun!
I adore lacto-fermented vegetables and preserved meats, and oh heck I'm a cheese maker for goodness sake! Each and every day I deal with what someone once coined the 'controlled rotting of milk'. Haha! So when I saw a new rig for making pickles without a canning setup or a cold basement, I decided to go for it. Every culture in the world has a propensity for consuming some kind of fermented foods, be they vegetable, meat, dairy (i.e, cheese, yogurt, kefir) or fruit. Done properly, raw fermented foods are a huge benefit to the digestive system, which begins to change for the worse as we age.....
This item called the Perfect Pickler is a large bucket with a lid, spacer and primary fermenter (like I use in home brewing). All you add are the vegetables, some celtic sea salt and water. In 96 hours you have fantastic raw fermented pickles that are crunchy, a bit spicy (if that's what you want) and oh-so healthy. My first batch with this thing I used River Berry Farm cauliflower, carrots, garlic, ginger, green beans, fennel and red pepper I had on hand. If you look closely you can see the 'spacer' which is merely a ramekin set inside the brine. So if you have never had your own raw fermented pickles some good books to get you going are: Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. This thing is fun!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Willow Hill Wins at World Cheese Awards
We are excited to announce that our new cheese, Butternut, (which husband named due to its butter-y and nutty flavor profile) just won a medal at the World Cheese Awards in Dublin, Ireland. With 2400 entries from every cheese making nation, Butternut made its long trip from Milton, Vermont to New York where it was consolidated with others en route to Dublin. There it was most likely lifted, sniffed, tasted while the judges chewed along thru the other 2399.........
Butternut is an Alpine style semifirm cow's milk cheese plank aged in our underground cave here on the farm. Quite an honor as it was included with other Alpine style cheeses in Europe where they reign in this category!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Paniolo Cheese in the News
Well maybe not headline news but surely an honor-for me. I come from 10 generations of cattle ranching in Hawaii. This, many people know about me. How I ended up in Vermont is a long story with a circuitous trail. The family ranch, currently the 5th largest in the United States, was at one time the largest privately owned ranch in the country, with 250,000 acres and 50,000 head of Hereford cattle. Its history goes back to the late 1800's wherein an unfolding saga of Hawaiian kings and queens and a chieftain's daughter marrying a New Englander ensued and wrangling of hundreds of freely breeding cattle and horses to be tamed-to chronicle but a bit of its story. (for more info www.parkerranch.com)
And the working Paniolos. This word, paniolo, word historians do agree is a 'corruption' of the word 'español' whom the Hawaiians were trying to describe when speaking about the Vaqueros, or Spanish cowboys, that came to the islands to manage the wild cattle.
Vaqueros, were those master cattle wranglers who cruised thru Texas on to California and thru Mexico centuries ago. Well some settled on our ranch and became the very fabric that made things happen. And this is a generation before there ever was an American cowboy. Now, now. Texans please do not contact me for libelous content. Look it up. It's on record. Anyway, back to my honor.
This year was named the Year of the Paniolo and marks the centennial wherein a renowned Paniolo, Ikua Purdy, "shocked the Western world with his unprecedented win" in Wyoming competing against the best cowboys of the time (Paniolo Preservation Society). So in August of this year they held lots of celebration at the ranch with rodeos, trail rides, luaus, Old Hawaii (a parade in period dress on horseback) to commemorate a moment in time hopefully not forgotten.
We released a new cheese we called 'Paniolo' in Aug of 2007. And it was fine time to donate some to this event. After several snafus with DHL shipping (!!) it arrived in ok condition and was served at a fundraising event. To my surprise and honor, a bidding war ensued and in the end someone won a small wheel of cheese for several hundred dollars! And to boot, the real honor was working Paniolos in attendance ate my cheese and loved it. Talk about history. What a circuitous route.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
New Winter Farmer's Market
It seems like just about a year ago at this time I was announcing our acceptance into a new winter farmer's market about to open in Montpelier, Vermont. It was held once a month in a college gym and we attended each one. Well now the market has expanded so as to add another Sat to its roster, the 3rd Sat of each month thru April. SO that makes the 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month thru April to make 10 winter markets to attend!
