In the end... there was cheese.

the stars must align

2012-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

-Boötes: Business Plan -He looks ready to fight for a loan doesn't he?-

We have managed to align Boötes. We have our business plan ready and we are working on our numbers. Collecting all the info for a business plan is very difficult and takes hundreds of hours collecting data but we are there! As I would sit and watch Joel work on his spread sheets for the actually costs to run a proper business of which he has about 15 different spread sheets, I sat in amazement, speechless at the math equations he was coming up with. I can't really describe it since I still don't know what he was doing but this is an example of one he worked on:
[=((C47+B35)x(D32-B38))+E22-C47] Now, I could type for hours trying to concisely describe it but I won't due to the fact that I don't want to. Basically he is able to make up equations that will make the numbers adjust if he types in a different number on any given line. I know there are many of you out there who can do this and think it isn't a big deal but for those of us who aren't... how do I put this nicely, those of us who aren't nerds- it's very crazy to watch. I am SOOO glad I have a husband/business partner who can do this. I would be sitting there with a pencil and paper writing (1 sheep gives about a pound of cheese every 2 days, x $30/lb.= sell it and take the money.) I did help him with how the spread sheet was organized, the colors and making it easily readable. That counts for something!

oolite bleu- first appearance

2012-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

As you may recall, we began this crazy journey with an idea in mind. Let's make a bleu cheese out of sheep's milk and age it in the Oolite limestone that is found in the valley where we want to live. This is a process that is very similar to Roquefort Bleu Cheese in France where they age their sheep's milk cheese in limestone caves. It's an idea that has been in the works for the past 4 years, we even moved our 5 kids to Manti, Utah just to undertake this endeavor.
Drum roll please....

It started out white curd then the blue mold started to show like usual but then a strange occurrence came when trapped in a closed lid pot with a piece of limestone, a white mold began taking over. It was a very fuzzy white mold and soon the blue was being consumed by the white. It smells like bleu cheese and tastes like bleu cheese but went white/gray. It was very exciting to see and not only did it taste like a very strong bleu but the sheep milk gave it an interesting peppery flavor as well, oh and will definitely leave your mouth numb. Very exciting! Now we just needed to get it to the 3rd Annual Inter-mountain Dairy Sheep Producers Association and let others see what they think.

back to work

2012-02-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have posted, I know, but I have been busy trying to get Joel home on a more permanent basis and now that he is working from home regularly we are back to work on the cheese dream. Lots to report as far as cheese making. First we worked on getting the basement finished so we can age cheese there. It is a slow process to expose the stone but well worth the while.

Couldn't resist the picture of the ram. If you remember I did a painting for Joel of him petting a ram, well this is the ram and his horns have started to curl.

I was able to get a lot of Icelandic sheep milk from my neighbors and made several batches of cheese. When my neighbor had to go out of town she asked me to milk. It was so much fun! The sheep got to know me and we had our routine down. Very awesome to produce cheese from start to finish.

First I worked on What's Her Name and it turned out great. Looking forward to making the Oolite Bleu.

in loving memory of Cosette

2011-04-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

Poor Gracie! She had lots of problems during her pregnancy and Beth was very aware of her lack of eating and just not looking or acting right. Maybe the triple birth was just too hard which, of course, made it hard on the babies. Cosette was so tiny and though she seemed like she was thriving I guess she wasn't.

Let's hope for the best for the spotted one to make it, she's our next pick.

i smell dead people

2011-04-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

After 11 days of rotting in the basement, the rooster bleu is really.... coming...along. Man, does it smell like death! Joel says that's good, it is breaking down the fats & proteins. This one is definitely different from the first one we made. I added an extra tablespoon of Roquefort and boy is it showing! It turned bleu very fast, much faster than the first so again we are back to not knowing how it will turn out for another...79 days.

getting my gates built and up

2011-04-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

After careful thought of what design I wanted for the gates, I finally came up with what I thought would work. I got my tools together and set up my professional fence building station which consists of 4 concrete blocks, you know the kind that people put their cars on when storing the car on the lawn.

I was able to get both built in one day but it took a week or so to put them up due to weather and laziness. But now they are hung and next I have to figure out what to do to latch them.

I bought latches but of course they didn't work so other than that I am pretty excited to have them up and neighbors seem to like the design and look of the completed fence which is also important. And Sunny really likes have a perimeter up, she runs and runs and is better able to protect her family with her property line more defined.

in loving memory of Carpet

2011-04-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yet another tragedy has hit this morning and we realize again, how precious life is and how easily it can be taken away.

The Thurston's woke up this morning and checked on the flock and found that poor little Carpet had died in the night. We all knew he was very frail and slow and he just wasn't able to keep up with his sisters when it came time to feed. They kept a very close eye on him and were going to start bottle feeding today. We have all learned that it is very difficult when ewe's have triplets, not only is it amazing if none come out with problems but also important that the mother has enough milk for all. All these experiences are how we learn but it's still so sad.
He was the one we were thinking about buying and trying our hand at raising a few sheep. His wool was so amazing and thick, thus the name Carpet. Joel thought it would be fun to try and reproduce this wonderful wool. They may breed Gracie again next year so maybe another chance may arrive to get a black one again.

Many hands have held him and he was loved by all. Bye Carpet.

gracie's triplets

2011-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

These are my neighbors Icelandic sheep. They have 3 ewe's; Ivory gave birth 2 days ago with 2 white rams. Gracie gave birth today to a black ram, a white female & a spotted female. We are still awaiting the arrival of Leah's lambs so hopefully any day now, she really looks miserable... maybe its my sympathy pangs from being pregnant feeling for her.

follow the rooster

2011-04-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

For those who are interested in seeing how our cheese is made here is a brief presentation.

I took 4 gallons of raw cows milk which was milked that day and bring it up to temp. I then added the cultures and bleu mold along with actual Roquefort Bleu Cheese, mix well.

Next I cut the curd once it has solidified into a jello like consistency and stir continuously for 30 min.

Then it is drained and set into the mould to press. I then cut it again into cubes which will be placed into the mould.

Don't forget the salt.

Oolite Bleu after 4 days of aging... it's getting there!

the brilliant cookie

2011-04-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

It has been suggested a time or two that I should sell my baked goods, so to all those who have suggested it here you go...

www.thebrilliantcookie.blogspot.com

Truffles- Homemade Raspberry Perserve, Amaretto &
Dark Chocolate w/ nuts

F-Bomb Cookies (Salted Carmel Chocolate Cookie)

Thanks for all the support!
Hey Charno, check it out and give your 2 cents.

our bleu just got famous

2011-04-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

O.k now it isn't famous in the true sense but it is getting noticed. Joel took our cheese to be tasted by a couple of guys in the restaurant biz who heard about our cheese biz. He begrudgingly took it in one night without much confidence since it didn't turn out exactly how he wanted but knowing it was a good opportunity he headed over. They tried it, loved it and by the end of the night all the customers had sampled our Bleu. People were coming up to him to shake his hand, "keep up the good work", and so on. Joel even noticed a guy moving closer and closer to his table until they finally asked if he would like to try it, "Sure why not." Now we all know Joel is a great story teller so he went on to explain why our Bleu cheese is so unique. He let them know that this cheese is a true product of it's environment. The milk is from Mt. Pleasant and they are grass fed and hormone free cows and there are about 6 different cows that give it the unique flavor and golden color. Also, Utah weather isn't like France or even California, it's Utah... which is a desert- thus a hard bleu cheese is created not a soft Roquefort style. Well Joel sat back the rest of the night listening to his story being re-told over and over as the guys introduced the product. It was exactly what he needed, to see that this was a rad & unique product that he could be proud of. They loved it so much that they took what was left, asked for more and have since put it on their cheese plate to sell. Yes, it brought a little tear to my eye when I heard the news. Not to mention when I was there for spring break I overheard a group order the cheese plate and the guys gave us props on the cheese they were eating. Progress is a good feeling even if it's just baby steps. The guys now are now taking dibs on what ever we make from now on and they will be following the newest addition to their family... What's Her Name (or as I like to call her Mt. Pleasant Gold) they will be watching her age and get mature and soon enough it will be on a plate near you! (If you live near Costa Mesa, CA)

visit peel farm

2011-04-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

I took a visit to the Peel farm to share some of our awesome Oolite Bleu Cheese. I always have Dale try it to let me know what he thinks. We visited there for a while in his pasture and talked sheep but the funnest part was he was right in the middle of his lambing season. He would point out mothers who were about to give birth and he had some give birth the night before, it was so exciting to be there and though I only had my lame phone camera I took the best pictures I could. In the distance were these two little lambs; one black and one white- they played together the whole time... SO ADORABLE! Any day now I am expecting a very important phone call from my neighbor when her Icelandic ewes are ready to give birth. I will be helping and this time I will bring my good camera. And she did try and milk one ewe to see how she would react and she did great, no fussing and no kicking.
Who couldn't love a face like this!

