Learn To Make Cheese

The Kitchn posted about a special Martha Stewart television show we missed dedicated to cheese.  Segments include profiles of New England cheesemaking dairies, and a discussion with Liz Thorpe, VP of Murray’s Cheese in NYC, and all around cheese superstar.   Of course, Martha also makes her own cheese during the program.

“Not to be missed was the field piece in the first segment of the show on the Vermont artisan cheesemaking movement, with video profiles of Jasper Hill Farm, Thistle Hill Farm, Willow Hill Farm, and Blue Ledge Farm. They’re some of our favorites. She also chats with Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, who sells American cheeses– exclusively– from her shop in the Essex Street Market in the Lower East Side.”

Martha Stewart Takes on Cheese: The All-Cheese Show The Cheesemonger | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn.

Cheesemaking is one pastime you simply can’t experience through books.  Part of why we enjoy it is because you use your hands and can observe science taking place in the cheesemaking process.  In this Northwest Food News article, Guy Hand walked blindly into the world of cheesemaking and found himself a satisfying hobby.

His first efforts at making ricotta and cheddar were impressive!  Here’s what he has to say about the transformational experience of cheesemaking.

“What I’ve learned on the bumpy road to cheesemaking is that a good cheese sitting quietly on its shelf is a little biological miracle, a teaming universe of microscopic processes, a dance between time and temperature, art and science.  I’m not really good at it yet, but I’ve made some fresh cheeses that easily out compete the average supermarket varieties and I’m waiting for the weather to cool down so I can start aging some specimens in my newly christened cheese closet.  I’ll keep you posted . . .”

Discovering My Inner Cheesemaker | Northwest Food News.

If you find yourself in Wisconsin’s cheese country, be sure to visit the National Historic Cheesemaking Center, located a couple of hours north of Chicago.  It has exhibits on the history of cheese with fascinating photos and imagery, as well as a focus on the Wisconsin dairy industry.  It helps put cheesemaking in cultural and historical context.  Funny how so many of the tools are exactly the same as a century ago!

“The cheesemaking museum offers visitors a unique look back at the history of cheese making in Wisconsin and the Green County area. It showcases artifacts and information about the area’s rich cheese industry, area farmers, and the history of cheesemaking in southern Wisconsin. The museum offers visitors a glimpse back at an 1800’s era model cheese factory and offers visitors a wide variety of facinating exhibits from “an era that once was….but will never be again.”

via The National Historic Cheesemaking Center — Home.

Possibly due to a resurgence of people being interested in the food they consume, and the change in the country’s leadership, there is a philosophical and political shift taking place in Washington.  There is a new focus on local and regional agricultural production as evidenced by federal initiatives including grants to small formers and sustainable agriculture initiatives.

One Nebraska cheesemaker is experiencing this first hand:

“Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” is an example of renewed efforts in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to connect consumers more directly with the people who grow what they eat.

It could also be said the government’s biggest food promoter and food regulator is putting more of its money closer to where the mouths are. In one week, according to USDA officials, the funding total for “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” added up to $65 million.

Krista Dittman – whose 10 years in food production in the Lincoln area has taken her from selling a few dozen eggs to making and marketing a dozen different kinds of cheese – likes the message she’s getting from a new federal initiative and from growing numbers of customers.

“There’s kind of a resurgence, maybe, of people being interested in the food they eat,” she said.

USDA putting more money into food producer-consumer connection.

From eCampus.com: Over the last decade, artisan and farmstead cheesemaking have transformed Vermont into one of the nation’s (and the world’s) most beloved sources of fine cheeses. Ogden describes all the cheeses from all the cheesemakers. Through visits to the farms, talks with the cheesemakers, and descriptions of the cheeses, Ogden illustrates the expert technique and knowledge of craft that have transformed the small state into an influential contributor to the national food scene.

The Vermont Cheese Book