We are dairy cow farmers, in Ireland and have been making cheese traditionally on our family farm for over 40 years. We live in an area which is at the heart of milk production in Ireland, on the edge of a region known as The Golden Vale. There is not a tradition of farmstead cheesemaking in our area, typically farmers will be members of a dairy co-operative selling their milk to a central processing location where it will be processed in large volumes into butter and cheese. This is very efficient for both the processor and the farmer allowing both to focus their attentions, but on the downside that precious sense of connection from field to fork is broken. The farmer on the one hand doesn’t understand the long journey it takes to transform milk to an aged hard cheese, and likewise the cheesemaker is far removed from understanding how weather, feed, calving patterns impact on style of milk. Making cheese on the farmstead is an amazingly rewarding experience, if at times very frustrating. We challenge you to make cheese for a lactation season and trust gain a new sense of connection with your farm and respect for the final product… beautiful cheese.

By: Sarah Furno Maitre Fromager and Owner of Cashel Blue Irish Farmhouse Cheese

How in the world did you ever become a cheese maker?? Well let me tell you, it did not start out as a life long dream. But I did always want goats! And once you have milk goats, well, what are you going to do with all that milk....you start researching how to make cheese :) Making cheese at home is one of the most satisfying crafts you can learn, whether you make your cheese from milk you harvested from your own animals or purchase milk. ( First word of caution, you cannot use milk that has been “ultra pasteurized”). Getting started does not require a lot of special equipment or ingredients, it can be as simple as milk, lemon juice and cheese cloth. Making cheese with rennet (or vegetable enzymes) is like magic that, even after all these years, never ceases to amaze me. So you get hooked on making more difficult cheeses. And then you start winning blue ribbons at the county fair for your handcrafted goat cheese, and then you start dreaming of more cheese...

That is the short version of how Jollity Farm started over 30 years ago, when Charley got his first goats. He wanted to be able to share his craft with his local community, but you must be licensed to sell cheese. It was a long process, but eventually he opened his licensed goat dairy & creamery in 2011. MaryLisa got her first goats in 2006. We met when Charley offered a donation of cheese for the goat show raffle that MaryLisa was overseeing, And she said “OH you are a REAL cheese maker!!” Our farms merged when we got married in 2017 (yes, there were goats in attendance at the wedding, but that is another story)

We operate Jollity Farm together, making both cheese and skin care products. What makes Jollity Farm Cheese so special? It is not just artisan, it is truly a Farmstead cheese. Farmstead cheese is produced from the milk collected on the same farm where the cheese is produced. Unlike artisan cheese, which may also include milk purchased and transported from off-farm sources, farmstead cheese makers use only milk from animals they raise. As a result, the cheeses produced often have unique flavors owing to the farm's local terroir.

Our family property ‘Towri’ is located in South East Queensland Australia. Towri, meaning ‘family gathering in aboriginal, roughly 300 acres Towri is home to 350 Awassi milking sheep, 5 alpacas, 2 donkeys, some loud chooks (chickens), 2 very energetic Jack Russell’s, 7 retired Polocrosse horses, and last but not least our most important asset….our faithful sheep dog ‘Abby’.

For those who haven’t heard of the Awassi breed, let me fill you in. Originating in Israel, also known as the fat tale sheep, the Awassi is a quiet natured, tall framed, droopy eared sheep.

Imported into Australia in 1998 to help improve the sheep milking industry, giving approximately 1 gallon per ewe per milking. Towri leaves the lambs on their mothers and only separates at night for an early morning milking, resulting in happy ewes, happy lambs.

Happy Cheese Making

Written by Carolyn Davidson

(Company Director and Head Cheese Maker)

Summer is almost here!! And what better way to celebrate than creating a gorgeous cheeseboard for your friends and family. Isabel here from Isacheeseboard, and I'm going to walk you through making a summer board! My favorite thing about cheeseboards is making them your own! Choose what you like, try different flavor combos, add in something fun and colorful to make the board authentically yours. There are 5 main ingredients for a cheeseboard; cheese, meat, fruits & veggies, crunch, and the sweet & salties. I'll walk through some of my choices for each of these and to see how I arrange them.

Here’s my secret….you make the best grilled cheese using mayo.

First, I switched from buttering my bread to using mayo. It sounds weird, I know, but it works.

If you’ve ever just slaughtered an innocent slice of white bread as you tried to spread cold butter, then you get it. Your sandwich dreams are basically torn, right before your eyes.

Mayo spreads like a dream. No waiting for it to soften and no gaps in coverage. This will get you even toasting, which is what we’re going for.

My best grilled cheese includes not one, but two types of melty cheese. There aren’t fancy-smanchy cheeses, either. These are cheeses you can find at any grocery store – sliced cheddar and a colby jack cheese.

My name is Deanne Frieders with This Farm Girl Cooks! I LOVE sharing recipes and ideas with busy home cooks. My focus is on simple, delicious meals your family will actually eat!