2021 reflection
So…what happened on the farm in the last year? Where did the cheese quest lead us? What epiphanies arose? These are questions I’m asking myself and I hope to answer.
2021 Lane in the Woods Farm slideshow below!
Batches of cheese made: 109
Average quantity of milk processed per batch: 35 gallons
Annual Rainfall on farm: 40.41”
Most rainfall in one day: 4.29” August 17. Tropical Depression Fred
For me, 2021 was entirely focused on milking cows, moving cows, making cheese, cleaning up and then selling our cheese at 3 weekly farmers markets. Those few things consumed all the time in my day. I enjoyed the intensity, it’s a high throttle lifestyle for 9 months out of the year with little time for distractions. Green light was always a go. In return, I slept well most nights. Fortunately, sanity was mostly maintained.
The cows remained in good health last year. Rain was steady throughout the summer which is a big positive in providing nutrition for our herd. Our total rainfall on our farm for the year was 40.41”, with 11 of those inches in July and August (Storm Fred helped with those numbers.) The drought for us came in November and the ground remained dry throughout December, with only 2” in those 2 months. This meant we started feeding hay earlier than we would like. But those are the challenges we expect to face and I’ll gladly trade out a wet summer for a dry fall.
Our cheese took us places. We did samplings and tastings at Mountain Air Country Club in Burnsville, Chow Chow events in Asheville and our cheeses graced the tables at a wedding in Brooklyn.
It also been rewarding to build relationships with some of the great local chefs and fine establishments in Marshall and Asheville. It’s been a treat to get to know the folks at the Old Marshall Jail in downtown Marshall. The Jail regularly has our cheeses on their local cheese plate, and being only 10 minutes from our farm, I even got to bicycle the cheese there, which is a dream I’ve always had. In Asheville, Chef Eric at the Funkatorium and Chef Antonio at Holeman and Finch, regularly feature our cheeses on the menu. Their enthusiasm keeps the gears turning. I’m happy to be a part of it all.
We continued to experiment with our cheesemaking and recipes, with some fine tuning of our O Horizon, Craggy, Elder, Big Tomme, Mountain Blue and Silvermine. I found the biggest breakthrough in the make and aging process of the O Horizon, which is our rich bloomy rind. It has become a dependable process. The final cheese grows a nice white downy coat with a creamy softening under the first quarter inch of the rind. I age the cheese in containers with a lid to minimize air flow and increase humidity. I’ve found this cheese is best aged at 4 to 6 weeks. 2021 was a good year for the O Horizon, it also got its name:
“O horizons: are soil layers with a high percentage of organic matter. Typically within a woodland area” In the case of the cheese, the soft white outer layer, made up of the fungi P. Candidum and Geo. Candidum remind me of where all nutrients originate, the mysterious fungi that makes it all happen, and the interconnection and the countless unseen pieces to the puzzle of life.
For the raw milk Craggy, I played around with this cheese type almost every time I made it . Constantly I was changing the salt level, wheel size, final cook temperature and texture, aging time and the different affinage techniques, to tweak the cheese in the direction that I wanted. The Craggy I have found is the most difficult cheese for me to master. Ultimately, I am trying to create a nutty and supple interior with a slightly sweet and pink colored bacteria washed rind that doesn’t overpower the interior or your senses. This is what I have discovered to have great importance in this sort of rind development: 1) final wheel height is important 2) final salt content matters 3) humidity needs to be diligently controlled 4) and frequent washing and monitoring of the cheese is crucial. Many factors go into the success of this cheese, and I’m figuring it out slowly. Progress can be counted in years. And I will not count the losses.
The Elder, our 1 year aged Alpine Style hard cheese is easy to settle on the final recipe. Elder is easy to make and not much work to be done over it’s affinage. Regular flipping and washing is all that is needed but less often than the Craggy. The only problem with the Elder is how long it takes to age. 1 year minimum to age and it taste good. But at 16 months, it taste really good! So Elder is a dependably good cheese, but takes patience.
As for the natural rinded Mountain Blue, it continues to surprise. It is dynamic, always changing. Every day it taste different. I got some Blue aged to 6 months, and it tasted like melt in your mouth butter. Another surprise!
I finished off Summer this year with a series of makes of Clothbound Cheddar and our Silvermine (Caerphilly style.) This was inspired by the fact that I found a 16 month aged Cheddar that was out of eyesight in the cheese cave, hiding in the very corner. It went unflipped for a couple months. I found it. Opened it up. It was crystalized decadence. There are only a few things out there that get better when you totally forget about them.
My Dad(Granddad Ken) continues to be the best helper, dishwasher and companion in the Creamery. The Grandmoms applaud and feeds us when we need it. Grandpa Oliver helps with the animals when he visits. Adalyn is #1 at putting the cheese label to the packaging. Baby O continues to be adorable. Kate continues to make it all happen. She keeps the gears turning and foresees what I cannot. Aniisha, our neighbor that everyone wishes they had, is wonderful at motivating and helps at special events and markets. Godfather Hun keeps me with much needed company at markets and brings the hot beverages on a cold day. This is the team!
love it