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Sunday, October 9, 2005
I arrived at Burlington and rented a car. The first stop I made was to purchase some warm hose to wear under my pants. I am a Floridian, through and through. Vermont's foliage held true to form, despite my being there towards the end of season, and showed me colors of fall in the distance. With driving directions from Mateo Kehler, I navigated my way towards the Northeast Kingdom. I found myself lured by roadside farms offering pumpkins and apples and maple syrup, and couldn't help but take this happy detour so as not to arrive empty handed.
As I approached Jasper Hill Farm, the cows, in all of their ordinary splendor, greeted me. The barn itself was well worn, but highly functional. The cheese house/cellar/living quarters that was built adjacent to it still had insulation paper exposed, but again, it was weatherproof and highly functional. And across the way was the frame of a brand new barn for the purpose of sheltering the newest members of the expanding herd. I knocked on the cheese house office door and heard the ever welcome response "Come in!" It was Andy Kehler. Andy personifies Vermont in my opinion: gentle yet rugged. Pragmatic with a dreamy vision. He is busy beyond the clock's permission, but he always has time to stop and talk with full eye contact. I immediately felt so fortunate to have landed in Greensboro, Vermont. In the coming days, I would discover that all four members of the Kehler family (the two brothers, Mateo and Andy and their wives, Angie and Victoria) were equally kind, warm and welcoming. What other proof need I offer than to say that Victoria had prepared a pot roast for my coming?! It was from the chuck of cow that could no longer produce. The two brothers sadly sent her up the road to be slaughtered, butchered and packaged up. They divided her cuts in half and have been respectfully feasting on her for half a year.
Andy gave me a tour and a synopsis of the operation; and as with Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes, CA, my head began to whir with things that they did, things that were in the works, things they were planning, things they were hoping for. The information from the tour began to cement a bit when Andy repeated it to a friend who stopped by with a cheese savvy friend. They were finishing up their visit on the front stoop when Jude (one of the more vociferous cows) ventured to the near side of the pasture and bellowed out a great
MOO!!!
To which Andy responded, "I'm coming!!!" My jaw dropped at this display, my suburban upbringing revealing me.
Monday, October 10, 2005
The day began at 5:15am which only made sense to me. To my mind all farmers started chores well before the sun. The eye-opening (and somewhat disheartening) part was that they didn't finish until 7:30/8:00pm. This would be difficult for anyone to sustain. The chosen one rides out on a 4-wheel ATV to gather the cows into the barn from their pasture. Interesting that the early rising, good hustle cows get cowbells on their collars so that they stir the others with the arrhythmic clang. I report to the cheese house where Mateo is turning Constant Bliss in sync to The Grateful Dead blaring over the sound system, perhaps unknowingly. There is time to talk and time to listen while performing cheese duties. I learned that Jasper Hill Farm consists of about 200 acres, mostly wooded. They are building the new barn across the way with their own hands. The goal of Jasper Hill Farm is not necessarily produce organic milk, but rather the CLEANEST, BEST TASTING milk possible. It comes dangerously close to being organic just the same, because the cows are fed naturally and treated humanely. They grow at a healthy rate and have low stress, so the need for growth hormones or antibiotics is next to nil. When a cow falls ill, she is still dairied, but not into the main tank. Her milk is pumped into an individual tank so as not to contaminate a whole batch. Mateo also disclosed that they are working in cooperation with Cabot Creamery to build a cave to age and market Cabot's (and other people's) cheese. This project holds great promise for them.
The cleaning practices here are as stringent as they were at Cowgirl Creamery, not surprisingly. The only difference was that I was not so taken aback with it by now. In the foyer of the office there is a bench of demarcation that shoes do not cross. You sit on this bench to slide off your mudder shoes, swivel around and slip on your cheese house shoes. Never the 'tween shall meet. Everyone wears a hairnet, waterproof apron, knee-high rubber boots and reports firstly to the hand-washing sink with foot pedal controls. And if you're on cheese form washing duty you put on full-length gloves as well. Or in my case, two pairs to protect my hands from the scalding hot water. And just when I got used to the temperature of the water or it had cooled enough to not burn, that was the signal it was time to drain the tepid water and refill with scorching hot water. The forms are first washed in "hot soapy", then set aside to dry before being rinsed/sanitized in an acid solution. The caustic in the detergent fights the fatty deposits on the cheese forms and utensils; the acid rinse works against protein residuals. All work surfaces are rinsed with bleach water immediately before use. As an additional measure, JHF spends upwards around $500 per month on microbial count testing wherein they send off samples of their milk and cheese to be tested. They proudly hang the results, which were well below acceptable levels, on the wall of the office. As a point of reference, they informed me that their raw milk contained fewer microbes than most pasteurized milk found on supermarket shelves. My emotional response was similar to that of the apple lady in California, when she told me that she picked her apples yesterday, whereas most supermarket apples were off the tree for three months or so: disheartening to say the least.