bringing the house back to life

2011-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Not only are we trying to start our cheese business but a huge part of why we moved here was for this little adorable house so we are constantly working on bringing the house back to its glorious state. We met with the Kimble Brothers and they love to do historic renovations, needless to say they were beyond thrilled to work on our little piece of history. It is really exciting working with people who have just as much passion and desire to bring it back EXACTLY how it was. What impressed me the most about them is that they were working on a porch for some folks here in Sanpete and normally you would create the first spindle and then program it into the router and have it repeated twenty times over but being the true artisans that they are, they created each one by hand as to keep each one unique and with its own flaws- that's how the pioneers would have done it so that is how they do it. We are also having to re-point the house which means to chip out the existing mortar and refill it in with a very specific limestone mortar for which we have the recipe. Not only do we need to redo the outside stone work but the basement needs to be re-pointed as well. We need to replace the window trims and replace the new door, the one the previous owners put in, with an older door. seems a bit backwards but we want a true historic home. It has been suggested that next year we may get on the home show tour since ours is the oldest here. Now if you look closely at the little shack in the back, that was the original kitchen and we are going to be basically taking it apart piece by piece and turning it inside out since the wood is in better condition on the inside. I also want to move it closer to our big pear tree so it is more visible from the street. Basically there is tons of work to be done and we couldn't be more excited about being the ones who get to do it. If anyone is ever interested in helping you are more than welcome to come and stay with us and be very well fed for your services.... ;)

fence building party continued.

2011-03-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our fence building party must continue on. This time we only had the kids and Joel & I to complete it. Oh, and Joel got there Friday at 10pm and left Sunday at noon. I was very nervous we wouldn't be able to finish it with only us 2 but with a bit of help from the kids moving wood and Jake manning the drill we were able to finish the whole thing, minus the gates. Compared to the first fence party, that one took 12 of us 3 hours to build 80ft of fence. This one took 3 of us 12 hours to build 190 ft of fence. The odds were not in our favor but Joel was a man on a mission and once we got a good system down we accomplished our goal. It was a fun experience for Joel and I to have a plan, get all the supplies, make the crazy drive and finish it by ourselves. We had a great time together creating something for our cute house. Slowly but surely it is coming together and with only one smashed finger (mine:). Weather was so cold, our fingers were numb same with our feet and after the first day we were so incredibly worn out. But again, it was totally worth it and even if it took Joel 8.5 hours to drive from Vegas home (usually a 3.5 hour drive) I know it was worth it to him... right babe?

the farm life... is hard

2011-03-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

There are many perqs to living the farm life. There is a certain amount of true freedom- living for yourself and no one else. We are wanting to end up a bit off the radar and being more self-reliant. We have always wanted animals, some for milking, some for eating, some for protection and so forth. Though it is a lot of work, and money, we have enjoyed the benefits that animals can bring. We have our dog Sunny Two-tox for protection and she is REALLY good at barking and chasing people, thus, the need for the fence. We don't have sheep yet but in the next few weeks I am hoping to be part of the birthing of new lambs, very exciting! We also inherited 8 chickens which I have to drive and feed each morning and carry 100lb. bags of chicken feed (heaviest thing I have ever carried). Though it was a rough beginning, (8 eggs over the past 5 months) we started to see the fruits of our labors. Just 2 weeks ago we started collecting 5 eggs one day, 3 eggs another and even up to 7 eggs in one day! It was so fun, kind of like opening Christmas presents or finding Easter eggs- just a fun part of the farm life. But, as I mentioned, the farm life can be hard physically and emotionally because you get quite attached to your animals so when the dog is in pain we are in pain or when I go to feed the chickens and find the rooster and a hen outside the pen I get concerned. Well, Monday morning, still trying to recover from our fence building weekend, I had to go feed the chickens and there they were, a hen and the rooster... out of the pen. As I looked into the garden I saw a black chicken on the ground, not moving, which made me concerned. "Is she sleeping?" Then, I looked further down the garden, two more chickens laying on the ground. I started to panic and then I looked by the gate and saw two more dead and then another! "What happened!" I yelled to no one. I couldn't believe my eyes, didn't know how to react. I am not used to this! I just had to leave and talk to Joel or anyone who could explain what was happening. Well, I called my friend Beth who has Icelandic sheep and chickens. She let me know this happens and it was probably a dog who got in there because he just killed them and didn't eat them. Man! Am I cut out for this? She came over with me and we had to shovel them into the trash, we took the two who made it out alive and she took them home to add to her bunch. I am sure it was amusing to watch us trying to "clean up." There was a lot of girly screaming and trying to talk ourselves into being brave. It was not fun. I didn't know if I should be crying out of sadness or what. It has left an impression on me and I have gained a new respect for the farm life, it isn't all happy times. The reality is that we have to treat these animals like family members and love them for what they do for us. I have a new found respect for life and not just the human ones.

bleu boy makes his first appearance

2011-03-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

We decided to break into bleu boy as a thank you to those who came to help build the fence and yes it's scary trying something new with a big crowd. I slowly cut into him and boy was he firm! I aged him for 3-4 months so it is very exciting and nerve racking to see what we got. Everyone was eager to try it and as always we learned a few things; one: It was very hard, almost like a Parmesan cheese, very crumbly and dry. Two: The bleu didn't travel down to the center where I poked the holes it stayed close to the surface. Even though we knew we wanted to change the recipe and several of the techniques as soon as it was made and as I watched the aging process we decided on a few other changes to make... we know better what to do next time. This is all part of the learning process and it will be exciting to try it again. Taste wise it was very interesting, not a very strong bleu flavor but what you feel is the numbing effect that a good bleu produces. I really liked this batch, it is like nothing I have ever seen, a hard bleu, and though it's a mild flavor it has a really strong after taste that is delightful. People who don't normally like bleu really loved it and people who love bleu also really loved it. I think it was a success, Joel on the other hand, isn't too happy with it since it wasn't anything like what we were going for. Needless to say it's still ALWAYS a hit.

fence building... PARTY!

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post but it's been a busy month. It was my birthday and I wanted to throw myself a "fence building party".
That's right folks, It's a wonderful way to get people to come help, guilt is your best weapon in this instance. There are so many people to thank but it was seriously amazing! We had 80 feet of fence to build and we started at 11am. Now what needs to be known is that the weather was predicting snow all Friday and Saturday. Knowing this I decided to have a guy come and cement the posts for me, something I didn't want to do by myself. Well, it didn't snow at all on Friday and flurried just a bit int he morning on Saturday. Everyone showed up at the same time and we gathered everything needed. It was a little discombobulated at first but once everyone had a job it was just plain magical to watch. All 12 of us working together non-stop and it only took 3 hours almost to the minute. It couldn't have gone anymore perfect and everyone was pretty proud of what we accomplished. It was a perfect day, lots of fun and I even shed some tears as I thanked everyone for helping. One step closer to getting our house the way it used to be. This is going to be a good year as we see it come together not only for us but for the business, it's all part of the image we want to carry... quaint & country.

the stars must align- part 2

2011-01-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

If you were to read back in the September posts of 2010 you would find my "the stars must align" post. Well today I am happy to report that a few more are falling into place.
-Boötes: Business Plan & correct licenses-
Boötes has just aligned as we are in the planning phases and getting bids for the garage/make room. We are getting everything in order to present to the banks. Scheduled for this week is the appraiser and we will see how that goes. This is make-it or break-it time.

