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December, 2012 New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. cheesemaking.com
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TaleggioThis is Jim's favorite cheese - mild and
nutty but rich and smelly. Gordon Edgar in "Cheesemonger" recommends
it to his customers as "a gateway to the stinky cheeses." Once you've
tasted it, it's hard to go back to the blander varieties.
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 | This is not a beginner cheese to make because the aging
process is somewhat complicated. However, when you're ready to tackle
it, you will find that Jim has gone into great detail about every step. To see Jim's tutorial for Taleggio - click here |
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 Denis BarnardDelta Junction, AlaskaDenis just
started making cheese two years ago, but he has already won awards at
the Deltana Fair- Grand Champion for a flavored
cheddar last year and First Place for his flavored goat cheddar this year.
He started making cheese when he and his wife, Angie moved from Utah to Alaska: |  Denis and his grandson, Eamon (5) |
Denis's two goudas and his Borealis Blue
| About 2 years ago, I had the urge to simplify my life. Angie and I were
trying to eat healthier and find more purposeful ways of life.
Knowing
about the sources of our food was integral to this process but we found
it increasingly difficult in a fast paced, frenetic lifestyle. |
For
almost 40 years, I had been working in clinical laboratory and
healthcare administration. So we decided to retire and join my son and
his family in Alaska.
We take advantage of the summer by planting all sorts of vegetables.
The growing season is short but intense due to the fact that we have so
much daylight during the summer.
The winters on the other hand are very
cold (often -20 to -40) with ever decreasing daylight. By the time
winter solstice arrives we have about four hours of daylight.
Despite
the harsh conditions, winter presents an ideal time for cheese making.
Things definitely slow down and it is a great time to sit by the fire,
read, or make cheese. | 
Scenes in his back yard |
Indeed. Denis
has been making a Stilton-type of blue cheese sprinkled with Fleur de
Sel that he calls Borealis Blue, Fromaggio Urbiaco (which is soaked in
wine), flavored cheddar, gouda, and soft goat cheese.
One of our predictions for the New Year is that Denis will win a lot more awards! For more info and pictures about Denis - click here |  |
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 Workshop Was Worthwhile(Deborah Niemann-Boehle (at right) is the author of Homegrown and Handmade and Ecothrifty. She took the picture below when she attended one of Jim Wallace's advanced workshops).
I took Jim Wallace's cheese class in October and totally loved it! I thought you might like to see my blog post about it (Antiquity Oaks).
We've been making cheese for ten years, and we have even been teaching beginning cheese making classes for five or six years here in Illinois. But we realized that books and our own trial and error could only take us so far when it came to our aged cheeses.
As I told Jim when we arrived at his home, we had ten years worth of questions about what caused the curds to do one thing or another. It is also very important to me to understand the science behind cheese making now because I'm working on a book about raising goats and making cheese with their milk, including hard cheeses, and I want to be able to explain why things happen and why you have to do the things you do when making cheese. Jim's class was everything we were hoping it would be -- and more!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle, Cornell, Illinois
 Deborah's picture from Jim's workshop
Attention - Gift Alert!Season's Greetings from under the rainforest canopy, in the jungles of Belize! We have been very busy here - making cheese in our new make room, aging the cheese in our new aging room and eating cheese and drinking wine in our new cheese tasting room (pictures enclosed).
This was our 2012 adventure and now we're all ready to host our January, 2013, "Adventure in Cheese Making" classes with cheese masters Dr. Larry and Linda Faillace of Three Shepherd's Farm in Vermont. There are still a few openings available. (Cave's Branch Jungle Lodge)
Ian Anderson, Belmopan, Belize
Ian Anderson (in green shirt) tasting cheese with his guests  First batch of cheese being made in the new cheese house  Guests at the viewing and tasting window  Aging room  Canned Cheese?!
Japan, a Cheese Desert (no, that's not a misspelling).
I live in Japan. I've been here continuously since 1976. At first, I
lived in Tokyo, then moved to Sapporo (Hokkaido) and now Naha (Okinawa).
You
may know of the Chinese "zodiac." Each year is represented by a
different animal/mythical beast. My birth year was the year of the
mouse. (Actually, it's usually translated as "rat," but I prefer mouse.) |  |
| Well, as you know, any mouse is lost without cheese, and I must admit
that I did have a hard time. Imagine my elation when, one day, I came
across a can of Camembert. It cost me an arm and a leg, but I had a
craving.
I managed to find some halfway decent wine and some French
bread with no crust (you can't have everything!). I opened the wine to
let it breathe and did the same thing with the cheese. |
But when I removed the lid, I couldn't believe it. The poor cheese seemed to be made out of some ceramic material.
The poor thing was dead, bereft of life, it had gone to the great delicatessen in the sky. It would melt no more.
There was a label on the bottom of the packet that had contained the tin. It said, in French, Italian, German and English: DO NOT FREEZE.
It said, in Japanese: FREEZE. |  |
 | The bread and wine were some consolation, but my craving got worse.
I
tried various things as a substitute; natto (which I like and has
almost a cheesy, fermented fragrance), kusaya (fish fermented in its own
juices - actually surprisingly good), but it wasn't quite the same.
Every time I went abroad I'd stock up, but it would disappear in a week
or so.
Little by little, cheese began to appear in Japanese
supermarkets and department stores. Some of it very good, but all of it
way overpriced.