The milk is pumped directly from the barn through stainless steel pipes into the steam jacketed cheese-making vat. My first day is a Bayley Hazen Blue day, which means that last night's milk and this morning's milk will be combined for its production. The vat has an automated stirring arm and Mateo adds the cultures and rennet at the appropriate temperature. After it sets up, he cuts it with a one-inch curd knife: horizontally in two directions and vertically in one direction. After twenty minutes or so, he stirs it by hand. Literally, he rolls up his sleeves and sweeps his arm gently and rhythmically to churn the curds. There is a ramp that bridges the vat and the draining table. The curd is scooped out of the vat using a square colander onto the ramp. Here it is mounded and tossed to release excess whey. Then Mateo, stationed on the drain table readied with the cheese forms (homemade PVC segments with holes drilled into them), scoops the drained curd into the forms until they are nicely mounded.
When the last of the curd has been distributed into the forms, Mateo goes back to the beginning and turns them over to distribute the moisture and cultures evenly. They will be turned several more times throughout the day.
Then shift gears to clean up. All whey is collected into buckets, and then pumped downstairs into a holding tank which will be spread over the pastures to nourish the grass. [It is the brothers' dream to one day raise a whey-fed pig for their own consumption.] Everything is scrubbed down and sanitized. The floor included to be sure no curd lingers in the drains. The concept of cleaning as an equally important part of the cheese-making process was truly beginning to cement. Or as Mateo put it, they don't try to eliminate bacteria, they try to control it, or keep the good bacteria and bad bacteria in their proper population ratio.
I spent a portion of the day wrapping and packaging cheese for distribution via FedEx. I turned Bayley Hazen Blue. I helped to salt Bayley Hazen Blue. Interestingly they have settled on a California sea salt after many experimentations.
Some cow & cheese facts: "good" producer cows average 100 pounds of milk per day. A slacker can produce as little as 11 pounds. The current price of milk is about $15 per 100 weight. JHF turns their milk into cheese, which averages $88 per 100 weight. Time and effort constitute the difference in price. From the farmer's point of view, a cow is not judged successful by the volume of milk she produces, but rather how often and how quickly she can get pregnant because that keeps her lactation cycle at it highest levels.
JHF has been visited and researched by National Geographic and dubbed Entrepreneurial Activists. Indeed, these are people with a multi-faceted mission. I think it started with the overwhelming desire to stay in Vermont. Having grown up in the Northeast Kingdom, they concluded that this was THE most beautiful place on earth. But they have also watched farmer after dairy farmer fold up and fade away. So they thought long and hard about a way to stay in Vermont and make a living while doing something sustainable to the fair land. They dabbled with a few notions involving tofu and micro-brew. I grilled them on several different occasions as to why they believed cheese would work, neither of them having any farming, cheese making or savvy business experience. [Note that I was never truly satisfied with their answers.] Their stock answer was that they had a really good business plan. I believe that their high intellect led them into the idea of Reverse Engineering A.O.C. A.O.C. (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) comes from the French laws governing wine and other agricultural goods. Laws that were established to protect the integrity of the products and to create consistency in labeling, and in a way, to protect the producers who did subscribe to these laws from bastardization of their products (others trying to sell a similar product vying for brand recognition.) In an effort to rejuvenate the local economy, JHF would seek to invite others to move into the area and create their own cheese based on, for example, the Bayley Hazen Blue recipe (a paradox in my view - the competition, supply and demand dilemma.) Thus creating a standard by which consumers would build expectations about "cheese from the Greensboro area". This would have to involve the government (another paradox, in my view), but that's generations ahead when its original inventors are extinct and it needs protecting. The concept is very innovative and bold, considering that A.O.C. doesn't even exist in the United States. The closest we come is labeling laws for California wine. Mateo cautions, "Who knows if it will even pan out this way?!"