Not only has Boötes lined up but so has...
-Mensa: Milk supply ready by spring-
After the Intermountain Dairy Sheep meeting Dale is very pumped and ready to get him operation going by mid April. He has already had others offer to buy his milk but he let them know that we are taking it all. We have also found a hormone free grass fed cow's milk dairy that is also in Mt. Pleasant. They are willing to sell us all their milk when we are ready. We made "what's her name" with it as well as our bleu and so far it is fantastic. The milk is very rich in beta carotene due to the fact that they are grass fed. Something we haven't seen in other local cheese- makers products.

bleu cheese- 68 days old

2011-01-19T07:34:00.001-08:00

It has been a few weeks since I have updated our bleu cheese. He is doing well but I wasn't super happy with the looks of him so after watching how they prepare Stilton I decided to do some minor surgery on him... just to make him look a little prettier. Here he is before and what you can see is that the chunks are very firm around the edges so I shaved them down just a bit to soften the edges.

I then took my supplies and began salting him down with a little water and using the cheese brush to scrub and smooth out the edges even more.

Now that he is all scrubbed and salted Joel suggested I poke holes in the top & bottom to make sure there is proper air flow to the center. If you see bleu cheese with long veins running down it is due to this process and allows air to penetrate the middle. Anywhere there is air present bleu mold will grow.

He is now aging again in the basement and keeping the humidity level up is the biggest challenge since Utah is so dry but I tend to him every day. He will be ready for eating by the end of February. And yes, I did sample a small shaving and what I found so far is it is quite firm in texture but possibly more moist on the inside. The flavor is there and it does taste like bleu cheese but what was the most impressive was the numbing of my mouth the second it melted. I know a good bleu cheese makes your mouth numb but this was right at the onset so not sure how that will turn out... interesting stuff! Let me know if you'd like a sample.

2nd annual Intermountain Dairy Sheep Producers Association

2011-01-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our 2nd annual meeting for dairy sheep producers! Last year there were 15 people who showed up from Utah, Idaho & Wyoming. This year we had about 27 so hopefully each year it will grow.
Dale Peel set up the meeting this year and it was held in Logan, Utah. Utah State University is located here and this is where Joel took his cheese course. The location was perfect and we are hoping to have it there more often. We all arrived on the Wednesday evening before the actual meeting and we were lucky enough to take a tour of the schools cheese-making facility. This is where Joel took the cheese course (highly recommended). These are the stainless steel canisters used to hold milk throughout the process. This is their fancy cheese pressing machine. We aren't quite to this point yet but maybe someday.
The following morning we had a breakfast and meet and greet. This is where we got to just talk with friends of the industry. I made 6 quiches for the breakfast and we got to have lamb sausage. It was a great meal. We then adjourned to the classroom and heard from several different specialists in the field of sheep, genetics & land pasture maintenance. So much valuable information. We broke for lunch where we had fresh lamb sandwiches and I made Roquefort blue cheese mac n cheese. We also had those who could bring in samples of their cheeses. It was so much fun trying all the different types of cheeses. Joel brought Whats Her Name and it was a hit and one of the cheese-makers who analyzes cheese and invents new cheeses wanted to take a sample of Whats Her Name. Not sure what he wants to do with it but they were all impressed with the color we are able to get even with a cows milk, very golden. In the end we really loved Logan. It is a quaint little city with a highly regarded college up in the mountains. Oh and we did get snowed in so we had to go right back to the hotel after a futile attempt of trying to leave and a trip home that normally takes 3 hours took alomst 6 and saw 25 accidents along the way. What a fun trip! Logan, Utah Temple

making what's her name

2010-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

On September 8, 2010 I made my first batch of "what's her name" with raw milk, all by myself. It was a bit intimidating to do since I had to follow Joel's note keeping ex:
My dad brought me milk from a raw milk farm and, yes, you walk into the cooler take your milk and leave $4.50/ gallon in the box.... gotta love small towns. I followed the recipe pretty well and everything went smoothly. It was fun having Joel's aunt there to help, too. While I am tending Bleu boy he is tending "what's her name" in California. He let her age a few weeks and get covered in mold-

He then gives her a salt water cleaning & vinegar bath-

He rotates her every day and will rotate the salt & vinegar rubs-

These salt & vinegar rubs enhance the cheese flavor while keeping the mold to a minimum. It also helps develop a good rind, which will hopefully keep the cheese moisture in. We will be eating her around Christmas time which will make her almost 5 months old, which is the longest aging we have done thus far. We will also be taking her to our 2nd annual Rocky Mountain Dairy Sheep meeting. It will be held in Logan this year and I get to help with the catering. Very fun!

bleu cheese- 12 days old

2010-12-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Well our bleu baby is very interesting. We don't quite know how he's going to turn out. We didn't follow the recipe exactly... we added less of the Penicillium Roqueforti and added the Roquefort cheese itself. So it isn't really looking like the pictures from the recipe. I guess this is what we call "live and learn". We will do a few things differently next time such as cut smaller cubes or even mash the curd up by hand just to make sure the gaps aren't too big. The most important part of cheese making is of course, taste which we can't determine for another...50-90 days. But once you open that lid the smell hits you and makes you want to take a bite of it, it is amazing.

bleu cheese- 9 days old

2010-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

The bleu is well on its way. How pretty! I will be piercing thin holes into it tomorrow which will stimulate the growth of the bleu mold. Anywhere there is access to air the bleu will grow.
This is an aging cave in France where they age the Roquefort Bleu Cheese and wow... so we have our work cut out for us.
This image comes from Hotel Cap Vert Saint Affrique, Roquefort France. If you are ever in the area please stop by and see the caves. One day Joel & I will go... I am sure of it.

Les grands classiques
Entre le mythique Viaduc de Millau qui s'élance vers le ciel et les légendaires Caves de Roquefort et leurs mystérieuses fleurines, classées site remarquable du goût, l'Aveyron oscille entre modernité et tradition.

I took one year of french in High school and 2 semesters of it in college so I will translate this for you.

The Grand Classics,
Enter the mystic viaduct of Millau ..um..something-something.... the legendary caves of Roquefort .. lets see here... um... mysteries ...what? uh.... classes a remarkable ...something or other.... something else... ok so basically that's it.

bleu cheese- 5 days old

2010-12-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Into day 5 and it is looking good so far but since it is our first bleu we really have no idea if its really looking good or if we are fooling ourselves, either way we are having fun trying. I removed the block from the mould and set it in the pot to age for the next 60-90 days. Now the temperature in our basement is perfect- it stays a nice 55-60 degrees and the humidity is around 85-90%.

I set in limestone rocks just to see if anything happens. I am sure it needs to have more limestone surrounding it but this is all I could fit in the pot. I still have to flip it every day so hopefully we will see some mold start to grow in the next few weeks.

bleu cheese- 4 days old

2010-12-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Well she is now 4 days old. She held together very well and as you can see she has kept her cube like features though they stick together. There should be holes throughout in order for the bleu mold to grow.

Very exciting.

OUR FIRST BLEU CHEESE!!

