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craftsman

Cheesemaking is a passion, an art

June 8, 2020 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Pattie Garrett

A basic cheese can be easy to make. You heat milk to a particular temperature, stir in an agent such as vinegar or lemon juice to create curds, drain off the liquid known as whey, and wait for the curds to cool.

Making a really great cheese, however, is more complex.

“It is about using old world craftsman methods to produce cheese in a deliberate and careful, hand-crafted way,” says Sheila Flanagan of Nettle Meadow. “It is not overly industrialized or mechanized. It is connected to the animals whose milk is used. It is a way of life.”

That way of life is reflected in the broad array of cheeses that Nettle Meadow brings each Saturday to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, along with R&G Cheese Makers and Argyle Cheese Farmer.

R&G Cheese Makers, photo by Pattie Garrett

The cheeses are made from goat, sheep, and cow milk. They include soft chevres, camemberts, cheddars, mozzarellas, manchegos, blue cheeses, and more.

Artisan cheesemakers such as Flanagan, Argyle’s Marge Randles, and R&G owner Sean O’Connor draw on historic customs to create cheeses with minimal machinery. Often, recipes are unique to the cheesemaker and evolve over years.

For instance, Dave Randles’s favorite cheese – Mercy – evolved out of a recipe that Marge found in an old British cookbook, accompanied by several farmstead processes for making cheddar cheese.

Nettle Meadow, photo by Pattie Garrett

Flanagan notes that many Nettle Meadow cheeses are complicated to make. “Those complexities make them stand out.”

One favorite – Briar Summit – is made with goat, cow and sheep milk with raspberry leaf tea and cream added in. The ratios of milk vary by season. Two cultures plus a coagulant create the cheese.

“After two hours, the curd is cut and then we wait an additional two hours to pour the cheese by hand into pyramid molds,” Flanagan says. “The next morning, we flip the molds and let the cheese fall out of them and place them on a tray where they travel down to the again cellar to rest for two days.”

Flanagan applies salt and a a mold powder to help ripen and flavor the cheese. She turns it every few days while it ages.

Flanagan says, “It is a true cheesemaker’s cheese.”

 

This week’s recipe: Farmstead Macaroni & Cheese

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: Argyle Cheese Farmer, cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemaking, cow, craft, crafting, craftsman, goat, milk, Nettle Meadow, producing, production, R&G Cheese, sheep

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We have plenty of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, We have plenty of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, and sweet corn at this week’s market! Perfect for a summer salad, or roasted with zucchini for a fresh pasta dish. 🍅🌽🥬

Flowers are in abundance here too, and make the perfect gift for anyone 💐🌼🌻

Stop by and grab a breakfast sandwich, coffee, scone, and hash brown while strolling in this gorgeous weather! We’ll be here from 9-1 🍃⛅️
Connecting our community with locally produced foo Connecting our community with locally produced food is a priority of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. While this connection supports the local economy, it also ensures that people of all economic levels have access to fresh, locally-sourced food. With this purpose, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has partnered with the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), CDPHP, Comfort Food Community, the FreshConnect program, and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program for WIC participants and Seniors (FMNP). Check out this week's article to learn more at: https://www.saratogafarmersmarket.org/category/featured-article/

Photo: Summer melons from Gomez Veggie Ville

#saratogasprings #freshconnect #healthyliving #communityfirst #saratogafarmersmarket #agriculture #nonprofitorganization #farmtotable
Join us this Wednesday, 8/9, for a musical scaveng Join us this Wednesday, 8/9, for a musical scavenger hunt and farmers’ market song! Hosted by Caffe Lena, we’ll have plenty of fun activities for our awesome POP Club members 🤩🎶

Be sure to get a stamp on your POP Passport and a $2 POP coin!

We hope to see you tomorrow, rain or shine 🌤
Meet our newest Clifton Park farmer, Suzanne Fishe Meet our newest Clifton Park farmer, Suzanne Fisher! Our Clifton Park market runs every Monday, 2-5pm, at the Shenendehowa Methodist Church parking lot 971, Route 146 🌾🌽🍅 Today we will be joined by the Saratoga Office for the Aging! They will be passing out FMNP coupons for people that are 60+ and on a limited income. Hope to see you there!

#cliftonpark #farmersmarket #upstateny #agriculture #farmtotable #dinnerideas #shopsmall

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