Constant Bliss is made in the evening with unheated milk (only the natural metabolic temperature). Even before the last cow is milked, acidifying cultures and a few drops of rennet are added as it is stirred. Then it is portioned into five gallon buckets to set overnight. It is to be ladled in the morning.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Begin at 5:45am in the cheese house. Remove forms from Constant Bliss cheeses previously made. Then WASH, WASH, WASH; henceforth known as WWW, because as one will read, this was a consistent part of my daily routine. Then down to the cellar to turn cheese and gently brush away excessive dust buildup. I was able to sample an unripe Bayley Hazen Blue: it was quite bitter. The bitterness, they explained, was caused by peptide chains on a molecular level. I also tasted a Bayley that was not inoculated with p. roqueforti (by accident). It, too, was rather gross; not unlike having bile in my throat. They are only keeping it around until the pig farmer comes to collect it for the sty. No cheese will be made with today's milk. It will all (morning, evening, plus tomorrow morning) be pooled for production of Bayley in the morning.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Started off taking Monday's Bayley out of forms. Then WWW. Five day old Bayley was salted and transferred to the cellar by way of a dumb waiter of sorts (a large rack hooked onto a mechanical winch that lowers it through a hole in the floor of the cheese room.) Spent time in the cellar turning and dusting Bayley. Victoria has the cellar organized on a rotating schedule of care, so that the big cheeses get nurtured about once per week. I also brushed the tops of an experimental blue cheese called Bartlett. This was an unpleasant job as it is a wet dust that doesn't come off easily, but one shouldn't rub too aggressively. And it gums up the brush. Ungratifying I should say.
The Maitre de fromage of Chanterelle restaurant in NYC has requested that JHF wash some Winnamere with ice cider instead of beer for them.
Packing and shipping is a very exciting time for Victoria because she feels like she has nurtured the cheeses and watched them mature; as if she is sending them out into the world to bring love to others. It's quite true really with all the turning, piercing, massaging, dusting, brushing and washing; cheese being a living thing.
Mateo is on the phone often (hands free headset.) Talking about orders, collecting payments, keeping his finger on the pulse of the cheese world. Multitasking all the time. The evening milk will be cultured into five gallon buckets for Constant Bliss.
Home-cooked meals every night. Cereal with raw milk each morning. Toast with local honey. Sandwiches for lunch. A very casual, warm hospitality!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
I was surprised and amused to find that when the alarm sounded at 4:30am my first thought was "Is today a Bayley day or a Constant Bliss day?" The rhythm had set in! WWW forms for Constant Bliss. Then line them up on the drain table. Before the ladling the curd into the forms, a test for acidity is performed on a sample of the whey. A rather scientific procedure called "titration". A solution added to the whey one drop at a time will turn it pink at a certain point. This figure needs to fall into certain parameters in order to proceed with the ladling process; it indicates that the milk has curdled appropriately. The measurement is recorded onto the make sheet, as is the ambient temperature and humidity. Then ladle last nights curd into these forms. It is a fill - settle - refill process until all is spent. The yield is a predetermined calculation based on the cows production of milk (5 gallons = 12.2 forms). I enjoyed this task. Later, after it is settled, the tops were smoothed in and any excessive curd around the edges was pushed in.
Then down to the cellar for turning and brushing Bayley and some sheep's milk cheeses being aged by JHF for Bonneview Farm down the lane. Victoria is invited to the wedding of Bonneview Farm owner Neal on Saturday. It is a "covered dish" wedding, which I found foreign, yet quaint. I had purchased one of their cheeses (Coomersdale) from Willey's general store for dinner at Andy and Victoria's. It was quite lovely and enjoyable.
As I observed the piercing of young Bayley it was very easy to hark back to the days when monks were performing tasks pertaining to cheese. There is a certain meditative quality to it. I also packaged Constant Bliss to prepare for tomorrow's shipping effort.