2010-11-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

As most of you know our entire cheese journey began with wanting to make the best bleu cheese in town. We have been patient and tried our hand with several other cheeses and getting lots of practice with "What's her name", Queso fresco, Juustoleipä, Cheddar and the infamous "chocolate milk trial". Though we feel very comfortable with our cheese making skills bleu was something we wanted to do together and with us being apart more often than together it has just had to wait. Joel and the kids came for our first Thanksgiving holiday and we thoroughly enjoyed every second we were together and one day we saw my dad at the Malt Shop and he threw out the challenge, "Do you guys want me to get you some raw milk to make cheese?" Our minds first went to "Na, that's ok- don't know where we'd find the time." But by the next day we were ready and decided bleu was the next cheese to be aged in our little cheese fridge. This process is very similar to every other type of cheese just some tweeking. There is the heating of the milk, then adding the cultures only this time we added the Penicillium Roqueforti AND actual Roquefort bleu cheese. We took about 1 Tablespoon of the cheese and smashed it into the milk then added it to the pot. We added the rennet and then cut the curd. After which we allowed the curds to sit as they released more whey then drained the whey. Then we set the curds in the moulds to set for 24 hours. We had to keep then at about 55 degrees so our basement was the perfect spot. As you can tell, we have a limestone basement which we will try and use to age the cheese and gain that bacterial flavor that is only mastered with limestone. As far as we know, no one has used the Oolite Limestone for aging bleu so it will be very exciting to see what comes of it. 24 hours we then cut the curd again into half inch cubes and added 6 tablespoons of salt. Yes, 6. We then placed them back to the mould and this time they all fit into the large mould. As more whey is expelled the smaller and firmer the curds get. We placed a 10lb. weight on top to aid in the pressing. The next few weeks are going to consist of flipping the cheese once a day then we will place the cheese in the fridge and let the magic begin.

I will keep you posted.

my first painting done in utah

2010-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have picked up the brush but I have been inspired ever since we moved here to try my first sheep painting. I had to find the perfect sheep to photograph and see what I could get. We are so fortunate to have such great new friends here. The second week here I met a great couple, Dane & Beth Thurston. Beth approached me and we began talking, she had heard that we were interested in sheep for the purposes of cheese making and then told me that they had 5 Icelandic sheep on their property as a hobby. Well she told her hubby about our plans and he quickly approached me and said, "We need to talk." Well that led to dinner at their house when Joel was in town and I was able to take some great photos of his adorable sheep. His sheep are like pets to them. one ram actually comes to greet you and you must give him lots of attention, just like a dog, if you don't he will ram you. Needless to say, they are gorgeous animals. We were there talking sheep for hours. I could barely pull Joel & Dane apart they were having so much fun talking. I snapped this shot as Joel was petting him and fell in love with the image- I knew this was the image I was waiting for. If we can get things going we would love to buy this ram but of course, like everything else, it all takes time & patience.We have had great interest in the Icelandic sheep to sell for meat. They are extremely tender and considered a gourmet product but we won't bring that up at this point because they are so cute.

-dedicated to my sweet adorable husband Joel, keep your eye on the prize.

livin' the farm life- sheep trailing

2010-11-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

I was informed that the yearly sheep trailing was happening at the end of September. I waited patiently for 2 hours and then spotted the dust. I was very excited to see this happen. Sheep trailing is when the herders collect the sheep that have been free grazing high up in the mountains all summer long. They gather them together and start sending them down the trail. A dog will lead the way while the herders stay behind and make sure the sheep stay together. They kind of got spooked when they saw me photographing them so I had to jump out of the way so they would keep going down the street. I couldn't let my kids miss such a neat first experience so I pulled them out of school early and had them wait for something coming down the road. Rocket said, "What is that? Are those... SHEEP!?" They loved it as they walked by within feet of us. It was so fun! What a great experince. Can't wait for the rest of the family to be here and experience all these fun new things with us.

how do you milk a sheep???

2010-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of the first questions asked of us when the topic of sheep milk cheese comes up is, "how do you milk a sheep??" Well, I was sent this great youtube video from our friend, Dale Peel. Hopefully, this will shed some light on how to milk a sheep. Enjoy!

Milking sheep at Hawks Highland Farm

the stars must align

2010-09-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Now that I am here there are many things that need to happen in order for us to reach our goals. Let's list them so we can see what needs to happen:

-Ophiuchus: Officially register name & trademark logo
-Boötes: Business Plan & correct licenses
-Lyra: Loans for above items (eeks!)
-R136a1: Build/renovate cheese facility (be ready by spring)
-Mensa: Milk supply ready by spring
-Triangulum: Trucks or bags to deliver that milk
-Corona Australis: Cheese kitchen that meets dairy standards
-Corona Borealis: Cheese making equipment & holding tanks
-Vulpecula: Set up website & business office
-Sagittarius: Start making cheese to age and sell
-Delphinus: Delivery system in place
-Gemini: Get product out to public

WOW! That's a lot of stars! Holy Cow, we need to get the ball rolling.
Now that we got the logo drawn and the name picked I went and got it registered and trademarked in Salt Lake City. We are officially a business as of September 1, 2010.
OPHIUCHUS has aligned.

How exciting!
So... one down and millions more to go. Wish us luck!

our name & logo...

2010-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

It only took well over a year to come up with a name for our company but we finally made the decision and here it is... drums....

Oolite Cheese Company

taking the big plunge

2010-08-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

After a month of pondering we decided to make a huge leap of faith and have me and the three little kids move to our adorable house in Utah while having Joel and the two older kids stay in Huntington to work and have one more year of school. Our main goal for doing this is to make a push for the business and get repairs done on the house while there is still a great job, not to mention, stop putting money into the landlords pocket instead of our own. It isn't so bad plus I get to start scoping out cheese kitchen locations. Several have come up but there are pro's and con's to each. I guess we just need to weigh the options and the best one will step forward. We are also looking into bids for the house repairs- it is a very exciting time and things are moving along very fast.

back from mexico

2010-06-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Joel had the BEST time. He met lots of new friends (ages 13-25) and visited some of the most beautiful sights. Caves, mountain cities, there were funerals & birthdays, a little bit of street justice and lots of incredible food. He was literally in heaven.

I was surprised that they actually made it to a cheese-maker. He loved the set up,though it was very third world and simple, that is exactly what he loved about it.
He is figuring out what he wants for our cheese kitchen and realizes simple may be the way to go.

The press set up was very interesting too, it is so fun seeing how other people do it, especially with very little money. He said she was very sanitary and had all of her licenses up on the wall. What he was most impressed with was that she still did everything by hand. No machines, just a very artisan way of making cheese which is our main goal.

He really liked the boys, they helped their mother make cheese throughout the week. And the best part of the visit was when he told her he wanted to make cheese- she suggested to make cheese in Mexico... and find a single woman who is already making it. He didn't catch it due to the language barrier but his posse of boys told him what she said. Even they were saying... ya- you should marry her and move here, she's real pretty too. He had to let them know he was already married. Too awesome!

off to mexico...

2010-05-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Joel and his co-worker Hugo are off to Mexico for memorial day weekend. Hugo has been trying for years to get Joel to come to his home town of Tlaltizapan,Morelos, Mexico.
Joel finally agreed when Hugo mentioned the possibility of visiting cheese-makers that he knew. The two set off last night around 8pm and had to drive to Tijuana, get on a plane and fly to Mexico City then take a bus into town. It was an all night trip for the two of them... The last night we spent with Hugo was when we went out with him and his wife Rosie. It was interesting to say the least. It started out with dinner then it was suggested we go to a Mexican bar that was close by. Well... what can I say? At about midnight I found myself dancing on the dance floor in a dirty Mexican bar, being the only white girl within 100 yards. I asked myself "What is going on and how did I get here... on my 14th wedding anniversary?" I am dancing the salsa (which I don't know) listening to the live mariachi band. All I could do was go with it. The music was loud and ever so often the singer would shout out towns in Mexico and those who are from that town would yell and shout claiming their homeland "viva Morelos- viva Tepoztlan!". We just laughed and shouted along with them. A few songs later Hugo went and whispered in the ear of the singer and gave him a buck- they started up again with the towns and then it came..."VIVA ju-tah!!!" Well at that point we all started screaming... Me and Joel, his brother Josh and Hugo & Rosie. It was hilarious. And that is how I spent my anniversary with Hugo & Rosie. Josh was the lucky one, he got to have a dancing partner for only $1/ dance. She was also our waitress. She would sit on your lap or sit by you for a nominal fee for the night. The best part is that Hugo paid her at first to dance with Josh but after a while she was asking Josh to dance... for free. What a great culture clash moment. We shall see if their trip is successful. I am hoping he will gain some insight into how smaller cheese-making shops are run.

