Cheese Producer
The Art of Natural Cheese Making with David Asher
Shelburne Farms 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT, United StatesCome 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
Gordon Edgar
Grafton Village Cheese Company 400 Linden Street, Brattleboro, United StatesBillings Farm & Museum’s Seventh Annual Cheese & Dairy Celebration
Billings Farm & Museum 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, VT, United StatesWOODSTOCK, VERMONT... Billings Farm & Museum, gateway to Vermont's rural heritage, announces the 7th Annual Cheese & Dairy Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Celebrate Vermont's rich dairy heritage during this two-day event: meet New England cheesemakers, sample their delicious artisan cheeses & dairy products, and take part in engaging dairy education programs. We will also be debuting our Woodstock Reserve Cheddar, the latest addition to our award-winning collection of artisan cheeses, made exclusively with 100% Billings Farm raw milk.
The Art of Natural Cheesemaking with David Asher
Shelburne Farms 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT, United StatesReinventing the Wheel
Shelburne Farms 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT, United StatesIn little more than a century, industrial practices have altered every aspect of the cheesemaking process, from the bodies of the animals that provide the milk to the microbial strains that ferment it. Reinventing the Wheel explores what has been lost as raw-milk, single-farm cheeses have given way to the juggernaut of factory production. In the process, distinctiveness and healthy rural landscapes have been exchanged for higher yields and monoculture. However, Bronwen and Francis Percival find reason for optimism. Around the world—not just in France, but also in the United States, England, and Australia—enterprising cheesemakers are exploring the techniques of their great-grandparents. At the same time, using sophisticated molecular methods, scientists are upending conventional wisdom about the role of microbes in every part of the world. Their research reveals the resilience and complexity of the indigenous microbial communities that contribute to the flavor and safety of cheese. One experiment at a time, these dynamic scientists, cheesemakers, and dairy farmers are reinventing the wheel. Instructors: Bronwen Percival is the cheese buyer at Neal’s Yard Dairy in London. She initiated the biennial Science of Artisan Cheese Conference and is cofounder of the website microbialfoods.org. In addition to serving on the editorial board of the Oxford Companion to Cheese, she recently edited an English translation of the leading French textbook on raw-milk microbiology for cheesemakers. Francis Percival writes on food and wine for The World of Fine Wine and was named Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist of the Year in 2013 and Pio Cesare Wine and Food Writer of the Year 2015. His work has also appeared in Culture, Decanter, Saveur, and the Financial Times. Together with Bronwen, he cofounded the London Gastronomy Seminars.