Friday, October 14, 2005
WWW forms for Bayley, drain table and draining mats. I helped stir the Bayley curd with my arm. I scraped three day old Bayley with the back of a butter knife, which smoothes the surface for even consistent aging once it's in the cellar. I was good at this task, if not a bit slow. I have to imagine one gets more efficient with time. Then I turned Constant Bliss.
I witnessed a breeding. The cows here at JHF are bred by artificial insemination. Among the advantages are: it is easier to chart and track; male ayreshire bulls are notoriously aggressive and violent; and it helps them maximize milk production levels. A professional breeder comes to perform this service. He inserted his arm into, the cow's (Diana's) rectum to stimulate a fecal purge, thus gaining better access to the cervix. Once the purge in complete, he reaches back in and holds the cervix at a desirable angle while he inserts a sheath containing the goods into the vagina. He shoots the load. Diana is given the rest of the day off. I thought it was a kind gesture to assuage the feeling of violation that she might be feeling from this unromantic encounter with "the man in the glove", but alas, it's only because she gets the special sauce again tomorrow and they do not want to have to herd her in from the pasture. I asked the brothers if the cows usually lay down with all four legs up in the air after insemination. They just laughed.
Back to the cheese house to shovel Bayley from the vat onto the ramp for fluffing and packing into the molds. WWW. Fascinating discussions with Andy about agribusiness. Learned that some dairy farmers in California milk 90,000 head! Meanwhile, the batches of cheese being made now at JHF represent, upon maturity and sale, paychecks for Mateo and Andy. Heretofore, they have forsaken a paycheck for the sake of solidifying the company.
Andy and Mateo are refurbishing the stalls in the barn to fortify them. The cows, being creatures of habit to the point of autism, Mateo would suggest, are very upset. They keep trying to go to "their" stall; when they find no purchase they turn around and try to exit the barn. Except that the rest of the herd is trying to enter! It has even affected their milk production. They are working through it, though. By the time I left, the stalls were close to completion.
JHF has more marketing opportunities with Shelburne Farms (the best cheddar in Vermont, Mateo thinks). They are working on a deal that pays 30¢ per pound to store, age their cheese; or offers the option to buy the cheese and market it themselves. This practice is not unlike Neal's Yard Dairy in England, where Mateo apprenticed.
During the evening chores, I milked three cows. The cows didn't seem to mind my inexperienced hands.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Today, Victoria is going to Neal's wedding, being held at Bonneview Farm. Andy is going to an ayreshire auction. It is Mateo's day off. So in a word, Josh, their only full time employee is at the helm. It was a Constant Bliss day. WWW to start. Followed by ladling Constant Bliss curd. Then more WWW. Followed by smoothing the curd we had just ladled into the forms. Then down to the cellar to turn young Bayleys. I learned how to spike/pierce Bayley which allows air to enter the core of the cheese, thus making it an aerobic environment. Then we turned the aging Constant Bliss. Next was the dreaded Cabot Cloth-bound Cheddars, weighing in at a respectable 35 to 40 pounds each. It is not their weight that makes lifting them tricky, but rather their shape and the fact that they're above head level in a confined workspace. And there's cheese dust everywhere. But I seemed to be the only one bothered by it… I should have nice back muscles by the end of my internship! Surely, having a helper must have made this job easier for Josh. I was home by 4:30pm; only a twelve hour day.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
I got an early start today so I could help with morning chores before I drove to Burlington to pick up my husband and daughter from the airport. Two weeks is a long time for me to be away from them so we scheduled a two day hiatus in the middle. Today is a Bayley day. Start by washing the green forms, mats, tables and the new (used) rack. For some reason, it came quite dirty with cheesy wax debris. I went after it like a dental hygienist ending with much better results than I started.
The pick-up was smooth and we drove straight to Hunger Mountain Co-op to look for some Shelburne Farm Yogurt (cow's milk) which Mateo feels is the best the state has to offer, though still not stellar when compared to European varieties. Redwood Hill Farm Yogurt (goat's milk) [reference Phase I] and Water Buffalo Yogurt from Woodstock, VT. This might have been my favorite, though I'm not sure if it was because of the milk or the process.