juustoleipä- ja paholainen

2010-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Who ever invented this stuff was an evil genius. Juustoleipä is the Finnish word for "cheese bread" pronounced (HOO-stah-lee-PA). It is made like most other cheeses. We cook the curds and place them into the press and once pressed for the proper amount of time we have to cut them horizontally into 3 equal rounds, all about 1" thick.
Then we take the rounds and place them on a cookie sheet with olive oil and bake them 'til golden brown on top. We would flip them so they could get browned on both sides, pain to flip but worth it.
We cut them into desired shapes, sealed them and kept them in the freezer 'til ready to eat. Just heat and top with your favorite topping:
Cilantro & Jalapeno
Raspberry Jam
Fresh Basil
Marinara Sauce

It is unbelievably delicious and salty... herkullinen!

camembert

2010-05-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

So we ordered our first molds from this great site He was very helpful and seems super excited about people making cheese. We ordered a white mold for camembert and blue mold for our highly anticipated blue cheese. We decided to start off with the camembert to see how it goes and then move on to the blue. It was a great process and not too complicated. We write down every single step for every batch we make. They say notes are the most important thing you can do when making cheese so you don't forget something important when trying to re-create a batch. The camembert is coming along nicely. We made 4 rounds and it was so exciting seeing tell tale signs of white peach fuzz growing on them. Each week they would get furrier and furrier. We tried the first block after it had aged 5 weeks. It wasn't quite ready, though it still tasted good. We have tried one each week since and from what we have seen ours takes about 8 weeks to ripen to proper consistancy.

girls just wanna have fun

2010-05-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

Our daughter Maddi and her life-long friend Alex decided to help Joel make a batch of Cheddar.

They really just wanted to stir the curds with their hands.

They were very sanitary and had to wash their hands a million times.

In the end it was a great batch... we won't know for sure until mid July but it was delicious to eat fresh! Thanks ladies.

chocolate cheese...

2010-05-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

One night we were buying milk for our next batch of cheese and I noticed the chocolate milk. Am I crazy or is there a possibility that it could work with chocolate milk. It makes perfect sense to have a cheese that would be salty with a hint of chocolatie goodness... It is worth a shot!

Well I worked on this brilliant idea till midnight and I did all of the steps very well.
It cooked well...

It curdled well

The curds were the perfect consistency and it kept it's chocolate color throughout the process...

I feel as though it would have been a HUGE success if it didn't look, smell and taste like vomit.

CHEDDAR!!!!

2010-03-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

Ok so we have tried to make cheddar cheese two times and both have failed miserably. The first two attempts took nearly 12 hours and that only included a few 15 minute breaks to get off your feet.
First attempt:
As you can see the lines of the curb did not seal up like they are supposed to. They are supposed to come together and look like a very smooth block of cheese. We would take special care and even go as far as waxing the cheese but in the end they would fail. We would still eat them but have to cut out the mold that accumulated, not the good mold. It was a very bitter experience for both of us. Once he got back from his class he decided that cheddar was the first cheese to make. We pumped ourselves up and began the process. It only took about 7 hours this time, it really helps when you know what you are doing. Joel showed me all the steps and we watched our favorite cheese-making video at the same time, she makes cheddar at home and so we followed a lot of her directions. We set it in the mold and weighed it down with about 70 lbs. of water weight then walked away. It was very hard not peeking at it for the full 24 hours but when the time came we got to see if it had worked. It was a huge success for us. We were actually dancing around due to all the excitement. Well now we have to age it for at least 3 months before trying it. What is so crazy is at Joel's class he had a teacher who forgot about a block of cheddar in his cheese fridge and found it not that long ago... it had been aging for 10 years! It goes to show you that cheese can last for a long time. Don't ever throw it out- just cut any mold off and it's fine. By the way- the students asked if they could try it and he said no way! He is keeping it for himself. Who knew cheese-making could be filled with so much drama and excitement?!

off to cheese school, be back in a week!

2010-03-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Joel is taking this whole cheese thing very seriously. He is taking an artisan cheese course at Utah State University. The flight is booked, the car is rented and he is on his way. He left on February 22nd and returned on the 27th. He couldn't talk much during the week because he was so incredibly busy but he kept me informed as to what they were doing. The first day of the class was dedicated to learning about cheese and it's chemistry, 8 hours of facts and chemical reactions and all things scientific. Then next day is when the fun began. He was introduced to the cheese kitchen, had to put on the hats & boots and began getting elbow deep in milk and cheesy goodness. He helped make the following cheeses:
Feta
Cheddar
Mozzarella
String Cheese
Butterkase
Squeaky Cheese
Monterrey Jack
Old Juniper
and many more.

He had to borrow a suitcase to bring it all home, 25 lbs. to be exact.
It has been so much fun trying all these wonderful freshly made cheeses. I had to make my semi-famous whole-wheat sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches with New Zealand sharp cheddar and his fresh mozzarella. The kids loved it.
He has come home more determined than ever to make his dream a reality. We are moving fast with our business plan and hopefully getting everything lined up. He now knows what our cheese kitchen needs, how it is to be properly cleaned and how to package the cheeses. It was a by far the most valuable class he has attended to date. It has given him so much confidence in cheese-making. Hopefully things will continue to move forward and you will all soon be able to visit us at the farm. He did however decide that using a few cows in the beginning may not be a bad idea, it will help get the farm moving quicker and cheaper. We definitely want to use whatever sheep's milk we can get our hands on but we aren't so afraid of using cows milk to get the jump start we need. Once the cheese gets rolling we will be in a better position to get the sheep milk products up and running.

our first buck

2010-02-05T10:53:00.001-08:00

We officially have 6 customers who buy our fresh cheese "queso joelo". A small competition was on to be the first to buy and Jen S. won. She came by and bought the first container of cheese and here is our first buck. It was a proud moment.

Thanks Jen and thanks to everyone who helps fund the farm!

queso joelo from start to finish

2010-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

We have been working on perfecting a recipe, "Queso Joelo". It is very hard to find good recipes because no one wants to give them away which I understand completely. This makes it hard for beginners like us since we are blindly making cheese and "hoping" it will turn out. Anyhoo, Joel came up with a great queso fresco recipe and we made it this week. Here are the highlights:

*Bring milk up to temperature 86 degrees and let sit for 2 hours.

*Add rennet and stir till curdling starts.

*It's ready when curds pull together. 1 hour.

*Drain curds and whey

*Add salt and mix well.

*Add any additional mix-in's. Cilantro & Jalapeno

*Put into molds and let drain for 4-8 hours.

*The longer it drains the more moisture released.
This sat for 6 hours.

*And yes, we fried it and it... "tastes like the celestial kingdom".

*And finally Kelly, our first sale. $4.00/container. THANKS KELLY!

way to go- Idaho

2010-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 7, my dad and I were ready to hit the road and head to a little town called Shoshone, Idaho. If you aren't familiar with Shoshone, Idaho and are wondering where it is then this map should help. If you are wondering what it looks like IRL then here is a photo I took on our way into town.

