Handmade Cheeses

Sweet Dreams 2 to 4  lb. basket-molded round. 
A bite of cheese before bedtime guarantees dreams, according to English folklore. Research now proves it’s true. And you thought cheese was boring . . . !  This is the perfect “bedtime” cheese snack, also good in a backpack for hiking or on the patio while wine tasting.  Natural rind.

 

Cynthian  1 1/2 lb. round. Made from raw goat’s milk from animals grazing along the trail settlers like Cynthia Ann Applegate once trod, this is a simple farmstead cheese.  Made in small basket molds, it is aged at least two months to fully develop the flavor. Made from goat’s milk, organic rennet, French cultures, with bits of sage, rosemary, oregano, and chive added,  just as Cynthia Ann did, 150 years ago. Brushed rind.

Cascadia, is a 3 to 4 lb. lightly pressed tomme. Cascadia is made from pure raw goat’s milk, with organic rennet and French cultures. It’s a smooth, slicing cheese, mild enough to eat at lunch or as a dessert cheese with fresh pears or apples from the Pacific Northwest.

Available plain, or with herbs. Natural brushed rind or waxed, depending on availability.

Pressing and waxing preserved cheeses through the winter for centuries. As a seasonal dairy, we do the same, so we can enjoy cheeses during the months the does are resting up waiting for their kids' arrival and the new milk supply.

Cheese wax is completely recyclable, simply melt and use again.  If you want to save the wax you can re-melt it and use it in a variety of ways--even preserving other small pieces of cheese from drying out.  Or, save up the scraps and return to us and we'll recycle it. Wax--nature's original reusable wrap.

 Laurie, testing milk pH in the cheese vat.  We make cheese every three days. It takes about an hour to get the milk to the right temperature, then about four more hours to make a batch of cheese. After that, cheeses are drained for about a week, then tucked into our "cheese cave" chilling room, where they are aged for sixty days. 

Cynthia Ann Applegate

Oregon's First Cheesemaker

In 1844, Cynthia Ann Applegate arrived with her family and milk cows. The route her family pioneered was called the Applegate Trail, and it was preferred by settlers bringing

livestock to Oregon. It avoided the rugged Columbia River rapids and the English corporate giant, the Hudson's Bay Company. 

Cynthia Ann began making farmstead cheese in the Willamette Valley. She sold cheeses flavored with herbs, just a few miles from our farm.
The town of Dallas was first named Cynthian, after her.  We’ve named a cheese after her, too. 

The Applegate Trail

The route the Applegate family and many others took to arrive in Oregon runs right through our pasture. Today, our goats graze over the footsteps of history.