Then our tour of Vermont led us to the Ben and Jerry's Factory, which is now owned by a Dutch company Unilever. I had taken this tour two other times in the past and found it somewhat automated and cold. They have lost the warm fuzziness that was a cornerstone of their operation. They remain committed to helping out in the community and to being environmentally conscious, but more in the form of writing a check for the cause. Which isn't such a bad thing, I'm just saying… In any case, I still rather enjoy their ice cream for eating purposes.
Next stop: the Bee's Knees in Morrisville to watch Josh perform with his new band. It is a hippie vegetarian café with surprisingly good food. We ate tofu burrito, arugula salad and macaroni and Vermont cheddar. And the band was great entertainment!
Monday, October 17, 2005
Back in Greensboro, I showed Rob and Endeara around JHF. Then we went into "town" to visit the two main attractions: the Miller's Thumb and the Willey's Store. The Miller's Thumb is a variety gift shop built around what used to be a mill. They preserved the actual water fall and wheel by building a glass floor so one can look down upon it. And their offerings ran the gamut from clothing and chocolate to paintings and furniture. The Willey's Store is an old fashioned general store. "A regular Wal-Mart" Mateo called it. Of course it was a curiosity to me!
Angie and Mateo invited us for homemade lasagna using immature, broken Constant Bliss. What a treat! In honor of the invitation, I carved a pumpkin and made Royal Gala apple cobbler.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Finishing up our family visit, we made pancakes at home and put a pot of seven bean & lentil soup in the slow cooker. Then began the trek back into Burlington to visit the Pedestrian Zone. We were in search of Champlain Leather to see if they could replicate in leather a canvas purse I once used. We found the shop and he could do it [as a post script, the purse is excellent!!] The weather wasn't so good for strolling but we got to check it out a bit anyway. Deposit the family at the airport and head back.
I offered a helping hand back at JHF. After evening chores, I was invited back to Grandmother Audrie's house for supper. Audrie lives in a lake front community called Winnemere (not unassociated with their new beer washed cheese.) Also of note, the first calf born on the farm was named Audrie. Clearly a special woman in the eyes of the brothers. There were a few aunts in town, who extended equal warmth and hospitality as had been bestowed on me thus far.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Revert back to 4:30am wake up time. It is a Constant Bliss day. Start by turning yesterday's Bayley. Then WWW. Then ladle Constant Bliss curd. Then WWW. Then down to the cellar to turn cheeses. We brushed Bayleys to control cheese mites, which leave dusty trails where they have bored. The neat thing about aging cheese is that the goal of any action taken is not about eliminating natural environmental factors, such as humidity, mold, mites or bacteria; but rather to control them. They have misters and fans strategically located throughout the cellar. They expect cheese mites to be present, but they wish for them not to overrun the cheese. They keep the Constant Bliss in a separate room of the cellar so it doesn't attract the Bayley mold. The local airborne bacteria is 'scapaleria' and for a while, they tried not inoculating the Constant Bliss, but rather letting nature run its course. The result was a mottled collection of surface molds, ranging in color from green to pink to black to white. While this was perfectly natural and safe to eat, it was undesirable from a marketing standpoint. So now they try to control the color of the surface mold so that it is white, a more acceptable appearance.
The barn/stable reconstruction continues. The cows continue to muddle through their disorientation.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
It is a Bayley Hazen Blue day. Begin with WWW. The days have certainly fallen into a rhythm, so there is more guidance than instruction. After the cheese making process was complete, I went down to the cellar to help Victoria tend to the Winnemere cheeses a.k.a. "Winnies". Spruce reeds are imported from France. They are boiled to soften them, then wrapped around the circumference of the wheels and held in place with a rubber band. I rather enjoyed this job because such a desirable fragrance was emitted from the boiling process; and it was detailed dexterity.