Needless to say it was a long, flat trip. Luckily I had my dad with me and we had a great time. We stayed in a funny bed & breakfast that didn't serve breakfast but we had our own T.V. and a shared bathroom. We actually were there with Dale Peel and another gentleman from the meeting, Mark Reynolds. It was a great turn out of about 15 people and we discussed many important things such as animal nutrition and farming. We had speakers from U.S sheep Experiment Station from Dudois, Idaho and learned a ton. Did you know that one pound of cow's milk sells for $.09 ($.75 a gallon) and one pound of sheep's milk sells for $1.00 ($8.70 a gallon)? Sheep also love to eat sugar beets and beer brewers leftovers. Dad and I felt overwhelmed but I was very happy to meet people from the west, everyone may be at different stages but it's comforting being with folks who have the same interest and end goal. Scott Carlisle owns a trout resort in Wyoming and he is currently making sheep's milk cheese and brought some Alpine (type of swiss) for us to try, it was AMAZING! Even dad was surprised at how good it tasted. I asked Scott what it was called and he replied "I don't know yet." This is the part I am most excited for; making up cheeses and getting to name them.
Well we were back on the road by 3:30 and the trip home was much shorter. Dad and I had a great time talking and reminiscing about times past, our families and dreams for the future. He has been a great resource since he knows so many people in Sanpete. He got us in contact with Dale and Lamar so we owe my dad BIG props! He's so cute!

industry people we met

2010-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

Dale Peel was the first person we visited while in Utah. He lives about 25 minutes away from us in Mt. Pleasant, where I happened to grow up. He has the variety of sheep we want, Lacaune and East Friesian. What a fun bunch of sheep. They weren't too friendly but we all got along just fine. Dale is a custom wood worker and has a great interest in making sheep's milk cheese. He will hopefully be starting the milking process within the next few years. He will be a major player on our team.
Lamar (Ruggie) Dyches of Moroni, Utah is a great guy and he owns another breed of sheep we'd like to work with, the Polypay. Ruggie gave us valuable information when it comes to this breed and not to mention he sheers sheep too, $3 a head for those who are interested. He seems real intrigued in milking sheep so maybe we can get him on board too.
Linda Nielson is our realtor and she is super helpful when it comes to the land and business side of things. We met with her and looked at several properties hoping something will pop up that serves our needs. She has a great little shop on Main St. in Manti so go in and visit her, I sent her some of my crafts to sell so definitely stop in.
Shannon Miller was my last stop, she is brilliant at fixing up old homes. She and her husband have worked on 2 homes in Manti and they are a valuable resource for us. She also is very business savvy and was very helpful in understanding grants and loans for woman owned businesses. She is going to be a very good friend.

first christmas at home

2010-01-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Off we went to spend Christmas at our cute pioneer home in Manti. The kids had a blast playing in the winter wonderland. They enjoyed watching the snowflakes fall, they enjoyed getting up each morning to see the new deer tracks and poop in the yard. So many new experiences to make it memorable. Joel was feverishly addicted to getting our back sidewalk clear of ice, it took almost 4 days to get it finished. We had so much fun being in our new old home. I had to stay an extra week in order to attend the first meeting of the Rocky Mountain Dairy Sheep association so I took it upon myself to paint a few rooms while I was all by myself, with no one around, no T.V., no internet... nothing, just empty house; I listened to A LOT of Rancid. There is so much satisfaction when you finally get to do fun things with your own house. It was a great trip.

anniversary of a lifetime

2009-11-20T13:35:00.001-08:00

So it's our 15 wedding anniversary this year and, being the hopeless romantic Joel is, he offered to take me back east to the wonderful capitol city of New York, Albany. And not only would he fly me there round trip, staying in a 3rd class motel and eating dinner at chain restaurants every night- he would also throw in an all expenses paid 3 day Dairy Sheep Association of North America Symposium!!! That's right folks, I know they say your 15th anniversary is supposed to be the crystal anniversary but Joel tells me it is actually cheese.
We actually had a great time, it is something we are both interested in and feel as though we need. Information is what we were lacking when it came to building a cheese business from the ground up. This was a wonderful event and offered such valuable information for people just like us. We came home completely drained every night as we learned everything from how to design a well organized milking parlor to nutrition for prepubertal ewe lambs and genetic markers for milk production. A funny little happenstance occurred on the second night we were there. We got to our room and were trying to figure out where to go for dinner, since we had to walk everywhere we wanted something close. There was a funny Chinese restaurant next door and, being as tired as we were, this was exactly what we needed. I got a warm bowl of noodle soup and Joel got a rice dish. We finished our meal and got our bill and fortune cookies. I opened mine right away and on one side it had my fortune and on the other it had the Chinese word to learn- gooseberry. Joel then opened his and as he cracked open the cookie half of the fortune was showing and there was only one word... "sheep". That's right, the Chinese word to learn was sheep! I take these things as a sign, Joel takes them as an interesting coincidence. Either way you see it, these little "coincidences" are adding up. We saw it with every step in our home buying process, the people we have met who are lined up ready to help us in areas we didn't know needed help. Something is pulling us in this direction and no matter what it is, it's still nice to have a path laid out for us... all we have to do is follow it.

we made cheese!

2009-11-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

Excitement is in the air as we purchased out first gallon of milk that is designated specifically for cheese. Joel spent the first night with his new cheese recipe book. He flipped through the pages as if they were antiques, as to not disturb their pristine condition. Hours went by on that Friday night as the milk sat in the fridge just waiting to be morphed into something better. We decided to begin easy and make a fresh cheese called queso fresco. It is a mexican-style cheese that is great on tacos. We got up first thing on Saturday morning and sanitized everything. We were ready to begin. As we started this process we soon realized we were going to be in the kitchen for a very, long time. Cheese making is NOT simple or easy. There is a point at which you have to raise the temp up 2 degrees every 5 minutes over 45 minutes time, or you have to keep the temp at 116 degrees for 45 minutes. There are half a dozen different steps before you even cut the curds. Once it is drained, you have to put the cheese curds into a mold and set 10 lbs. of weight for 30 minutes then add another 30 lbs. for the next 6 hours. Once in the fridge some cheeses have to be rotated once a day and brushed with olive oil and salt, some have to be brined for 12 hours. Needless to say, it is a process! I helped with the first two batches and anytime we try a new one I get involved but I can be the first to say that I am a bit impatient. I am a baker and I love baking new things but the benefit is that I can taste my product and make sure it is good right after I am done making it. Well cheese is different- the manchego cheese has to age at least a month so you have no idea if it even tastes good. Joel is amazing and he has all the patience in the world when it comes to his cheese and as we broke into his first aged cheese, although he was very nervous, he tasted it first and his nerves soon turned to excitement as he found that it actually tasted great! Every evening when we are cleaning up the mound of pots and pans and he has been on his feet for literally 8-12 hours, he finishes up and states, "I can't wait till next saturday to do this again."

nursery gets a makeover

2009-11-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

With the loss of the bikes Joel felt a void in his heart and garage. Since we made some money from the bikes we decided to only use it for cheese, hence the name "cheesemoney". He knew he was completely ready now to begin filling both heart and garage with cheese stuff. "I have been looking online and I found a cheese making kit- I need to buy, I have to start making cheese." The following week, "Hey Rach, I need to buy a mini-fridge, I have to age the cheese at 55 degrees and 85% humidity so we can't use the one in the kitchen." Our Friday night date nights were all centered around cheese for weeks and weeks. Sears was our go to place where we found most of our supplies. "Hey do you know where I can get a thermometer and a hygrometer (to measure humidity)?" Once we had everything set up in the garage and working properly we moved on to the next purchases. "Here is a list of supplies we need; a 20 quart stock pot, utensils, bamboo mats and cheesecloth." Now when you walk into a store and buy 10 packages of bamboo mats the question always comes up, "Oh are you taking a sushi class?" "No we are making cheese". 99.9% of the reactions are "What! Really! You can make cheese!?" It's pretty fun to see people's reaction and what we find is everyone loves cheese and really wants us to succeed, not to mention they'd be really happy to test our products. I have a feeling we are going to have to start being more social in order to get our product out there, which is hard for us since we are the opposite of social. You can find Joel sitting in a beach chair tending to his cheese more than hanging out with friends. "Babe- I need to order a cheese trier. I LOVE making cheese!!"

