Learn To Make Cheese

If you live in upstate New York, you’re in luck, because the Finger Lakes Artisanal Cheese Open House is this weekend.   Cheese enthusiasts and aspiring cheesemakers are finding culinary tours like this one as a way to learn how artisan cheeses are made.  If you’re interested in cheesemaking, research locations like the Finger Lakes where wines are produced, as there may be a dairy farm community in these areas as well.

Some regions like Upstate New York are also home to beautiful fall leaves and winemaking, which makes for an idyllic fall trip.  Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll find there this weekend.

“The farms’ offerings are as delicious as they are unique. Joining Side Hill Acres on the free, self-guided tour (you’ll need to drive) are Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese Co. in Mecklenburg, where former reporter Nancy Taber Richards crafts aged Gouda-style cheeses on the 700-acre farm her paternal grandfather started in 1919, and Sunset View Creamery in Odessa, home to a tasty selection of cheddars, cheddar curds, and Monterey Jacks that Carmella and Ron Hoffman make in a 290-gallon vat imported from Holland.

In nearby King Ferry, Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery will tout its farmstead kefir cheese, cultured with living kefir grains and handcrafted with raw milk from grass-fed Irish Dexter cows.

“It’s an opportunity to get out and see the farm,” Ross says of the open house. That, and sample a little cheese in the process.”

Cheese Peepers

This is a fantastic way to practice your cheesemaking and get together to enjoy it.  Using all the same recipe, participants are asked to make a 4lb Tomme style cheese the week of Labor Day to be enjoyed at the Guild’s Christmas party.  It’s so rare to have the opportunity to taste cheeses in this way and identify different characteristics.

Tomme, a relatively low-fat style of cheese. It’s  made with cow’s milk, pressed, and results in a semi-soft, mild-ish and versatile cheese.

Give this a try in your local area with a Tomme-style cheese or any kind of cheese you like!

Make a Tomme for Christmas « Maine Cheese Guild.