Friday, October 21, 2005
"The Birth of Endeara" Izmo is one of the heifers Andy purchased at the auction last Saturday. She is a descendant of Gizmo, one of JHF's better milk producing cows. As a bonus, she was rather pregnant at the time of purchase, so it's sort of like getting two cows for the price of one! She never went to pasture given her condition and her newness to the farm. She quietly labored on Wednesday and Thursday with heavy breathing and a lot of sighing. Andy predicted Thursday night would be the big night. Since I wanted to witness the birth, and Andy was mostly responsible for playing the vet, and Mateo lived adjacent to the barn, nobody actually slept! And the calf was not born. So Friday night was to be the night. Andy examined her and determined that she was prime. He allowed me to actually reach in through the rectum and feel the calf's hoof! Then Andy broke Izmo's water to let all the amniotic fluid gush out. He reached back in to pull out the calf's front hoof, then the other. Mateo linked the two hooves together with a chain leash; to this he attached an "s" hook which would be used to assist in pulling the calf out. Andy reached back in to shoehorn the head. Izmo gave a low, guttural, grunting, bellow of a moo and with Andy's easing, Mateo's pulling and her own pushing, out came a beautiful dark female calf. It was a very tense moment as two vital things were happening at the same time: the force was so great that Izmo's rear legs gave out and she lacked the strength to hoist herself up, and the newborn calf was barely stirring. The brothers were trying desperately to help Izmo back on her feet, but an exhausted 1,700 pounds does not hoist easily. Two dangerous factors were looming: Izmo's stall collar was still attached so she was in danger of strangling herself, and also, it is unsafe for a cow who has just given birth to lie down as it can permanently distort her spine with a pinched nerve. Angie's brother, John, who was also present rushed to get the bolt cutters to cut the collar as the brothers continued to physically push her back to standing. She made it! In the meantime, Angie and Josh were tickling the calf's nose with hay to make her sneeze/expel any amniotic fluid lingering in her lungs. She did finally, although she seemed to be a slow starter. I wonder if my first cow birth observation was supposed to be less eventful?! I was on edge the whole time. They carried the calf to Izmo's stall so that Izmo might start to lick her clean. They gave Izmo a bucket of warm water to hydrate herself. Izmo's moo had changed once again to a gentle, encouraging, mothering moo, which Mateo noted was a specific sound between this cow and her calf. Izmo would probably not make this moo again, nor would it sound the same between another cow and her calf after birth. Mateo was so smitten with my daughter Endeara, that he honored me by naming the calf after her. I was beside myself.
Izmo is given a pre-emptive antibiotic shot and also Pitocin to help her deliver the placenta. Because Izmo is a working girl, suckling is prohibited. The risk of spreading bacteria increases greatly, so instead, Izmo is pumped and Endeara is bottle fed. They cover her with a Calf Cozy, which is like a sweater for calves, and leave mother and daughter to rest and recuperate for the remainder of the night. I suppose, this was equivalent to turning a blind eye to any suckling that may have taken place overnight… Endeara will continue to receive her mother's milk for another week and then transition to formula.
Talk about an exciting dénouement!!!! As a post script, I spoke with Andy over the Christmas holiday and learned that Endeara was a picky eater, as is her namesake! The formula disagreed with her and caused her to lose patches of hair. They quickly resolved the allergy and got her back on track. Thankfully, my Endeara's idiosyncratic eating habits have never led to patchy hair loss. I have high hopes that Endeara (the calf) will be a promising contributor to the cheeses of tomorrow.
Decidedly absent from the birth was Victoria, who had seen plenty and instead was home preparing a farewell dinner. I'm sure I felt the kindness and generosity of spirit while I was there, but in hindsight, it was much greater than I imagined. 'Tis no slight thing to make someone feel so welcomed all the while making it seem like you do this sort of thing everyday.
Saturday, October 21, 2005
As I began my last trek towards JHF, a landscape caught my eye. In my two weeks here, I had watched Fall occur. When I first arrived, the last phase of vendage was in effect. Followed by damp, gloomy days with the leaves actually falling. And today, frost had covered the ground. I was once again reminded of the great contrast to Florida's monochromatic scenery. I had purchased a self-sealing syrup gallon container at the Willey's store to transport some fresh ayreshire milk home with me. I think they could understand my wanting to take some cheese home, but not really milk? What can I say, I loved it that much! (This milk and cheeses would end up being devoured by candlelight to prevent losing it as I walked right into Hurricane Wilma and all her vengeful power outages upon my return.) Each member of the JHF family bid me farewell with oodles of well wishes. And I thanked them for all they had shown me, all I had learned and this wonderful life-changing experience.
~Francy Deskin
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