NOW Burlington Farmers Market has jumped onto the localvore bandwagon and is planning a winter farmer's market! I say? "It's about time!" So do many others of my clientele from years gone by at the summer market. This market is planned for the 3rd Saturday of each month beginning November 22, 2008 thru April. It is going to be in the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont. Should be great as far as products represented-my last check, 40 vendors are committed!
Willow Hill Farm's commitment? We are attending both Burlington and Montpelier Farmer's Markets. We will be bringing our award-winning cheeses, grassfed lamb, whey fed pork and blankets to both markets. See you there! And thanks for your patronage!
NOW Burlington Farmers Market has jumped onto the localvore bandwagon and is planning a winter farmer's market! I say? "It's about time!" So do many others of my clientele from years gone by at the summer market. This market is planned for the 3rd Saturday of each month beginning November 22, 2008 thru April. It is going to be in the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont. Should be great as far as products represented-my last check, 40 vendors are committed!
Willow Hill Farm's commitment? We are attending both Burlington and Montpelier Farmer's Markets. We will be bringing our award-winning cheeses, grassfed lamb, whey fed pork and blankets to both markets. See you there! And thanks for your patronage!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Cooking For 50
Well I haven't written in my diary in a bit since we have been so busy trying to keep ahead of the rain, breaking equipment and a slew of cheese orders. Last weekend I had pre-planned a party for myself and husband for approx 50 people-many near and dears and many "haven't seen in 15 year" types.
Sent out invitations and planned the menu and schedule lists in order to prepare things ahead of time to enjoy the time with guests, albeit somewhat short. The best planning still doesn't cover it. I had menu planned, daily duties all lined up for myself and then...........we lost all water in the house. And at the same time, two, not one, but two walk-in coolers failed at the cheese plant. This means that cheese couldn't be kept cold. Not to mention throwing the daily list of duties 4 days in advance off completely! Without water, one cannot prep food. So I shifted gears, as any experienced farmer does, as we are well-versed on changing plans at a moment's notice due to weather, and decided to vacuum, straighten the house, and pickup old mags, papers and the like. Set up the tiki torches, arranged chairs etc. Tried to carry on. Like a farmer.
Come the day of the party water had been restored only about 12 hours before. So I was on a kamikazi mission to attempt to prepare everything and be ready for arrivals. Someone smart would have cancelled.......Low and behold I just about made it. As friends began to arrive, I greeted them with the best attention I could give however I was distracted because with that volume of food some of it needed to be kept in cold storage at the plant ( I don't have the fridge space for all that). So things were going along smoothly with children splashing in the pool, music blaring and folks seemingly enjoying themselves. And before I could pull the pork and roast up the shrimp or put on grass fed burgers, a huge storm, visible across the lake rumbled over. So although I had thought about the proverbial Plan B, I never entertained we would actually ALL have to move inside. And so it did. The party, that is. All of a sudden, I was on. About 50 people staring at me in my kitchen and surrounding area and had to finish preparing foods as well as figure out how to line up folks buffet style to access the pulled pork, which was lovingly 'pulled' by Dawn and meanwhile Kat frantically zested some lemons over the shrimp I was going to roast. It's truly a great get together when you can find local ingredients to boot:
basil I used from River Berry Farm for my pesto, as well as their fabulous sunflowers that graced a number of vases around the house and lettuce and tomatoes for all else! We also dined on some of our lamb in the form of kebabs. So all in all, it was a great time-and too bad I didn't get any photos after I made the Carolina style slaw
and other sides, and put the pork shoulders on the day before.
With this pork I made a fresh ground coffee, cumin, garlic and cayenne dry rub. The pulled pork was gone in about 5 minutes. So the storm blasted by and soon enough in shivering temperatures the kids were back again in the pool, and the core group of farmers stayed until midnight. Kat's blueberry tartlets were a hit-we needed about 100 more of them. A good time had by all! As Wolfgang Puck says, "Live, love and eat!" We did.