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I thought of making cheese, but internet shopping
wasn't really around then and I couldn't find rennet or any of the
things I would need, so I resigned myself to it.
Cheese was a luxury item. For Christmas and birthdays.
Then,
when we moved to Okinawa, after a brief spell of befriending US
military personnel and getting them to sign me in on base so that I
could do some shopping, I found Tofuyo.
|  |
 | Do you know this? Tofuyo is fermented Tofu. It's very close to a blue cheese.
I enjoyed eating this and did some research to find out how to make it.
Actually, it's not difficult to make at all. It just
takes time. You part dry the tofu and marinate it in a mixture of kome
koji* and awamori.** After six months, the flavor begins to develop.
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But, again, this wasn't cheese.
Recently I started to bake my own bread. And NOTHING goes with a nice hunk of bread like REAL cheese!
I made some simple ricotta-like cheese with vinegar and, encouraged, I shopped around for the "makings."
I
managed to find a tiny tube of rennet, ridiculously overpriced and had
some success. That's when I found your page on the internet. I'm glad I
did.
John Davis, Sapporo, Japan
*Kome-koji
is a mold (Aspergillus oryzae) applied to the steamed white rice in
order to break down starch molecules into sugar molecules, which can
then be processed by yeast cells for fermentation.
**Awamori
is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It
is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing (like sake)
but of distillation. | 
Kome-Koji (top) and Awamori (bottom) |
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Staff Appreciation DayThe Cheese Queen declared the day before Thanksgiving a royal half holiday (YAY!). We closed the shop at noon and celebrated the occasion with Chinese food, a dessert buffet (we all brought one), movies and games. It was our thanks for getting your orders out lickety-split!
Ricki and Jamie came with a new game for the staff to play after lunch.
The Royal Staff (left to right) Sarah, April, Angie, Jamie, Ricki, Jeff, Alison, Kathy
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Taleggio MoldThis is the only mold we sell that comes with a cool draining mat. It has a pattern inscribed on one side and little pegs on the other side to hold the cheese off the surface.
If you're going to be trying Jim's recipe, this mold is the way to go. You can use other molds, but we feel that if you're going to take the time to make a more advanced cheese, you may as well reward yourself with a beautiful pattern on the finished product. (Besides, your cheese will look way more impressive when you serve it to your guests!)
 For more info about our Taleggio mold - click here
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Place Your Free Ads HereSend your copy to ads@cheesemaking.com, and your ad will be promptly placed in the classified section of our website. It will also appear in the next month's Moosletter (like the ads below). To see the full classifieds - click hereFor SaleOrganically raised Miniature Jersey and miniature Holstein heifers for sale.
Making cheese/yogurt/butter from milk from your own miniature Holstein
or miniature Jersey cows is wonderful. Occasionally we do have a fresh
cow for sale as well. To approved homes only. Please contact triplehranchtexas@wildblue.net for pictures and more information. Located in NE Texas. Delivery possible.
Jobs & Employment
Looking for employment in the Massachusetts area but would consider other areas in New England or NYC.
I have basic cheese knowledge after working for two cheesemakers in
upstate New York. I assisted the cheesemakers, prepared for,
set-up/broke-down, and sampled/sold cheese and other products at farmers
markets in upstate NY and in Brooklyn, NY. I also worked at the
Washington County Fair and Washington County Cheese Tour. I am open to
working in any aspect of cheese (production, sales/marketing, small
cheese/specialty shop, farmers market, cheesemaking equipment, supplies,
assisting in cheesemaking classes, etc.). Marie DeFranca
508-826-8133 MD203@aol.com
Real Estate
76 acre non-certified organic and biodynamic family farm & ranch is for sale in Wood County, East Texas.
Husband and wife sellers are willing to stay/live on-site to
teach/advise you how to become a successful sustainable Rancher/Farmer.
This property is next to nothing for privacy and close to everything
for convenience. Our farm leases an additional 60 acres in the
neighborhood. Only $998,000, so grab your cowboy hat and head for TEXAS!
For more info click here. 903-629-3034 chef@southerngrace.biz
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Cheesemaking 101 Beginner Workshops with Ricki Carroll
A full day of hands-on cheese making with Ricki and Jamie in their beautiful house in the foothills of the Berkshires. You will learn to make Farmhouse Cheddar, Queso Blanco, Whole Milk and Whey Ricotta, 30 Minute Mozzarella, Fromage Blanc, Creme Fraiche and Mascarpone.
| Cheesemaking 201 Advanced Workshops with Jim Wallace
Jim Wallace has been teaching and answering our technical
questions for a number of years now. You will be delighted with his classes. They are
more technical in scope than Ricki's beginner classes, but are fine
for the cheese maker who wants to learn more details of the process.
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Sonoma Valley Cheese ConferenceSonoma, CaliforniaFebruary 23-27California's Artisan Cheese FestivalPetaluma, CaliforniaMarch 22-24South African Cheese FestivalCape Town, South AfricaApril 26-28Between the Bluffs Beer Wine & Cheese FestivalLa Crosse, WisconsinApril 27National Spanish Cheese FestivalTrujillo, SpainApril 25 - May 1 |
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What are people saying about us? Check it out here.
The Cheese Queen is in Food and Wine and Barbara Kingsolver's
book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle!
Thanks for joining our cheese making family, keep those stories & photos coming. We love to hear from you!
In Peace,
Ricki, the cheese queen | |