too many sleepless nights

2009-11-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

In July we began our journey and worked on buying a house that we cannot move in to just yet. Joel works at a plastics manufacturing company and has committed to working there for at least two more years. So we now have the chore of having our mortgage and our rent due on the same day. This could be a problem since Joel is the only one of us that is working for the time being. Therefore it is my job to make his paycheck stretch to fit our needs. The stress can get to Joel, he doesn't want to hear about our finances at all. He generally can't sleep at night when monetary stress comes about, he has done this our entire marriage and it's funny to see how far we've come. The first sleepless night he had was when we were newlyweds, pregnant and as poor as really poor white-trash dirt. We couldn't even come up with money to pay for the bus ride to work (50 cents). One night I was craving an ice-cream cookie sandwich like nobody's business and I was in such despair over the fact that we couldn't gather enough money to buy one at the local gas station. Being the guilt ridden romantic Joel is, he took his precious bus money, that was given to him by his boss for the next morning, and started over to the gas station. I told him specifically, "if it is over .75 cents don't buy it!" He walked the long, cold, snow covered streets to the station. I watched through the window with fear and anticipation as he slowly walked back, he had a bag in is hand and pulled out the most beautiful sight I had ever seen... an ice-cream cookie sandwich. "How much was it?" I asked with death in my voice. "Just eat it- we can't return it cause it will melt" he responded. I knew it was bad so I asked again and he quietly stated, "it was $1.49." The pit in my stomach sank past my pregnant belly and settled at my feet. I couldn't send it back, I had no choice but to eat it. He sat there and watched me gag this ice-cream treat that was dipped in guilt and wrapped in gloom. We then proceeded to figure out how he was going to get to work in the morning. It all worked out but that was the first night he lost sleep over a purchase. The second time was over a year later when we had our cute baby boy. We were missing out on so many precious moments since we didn't have a camera so I sent him to buy a disposable camera, something we could use for a while and only take photos of the most adorable moments so we could make the camera last. When he came home he handed me the bag, walked into the bedroom and laid down. He didn't buy a disposable camera, he spent $30 on a mediocre camera AND film. It was enough to make a grown man cry. I, on the other hand, thought it was a good financial decision and made more sense than to keep buying disposable cameras. In the end it is good to see that we have come along way and now when we go to the movies I get a ice-cream sandwich just because I can. In order to keep his sleep patterns positive with this looming new mortgage over his head- he made a very bold decision... he was going to have to sell his motorcycles. Now if you know Joel then you know he LOVES riding motorcycles. He rides everyday and it is the best therapy for him so when faced with our new budget challenge he decided to sell his 1973 Moto Guzzi and his 2007 Bonneville Triumph (Bonnie). Now he isn't going bikeless, we still have a Honda so he will ride that for now. It was actually a pretty cool experience because, as we all know, the economy is down and buying motorcycles is usually the last thing on peoples mind but lady luck was on our side and within 1 week of putting the bikes on the market they sold for asking price. The nursery (garage) is empty now but it leaves room in the budget for his new love and not to mention he is sleeping like baby.

let's get movin' into action

2009-11-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

A major milestone and first step to becoming famous cheese makers has occurred. We took a family trip to Utah for the 24th of July festivities. For those who are unfamiliar with the Utah customs, I will give a quick history lesson to bring you up to speed. There is a special holiday set for the pilgrimage that started in Illinois in 1846 and and ended in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The Utah pioneers walked for nearly 1300 miles and for the first group it took over a year to accomplish. My great-great-great grandfather Edwin Whiting came with the first group and once they made it to the valley, he was asked to move on and establish another city due south. He obliged and headed out with a group of 180 people, including a man named John Lowry. They traveled along the mountain ranges and came to a small valley. When it was all over, the little town of Manti was established. Edwin Whiting was the 3rd mayor of Manti and had to handle the Indians and the anti-Mormon US soldiers, he was even shot at for trying to protect the members of his town... but I digress. Joel and I had been looking very diligently in California for our first home, for the last 10 years we have been living in a two bedroom apartment with 5 kids, so this was our big chance to become homeowners. The months passed by and nothing came about, we had offers on two homes that never amounted to anything. We tried looking closer to Huntington Beach but all we could get was a 3 bedroom condo with a grass patch and competing with 10 other offers all of which were higher than the listed price. Frustrated and ready to move on we looked at a few places in Manti, like we do every year and came across this little number.
I knew it was older and that it most likely didn't look like this in its current state but bringing an old home back to life was something Joel and I have dreamed about for years. Long story short, we got into town on the 23rd, looked at the house on the 24th and put an offer in by nightfall. It took 2 long months but on October 2, 2009 we were officially deemed, homeowners... of a home built in 1850 by a well known, colorful character named, John Lowry. One step down, many to go.

sheep milk... for the win!

2009-11-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

For example: yogurt

Protein in sheep milk yogurt is double that of yogurt made from cow's milk and the calcium content is 50% greater. Sheep yogurt is highest in the B vitamin group, particularly B12, as well as vitamins A, C, D & E. It is also highest in niacin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus and zinc. There are no dangers from growth hormones with this yogurt. It has low sugar content and is 1/3 lower in sodium when compared to leading yogurt brands. Calories in the sheep milk full fat yogurt are similar to most low fat yogurts on the market and has significantly fewer calories than full fat cow milk yogurts. It is gluten free. Sheep milk is higher in total solids than cow or goat milk, resulting in a natural, thick creamy yogurt made with only milk and active cultures. Yogurt is an ideal addition to meatless or lacto-vegetarian diets as well as a great cooking substitute >for creams, butters and milks. It does not break down at high temperatures. (British Sheep Dairying Association).- blacksheepcheese.com

The following graph shows nutrient content per 250 ml (1 cup)

The charts below taken from E. Renner, 1974 shows a comparison between sheep and cow milk in relation to the human daily need in 1 litre of milk from each source.

WHAT DO THE CHART STATS MEAN?
• A well-tolerated, non-allergenic protein source is very important for people who are healing, athletic or growing.
• Calcium is responsible for relaxation, bone density and cavity prevention.
• Magnesium is very critical for the relief of muscle cramping.
• Sheep milk contains twice the amino acid lysine than cow or goat milk. Lysine is one of the most important nutrients in the treatment of viruses such as herpes simplex.
• A diet high in Vitamins B12 and C, magnesium and zinc, is recommended for people who suffer from
Chronic Fatigue or Immune Dysfunction Syndromes.

-shepherdgourmetdairy.com

so many benefits, so little time

2009-11-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

If I am going to put a stamp on a food product I want to make sure that it is something I would feed my own children. I am a big believer in standing behind a product because it is worthy and not just because it makes money. As Joel was digging into his studies he came across so much good information that everyone should hear about. I feel it is my job to get it out there and hopefully someone can benefit from it. I have complied a list of benefits from various sources and hopefully this will continue to build as we continue on our journey to cheese.

MCT AND HEART DISEASE, EPILEPSY & OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS

Sheep milk also contain a higher quantity of medium/short chain saturated fatty acids and it is believed that this leads to higher lactose absorption which is of benefit for those who are lactose intolerant. Furthermore, sheep milk is not as high in saturated fatty acids in comparison to the other types of milk. 45 % of the fatty acids in sheep milk is Mono or Poly-unsaturated fats.
The medical and nutritional values of medium chain fatty acids or triglycerides (MCT) are well-known and its benefits has been proven in a wide variety of diseases like heart diseases, epilepsy in children, cystic fibrosis, gall stones etc. because of its unique metabolic ability to supply energy. MCT also limits or inhibits cholesterol deposits, it dissolves cholesterol gall stones and it plays a role in normal growth of babies. MCT is unique because it doesn’t follow the normal lipid route through the lymph system. It instead goes where it is oxidized into a fast available energy for the body. The unique content of approximately 25 % MCT in the fat of sheep milk is not fully utilized yet. The daily recommended intake of 15 g MCT can be provided by approximately 60 g sheep butter.

