Events for February 2016

Come and discover the secrets of traditional cheesemaking practices with organic farmer, farmstead cheesemaker, and author of ‘The Art of Natural Cheesemaking’, David Asher. David practices a true farmstead cheesemaking, avoiding the use of unnatural additives and laboratory raised cultures; instead he uses only natural ingredients, keeping his own starters, growing his own fungi, and working with the indigenous microorganisms of raw milk to help cheeses evolve their best possible flavor. This is a rare opportunity to learn with David, who will be visiting from the west coast of Canada. The class begins with a session on dairy fermentation, focusing on the making of kefir, creme fraiche, yogurt, and cultured butter. Following the introductory session, we will learn about fresh cheeses including Fromage Frais and Chevre, and then continue on to make soft-aged French cheeses - Saint Marcellin, Crottin, Saint Valencay - from the very same batch. On day two we explore rennet cheeses, making fresh cheese curd, and exploring the different directions that this basic cheese can take including Camembert, Limburger, Feta and Mozzarella. And we finish off the class with alpine cheeses and blues, making a Tomme, and a wheel of Gorgonzola, and all without packaged starters. Learn how all these diverse cheeses are related, and how they can evolve from milk with a full-circle, organically inspired cheesemaking philosophy. Over the course of the sessions, we will also taste local examples of the cheeses we will be making in class. Students will get to take home their very own cheese cultures, as well as some helpful tools for making cheese, including a copy of David Asher’s new book (for sale during the program). David Asher is an organic farmer, farmstead cheese maker and cheese educator based on the gulf islands of British Columbia, Canada. A guerrilla cheesemaker, David does not make cheese according to standard industrial philosophies - he explores traditionally cultured, non-corporate methods of cheesemaking. David offers cheese outreach to communities near and far with the Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking. Through workshops in partnership with food-sovereignty-minded organizations, he shares his distinct cheesemaking style. His workshops teach a cheesemaking method that is natural, DIY, and well suited to the home kitchen or artisanal production. He is the author of The Art of Natural Cheesemaking. For more info on David and his classes, please visitwww.theblacksheepschool.com. Date: Thursday, February 11, 2016 to Friday, February 12, 2016 Time: 9AM-5PM Daily Event Type: Adult Program Location: Shelburne, VT Fee: $225 (Includes lunch both days; Optional accommodations available at $65/night-double occupancy- tax included