Sent out invitations and planned the menu and schedule lists in order to prepare things ahead of time to enjoy the time with guests, albeit somewhat short. The best planning still doesn't cover it. I had menu planned, daily duties all lined up for myself and then...........we lost all water in the house. And at the same time, two, not one, but two walk-in coolers failed at the cheese plant. This means that cheese couldn't be kept cold. Not to mention throwing the daily list of duties 4 days in advance off completely! Without water, one cannot prep food. So I shifted gears, as any experienced farmer does, as we are well-versed on changing plans at a moment's notice due to weather, and decided to vacuum, straighten the house, and pickup old mags, papers and the like. Set up the tiki torches, arranged chairs etc. Tried to carry on. Like a farmer.
Come the day of the party water had been restored only about 12 hours before. So I was on a kamikazi mission to attempt to prepare everything and be ready for arrivals. Someone smart would have cancelled.......Low and behold I just about made it. As friends began to arrive, I greeted them with the best attention I could give however I was distracted because with that volume of food some of it needed to be kept in cold storage at the plant ( I don't have the fridge space for all that). So things were going along smoothly with children splashing in the pool, music blaring and folks seemingly enjoying themselves. And before I could pull the pork and roast up the shrimp or put on grass fed burgers, a huge storm, visible across the lake rumbled over. So although I had thought about the proverbial Plan B, I never entertained we would actually ALL have to move inside. And so it did. The party, that is. All of a sudden, I was on. About 50 people staring at me in my kitchen and surrounding area and had to finish preparing foods as well as figure out how to line up folks buffet style to access the pulled pork, which was lovingly 'pulled' by Dawn and meanwhile Kat frantically zested some lemons over the shrimp I was going to roast. It's truly a great get together when you can find local ingredients to boot:
basil I used from River Berry Farm for my pesto, as well as their fabulous sunflowers that graced a number of vases around the house and lettuce and tomatoes for all else! We also dined on some of our lamb in the form of kebabs. So all in all, it was a great time-and too bad I didn't get any photos after I made the Carolina style slaw
and other sides, and put the pork shoulders on the day before.
With this pork I made a fresh ground coffee, cumin, garlic and cayenne dry rub. The pulled pork was gone in about 5 minutes. So the storm blasted by and soon enough in shivering temperatures the kids were back again in the pool, and the core group of farmers stayed until midnight. Kat's blueberry tartlets were a hit-we needed about 100 more of them. A good time had by all! As Wolfgang Puck says, "Live, love and eat!" We did.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Bouncin' Blueberries!
Blueberry picking season has begun! After a much awaited harvest opening, and serious excess rain in the month of June and July, the plants are so loaded with berries that they bend over and almost touch the ground. To boot, the mower won't even fit between the rows that we haven't been able to mow in close to a month. So while the grass is long for now (I'll take care of that hopefully soon), the pickin' is easy. Stand in one spot for five minutes and there you will have about a quart of luscious organic blueberries.
We are the original U-pick Organic Blueberry farm in Chittenden County. And with about 9 varieties of blues we can pick 6, sometimes 8 weeks. We don't use a lot of bird prevention devices so if you come picking you can spot songbirds, oreoles, and other critters like turkeys and if late in the day, pheasants we previously released into the wild. They're probably picking blueberries as well!
We are always closed Mondays and Tuesdays (the blueberry fields only) which is often helpful as to allow some time for additional berries to ripen in the 'off-days'........Until further notice, our hours are as follows:
Weds-Sun 10-2
Directions: Coming from Main St in Milton, turn right onto East Rd. Make first left onto Hardscrabble Rd. Go approx 1.4 miles up the hill and we are on the right.
You can also call ahead for weather updates. 802-893-2963
We are the original U-pick Organic Blueberry farm in Chittenden County. And with about 9 varieties of blues we can pick 6, sometimes 8 weeks. We don't use a lot of bird prevention devices so if you come picking you can spot songbirds, oreoles, and other critters like turkeys and if late in the day, pheasants we previously released into the wild. They're probably picking blueberries as well!
We are always closed Mondays and Tuesdays (the blueberry fields only) which is often helpful as to allow some time for additional berries to ripen in the 'off-days'........Until further notice, our hours are as follows:
Weds-Sun 10-2
Directions: Coming from Main St in Milton, turn right onto East Rd. Make first left onto Hardscrabble Rd. Go approx 1.4 miles up the hill and we are on the right.
You can also call ahead for weather updates. 802-893-2963
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