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Up to seventy-five percent of the world’s population has some degree of lactose intolerance, making it difficult for them to drink milk without symptoms of gassiness and diarrhea. Many people who suffer from lactose intolerance are able to enjoy sheep’s milk without symptoms even though they’re unable to drink goat’s milk or cow’s milk. Sheep’s milk as well as yogurt and cheese made from milk from the sheep may give the lactose intolerant individual the chance to enjoy milk again. -healthmad.com

OSTEOPOROSIS

Large consumption of sheep milk is thought to lead to longevity. Bulgarian shepherds are noted for their exceptionally long lives, presumably from a diet of the produce of their sheep. Because of its high calcium content, sheep milk is also very good for the prevention of osteoporosis and for those people already suffering from it. Both these minerals are higher in sheep milk as in goat’s and cow’s milk. Calcium combined with lactose and the high amount of Vit. D is critical in the prevention of Osteoporosis. Bone density is formed during adolescence and the huge amount of soft drinks consumed by children nowadays instead of milk predicts nothing good for them in old age because soft drinks destroy bone density. Sheep milk provide in 254 % of the daily requirement of calcium of 800 mg while cow’s milk provide only 170 %. Stilton cheese (cow) provides only 320 mg / 100g in comparison with Roquefort (sheep) 530 mg / 100 g.

FATS & HIGH CHOLESTEROL

Sheep milk contain double the amount of butterfat in comparison to goat’s and cow’s milk. The fat globules in sheep milk are smaller than those in either cow or goat milk. Therefore the milk is more homogeneous. The smaller fat globules are more easily digested and are less likely to cause high cholesterol. Sheep milk also contain a higher quantity of medium/short chain saturated fatty acids and it is believed that this leads to higher lactose absorption which is of benefit for those who are lactose intolerant. Furthermore, sheep milk is not as high in saturated fatty acids in comparison to the other types of milk. 45 % of the fatty acids in sheep milk is Mono or Poly-unsaturated fats. The medical and nutritional values of medium chain fatty acids or triglycerides (MCT) are well-known and its benefits has been proven in a wide variety of diseases like heart diseases, epilepsy in children, cystic fibrosis, gall stones etc. because of its unique metabolic ability to supply energy. MCT also limits or inhibits cholesterol deposits, it dissolves cholesterol gall stones and it plays a role in normal growth of babies. MCT is unique because it doesn’t follow the normal lipid route through the lymph system. It instead goes where it is oxidized into a fast available energy for the body.-sasheepdariy.co.za/benefits

GO SHEEP PRODUCTS!!!

you do what with sheep??

2009-11-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

At first thought most people don't consider milking sheep. They don't mind eating sheep or looking at sheep but when you suggest milking sheep and making cheese out of that milk you can get some very interesting looks. What people don't realize is how many products are made from sheep's milk and shipped from all over the world to your local grocery store, put into your basket by your hand and eaten by your family. There are many varieties to choose from such as the most popular bleu cheese but here is a list of the other products made with sheep's milk:
Ricotta Cheese
Manchego Cheese
Feta Cheese
Pecorino Romano
Yogurt
Ice-cream
Drinking Milk
Sour Cream
Heavy Cream
Anything else that you can make with cows milk

Many producers in the US will make these products out of cows milk for price and convenience but if you have had them in the traditional form you will agree that sheep milk products are much better not only in taste but also in nutrition.

Sheep milk is highly nutritious, richer in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium than cow's milk. It contains a higher proportion of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which have recognized health benefits. For example, short-chain fatty acids have little effect on cholesterol levels in people. They make milk easier to digest. According to a German researcher, sheep milk has more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than the milk from pigs, horses, goats, cattle, and humans. CLA is a cancer-fighting, fat-reducing fat. The fat globules in sheep milk are smaller than the fat globules in cow's milk, making sheep milk more easily digested.- Sheep 101: Dairy Sheep

I've - got - a - plan....

2009-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

Joel is what we call a... nerd. He does in depth research on the most unusual things like the social organization of ant hills, or comparing the writings of Emerson and Nietzsche, or the philosophical problems with teleportation. So when interest piqued in Roquefort bleu cheese, he found something that caught his eye... it is traditionally made with sheep's milk. Joel has always been a great provider but living in Huntington Beach was never a good fit for him, he always felt he was a man without a home. Every year as we vacationed in Sanpete County we felt the hills calling us. We loved the old homes and the laid back feel of a small town and it certainly helps that both our families live there. He knows this is what he wants but he doesn't want to be financially stuck in a place were jobs are scarce. While researching the geological layout, water rights and weather patterns of Manti and the county he knew he could farm and he knows that sheep are very popular to raise for meat but we need a twist. He came to the logical conclusion of cheese making with sheep's milk rather than the well established cows milk. Having this priceless piece of information is what is sending him spiraling out of control, neck deep, into everything sheep. He has found all the health benefits, the sheep cheese recipes and how the U.S. imports millions of dollars worth of sheep products every year. All of a sudden we know more about sheep than we ever thought possible. He keeps me up to date with his information as it comes in and together we are realizing that since no one has heard of this yet, it just might be the ticket.

i want a farm

2009-11-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Joel and his brother have discussed on many occasions the need for a family farm. The question was where? Joel has family that lives in Manti, Utah and he spent nearly every summer there growing up helping the family build and remodel their home. I, on the other hand, lived about 20 miles away from Manti in a small town called Mt. Pleasant. I lived there till I was about 9. Since we both have family nearby, we feel very comfortable there, almost like a second home. We were married in Manti and feel as though it has been calling us for a long time. Joel's ancestors moved near by and helped build the Manti temple. His great, great, great grandfather put the main doors on the temple upon completion. My great, great, great grandfather Edwin Whiting came across the plains with a man named John Lowry (you'll hear more about Mr. Lowry in the future) and together they settled Manti. My g-g-g-grandfather first lived in a cave dugout in the side of the mountain where the temple now stands. We always knew we would move there some day, it was just a matter of when and what would we do for a living. Joel was doing his research into farming he found that this all just might work, in Manti, Utah.

how it all began

2009-11-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

We have a dream to become artisan cheese makers. Join us on a real-time journey to see what happens. We are coming up with ideas and putting together a plan, whether it works or not we will put in the effort and if anything, walk away knowing we tried our best. We haven't ever attempted anything this big, we usually try and stay pretty safe and neutral (boring). But I think this is something we can do and since we are in it together, hopefully it will work. This is our story.
Joel and I met in May 1994, we were married by November 1994. We had our first baby in June 1995 and our fifth baby in December 2002. We put ourselves through college while raising our children; Joel got his degree in History and I got my degree in Studio Art, both, at the University of California, Irvine. Joel has always had a love for cheese. Bleu is by far his favorite and when his 31st birthday came around I asked him what he wanted for his cake, he simply answered "Cheese". I take things very literally so I was on a mission to find him some great cheese. I found a little shop in Orange, California that had a fantastic selection so off I went. Upon entering this wonderful shop I was greeted with the smells of molded, stinky cheese. I had a specific idea in mind for his cake and cheese worked perfectly. I wanted to take several wedges and put them together to create a cake shape. I had to get 4 different types, that were about the same height. I found my cheeses of choice; Roquefort, Humbolt Fog and a couple others I can't remember. I sampled most of them and the Roquefort was by far the most exciting, it had a numbing effect on the palate and so I knew he would love it. Being fairly proud of myself I went home and set it up along with the finishing touch... candles on top. He was truly surprised and it was definitely a cake made for Joel. We all dove in and spent the night trying all the different cheeses. That was the first time we had a true "cheese" experience. It was from then on that Joel dove into the world of cheese and as he investigated his beloved bleu (Roquefort) he found out why it was so remarkable and which marked the beginning our journey...it all begins with sheep.