My Bad

Wow.  Things get busy and before I know it a couple weeks have passed since I posted.  Not exactly a consistent start to blogging.

Winter has finally settled in, well kind of.  We weren't sure if it ever would for a while, there still isn't much snow which leaves us wondering.  A better illustration is to look at the numbers for our region.  Last year, October 1 to mid January, we received 37.7" of snow.  This year we've only had 15.1" inches of snow - and you wouldn't know it looking at the ground cover.  We have had plenty of ice though.  They say it's "El Nina" vs. "El Nino", combined with the North Atlantic oscillation.  I'm not really sure of the technical details, but I hear tell this is also why a small town in Alaska received more than 18 ft. of snow - yikes!  My understanding is that this weather pattern is supposed to hold until March, possibly as late into the season as May.  I'm not sure if this makes me feel better about spring flooding this year or worries me more.  Certainly our frigid January temperatures are more intact, -9 on the porch last night and below zero or close to zero temps yesterday during the day.  A good day to work inside, which was a shame because we actually got some snow the day before, enough to play in!  Still waiting for our first snowshoe outing.

While the cold affects the work we do outside on the farm, the cheesemaking inside continues.  This time of year the chiller in the aging room is unplugged most of the time.  The room does a good job of staying close to the right temp, although I do need to send in a little warm air on days like these.  Of course it is a bit cold to make cheese in a 50+ degree room so the make room also needs a little heating help too.

The girls are still milking whereas last year we dried everyone off in December.  We are also doing farm markets all winter this year, with plenty of aged cheese, feta, and even chevre - something we normally don't see again until March!  Milk supplies will begin to rise sometime in late February when the kids begin to arrive. 

Even though milk supplies are low right now there is plenty going on.  We have a new Spanish Ibores inspired cheese in the works which should hit the market by summer, and of course our Garrotxa inspired cheese, Tordera, is available in small amounts now but we hope that by spring you'll be able to find it in finer cheese stores.  So stay tuned!

Holiday Market

Tomorrow is a big holiday market, both in St. Johnsbury and Montpelier (aka Capital City Farmer's Market).  Since it is a holiday market we've added a few extra items to the booth to make it more special.

I made Honey Spice Dog Treats (with our chevre), Honey Lemon Truffles (with our chevre), Chocolate Chevre Brownies (they are about ready to go in the oven), and considering some cranberry walnut chevre cookies as well.  In addition we have our usual "Goat Note" note cards, goat milk soap, and CHEESE!!!! 

The addition we are most excited about though is the first public outing of our new Spanish style goat cheese.  Tordera, named for a Spanish river in the Catalonia region, is made from pasteurized milk and aged only 45 days.  We are also aging a few wheels at various lengths to consider the potential for producing it from raw milk as well.  If you are at the St. Johnsbury or Montpelier area farmer's markets stop in and see us for a sample of the newest addition to our cheese family! 

Spanish style cheeses have been a large influence on our recent cheese making.  It helps that the cheese maker in charge of making such decisions is smitten with Spanish cheeses and recently had the opportunity to work with one of the foremost cheese experts in Spain, Enric Canut.  You might even see another new Spanish influenced cheese (or two!) coming out this spring.

Just a note to market goers, this may be the last market until February where you can get our chevre.  The girls are drying out in preparation for kidding, which will begin in mid-February, and eventually we reach a point where we aren't producing enough milk to make cheese.

Farm Markets

One of the nicest things about farm markets is all the people I meet. Of course one of the worse things can also sometimes be the people you meet, fortunately that doesn't usually happen. This year we were fortunate to join the Capital City Farmers Market in August as a sub for Mt. Mansfield Creamery.

We were pleasantly surprised when we learned that there was a spot for us at the winter market! It was great to arrive today for our first winter market and find that we are situated close to our summer market neighbors, Gaylord Farm, and right in between the delicious Butterfly Bakery and who else but Mt. Mansfield Creamery.

It was great to be situated right next to another cheesemaker and have the opportunity to chat a little in between customers. I also got a chance to meet another local cheesemaker who is also vending at the winter market, Molly from Sage Farm.

All in all a great day.