Food | Cheese
Sweet Grass Dairy
Fine handcrafted cheese made from the milk of “barn free” grassfed cows. Currently their products are not certified organic, but they are about halfway through the multi-year process of having their dairy farms certified organic. Check out their website to see their “cow cam” and learn how they farm.
Pure Abundance
Cultured and aged cashew cheeses made by combining traditional methods with modern technolog. “Organic cashews and supporting ingredients are blended with a vegan probiotic culturing agent and aged in our cheese cave for 11 days. A complex and satisfying flavor profile emerges as the magic of chemistry transforms a few simple ingredients into exquisite cheese….Handmade with love from organic ingredients, Pure Abundance Cashew Cheeses are dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.”
Jacobs & Brichford
Producers of raw milk cheese on their family’s Hoosier Homestead Farm. “Making cheese from our solely grass-fed dairy cows, we continue to live and work on the farm that has been in the family since 1819. We believe in a sustainable future and our cheese is one way we can bring that vision to you.”
Yellow Branch Cheese
Farmstead cheeses made from an original recipe. “The distinctive flavor of the hand-crafted cheese results from the high quality of the milk and the variety of grasses and herbs growing in the pastures…The dairy is pasture-based and managed using sustainable practices. Our pasture and hay fields are managed organically. We strive to provide our cows with a stress free environment. Growth hormones are not used and antibiotics are used therapeutically and as a last option… The only ingredients in the cheese are whole unpasteurized milk, microbial rennet, culture and Celtic Sea Salt.”
Sprout Creek Farm
Farm-fresh cheeses made from the milk of grass-fed cows. The model farm “exists for the sake of helping us all connect with one another, and for us that means with animals and plants as well as with people. Our animals are friendly and gentle, and most importantly, known. We respect them and are grateful for all they are able to produce for us. So we try to provide a good life for them. Our cow, sheep, and goat herds are small, and we have enough grass for them to eat. They come in from the pasture to be milked or checked twice each day and spend the rest of their day roaming about in the fresh air in search of their own grassy version of mesclun!” Be sure to click on “The Farm” button to learn about the health benefits of grass-fed animal products. Proceeds from cheese sales support their educational programs.
Shelburne Farms
“Since 1980, we have made a fine ‘farmhouse’ cheddar according to traditional methods, using only the raw milk from our purebred herd of Brown Swiss cows. The cheese is rGBH- and rBST-free and contains no artificial flavors, colorings, or preservatives. The American Cheese Society has consistently honored our cheddar with awards for excellence since 1990.” The farm also serves as an educational demonstration center that practices environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable rural land use. Their dairy cows are grass-fed on a pasture rotation, and their acreage of sustainably managed woodlands received Green Certification from the Forest Stewardship Council in 1998. The very interesting website has lots of information and pictures that explain their dairy and cheesemaking procedures.
Cowgirl Creamery
Award-winning artisinal cheeses made in Pt. Reyes, California, from local organic milk and cream. When I used to live down the road from Pt. Reyes, I would go to this creamery and buy fresh cheese–mmmmmmmm!–and I’ve been to the farm where they get their milk. Now they have expanded with a store in San Francisco and one in Washington DC, and carry organic and artisinal cheeses from all over the world. On their website they also have a comprehensive “Cheese Library” with pictures of each variety and descriptions which include wine pairings, which you can search by milk type, country, raw or pasturized, and even cheesemaker!
