Cheese FAQ's
Gouda originated in The Netherlands. It has a creamy texture with a sweet, buttery flavor. It is best served at room temperature or melted into your favorite dish.
Quark is a farmers cheese (aka fresh cheese) that is soft and spreadable. It's naturally low in fat with no salt added; it is a healthy alternative to cream cheese, ricotta or sour cream. Often used for baking (we use it for our cheesecakes!), but also makes a good topping for tacos, baked potatoes or in soups. We also make it into sweet and savory spreads.
Curd is a stage in the cheesemaking process. When rennet is added to milk it thickens the milk to create a gel which is then cut into curds. Curd has not been pressed into a wheel or block. It can be eaten right out of the vat, but tastes better with a bit of salt added. Whey is the watery bi-product which is not used to make our cheese.
For every 100lbs of milk, we get approximately 10lbs of cheese.
Pasteurization is heating the milk in order to kill the pathogenic bacteria that may be present.
All cheeses are flavored with different combinations of bacteria (aka cultures). Bacteria will cause the cheese to break down in the aging process in a unique way to develop a distinctive flavor.
Our milk is from one local dairy farm whose milk quality makes the best cheese.
Yes, we pay a premium for hormone free milk.
Our whey is brought back to the dairy farm and gets mixed into the cattle feed.
On average a few months for the Mild and at least six months for the Aged.
Aged has been aged longer which causes the flavor to become nuttier and the texture to be harder.
That depends on you! If you prefer milder cheeses, you'll probably enjoy our Mild, Garlic or cheese curds. If you like full-flavored cheeses, try our Aged, Goat Gouda, Swiss or White Cheddar.
