Next Meeting: State of Maine Cheese Co., Rockport
| February 15, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
**CHANGE**
Our next meeting will be hosted by State of Maine Cheese Co. in Rockport. (There were not available spaces at UMO, unfortuately.)
Rennet Workshop Planned
| April 19, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
The Maine Cheese Guild will be sponsoring a one-day workshop on cheese Rennet to be held at Little Falls Farm in Harrison, Maine on Monday, April 19th from 9am to 5pm.
At the beginning there will be a short lecture on the nature of rennet — how it works, why it is used in cheesemaking, and the different ways it can affect finished cheeses. Then Oregon cheesemaker David Peterson will lecture on his experiences using plant derived renneting materials to make traditional cheeses.
After lunch John and Mary Belding of Little Falls Farm will demonstrate step-by-step the methods for harvesting a goat-kid vel, preserving it, and then using it in cheese production.
Fees will be $175 for the general public, $150 for Maine Cheese Guild members (lunch included). For more information email info@mainecheeseguild.org. To reserve a spot (there will be a limited class size) send a check to
The Maine Cheese Guild
c/o Mark Whitney, Treasurer
Pineland Farms
32 Farm View Drive
New Gloucester, Maine 04260
Hatchet Cove Farm CSA
Posted by admin in Opportunities on February 3rd, 2010
My name is Reba Richardson and I run Hatchet Cove Farm, a CSA farm in the Mid-coast. We have 130 members, and last year we paired up with Jennifer Betencourt to offer a cheese CSA to our members. About thirty of them participated. Since Jennifer is no longer with Silvery Moon, she recommended that I get in touch with the Guild to find out of there are other cheesemakers who might be interested in offering a cheese CSA for our members. We’d love to be able to continue to offer it!
Hatchet Cove Farm
Bill, Elias & Cecilia Pluecker & Reba Richardson
1133 Finntown Rd
Warren, ME 04864
207.273.3044
www.hatchetcovefarm.com
Mass Farm Looking for Cheesemaker
Posted by admin in Opportunities on January 31st, 2010
Available Position
Cheese-maker
To start immediately
Cricket Creek Farm is a small pasture-based cow dairy located in Williamstown, MA where we currently produce two award-winning cheeses. We are looking for a cheese-maker to help take our cheeses to the next level.
Who we’re looking for: a self-directed, well-organized cheese-maker with at least 1 year of hands-on cheese-making experience. The job will include attending various markets (holiday and summer farmer’s markets) and other “friend-building” events in the area. A willingness to engage in the farm beyond the cheese room and enthusiasm for marketing and sales is highly desirable.
We have two established cheeses that we intend to carry-forward. However, there is the opportunity for developing another cheese.
Salary will be commensurate with experience. On-site housing and healthcare included. Please contact Jude or Topher Sabot via e-mail, info@cricketcreekfarm.com.
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Cricket Creek Farm
www.cricketcreekfarm.com
(413) 458-5888
Equipment in Conn
Posted by admin in Opportunities on January 31st, 2010
This is from Gary at Cooperative Extension who received this list of equipment available for sale in Connecticut. The contact is just an email address, from which the owner would negotiate prices.
contact for the equipment below is agmcm6@aol.com
| Dairy Processing and Plant Equipment | ||
| No. |
Description |
Comments |
|
1 |
50 gal. Cherry Burrell Pasteurization Vat w/thermometers, recorder; s/n5692 | General use for milk, ice cream mix, sour cream, yogurt, etc. |
|
2 |
200 gal. Crepaco Pasteurization Vat w/thermometers, recorder | |
|
3 |
Separator, Delaval 340, tri-process unit with micrometer valve | |
|
4 |
Positive Pump, Waukesha DO 25. | |
|
5 |
Homogenizer, Crepaco #3 400 gph, Year 1956, s/n 350-2123 | |
|
6 |
Plate Cooler – 16 plates. Plate gaskets replaced | Gaskets replaced 11/06 |
|
7 |
Plate Cooler – 24 plates. Plate gaskets replaced | Gaskets replaced 11/06 |
|
8 |
Chester-Jensen Ice Builder, Model ML-6-8-4, built 1973, capacity 4,000 lbs. ice. | Replaced Ice Tank with used 4/07 |
|
|
3 HP Refrigeration unit, 19,000 btu/hr. | |
|
9 |
A72 Federal Filler & accumulation table. 7-valve, 1/2 gal & qts. | Updated & serviced by Agri-Services |
|
9.a |
Capper. Includes air compressor and filter/dryer. | New April 2007 |
|
10 |
Pump, Centrifugal, 1-1/2 x 1-1/2. | |
|
11 |
Centrifugal pump, #4, 1700 RPM, 1/2 HP | |
|
12 |
600 gal Mueller refrigerator transport tank. | |
|
13 |
Girton SA-2 6-wide Bottle Washer w/ conveyor to Filler, rebuilt | Rebuilt 1998 by Heritage |
|
14 |
Emery Thompson 20 Qt Ice Cream Freezer. Rebuilt R22 Freon Compressor | |
|
15 |
Burnham 10 HP Boiler, low pressure steam | New 1999 |
|
16 |
200 gal Cherry Burrell Cheese Vat, 2″ outlet. s/n C11275 | |
|
17 |
Cheese Press w/ hoops & followers. | |
|
18 |
Pipe Sink, Stainless Steel with 1-1/2 HP 3600 rpm pump | New pump |
|
19 |
Wash Sink, Stainless Steel. 2 compartments 30-gal. each | |
|
20 |
Parts Table, Stainless Steel | |
|
21 |
Five (5) Stainless Steel 10-gal cans with covers | |
|
22 |
Dump Tank, Stainless steel, 3 rails style | |
|
23 |
Vat, 100-gal., stainless steel | |
|
24 |
1-1/2” pipe & fittings for entire plant | |
|
25 |
Cases – plastic, for quart & ½-gal glass bottles | |
|
26 |
Walk-in Cooler, 3 Reach-in Doors & shelving. | |
|
27 |
Cherry Burrell CIP Portable Pump, 5 HP | |
|
28 |
Lot, Misc. Spare parts, gaskets, fittings, etc |
A French Cheesemaker Re-evaluates Camembert
An article in the NY Times describes a re-evaluation of Camembert, including the use of pasteurized milk (which contradicts the AOC standard for Camembert labeled cheeses). Hervé Mons now sells a Camembert style of cheese made in France that adds less culture, drains the curds more, and ages/ships the wrapped cheeses at low temperatures to draw out the time before it starts to get soft. M. Mons was interviewed at Slow Food’s bi-annual cheese festival by food science expert and occasional NY Times food columnist Harold McGee. Mons described his ‘new’ method for making Camembert, which sounds quite a bit like efforts being pioneered here in the US at Oregon State University.
Guild Meeting
| January 12, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
at the Agricultural Trade Show held in the Augusta Civic Center
Cheese Culture Workshop
| January 22, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
Dave Potter Evaluates Cheeses for Workshop Participants
The Maine Cheese Guild sponsored a one-day workshop on Cheese Cultures held at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine on Friday, January 22nd from 9am to 5pm.
David Potter, from Dairy Connection, Inc., lectured on the basics of picking the right cheese cultures (thermophilic, mesophilic, yeasts, and molds) for your cheeses, as well as delved into the exciting new realm of using adjunct cultures in traditional cheese recipes to broaden the flavor landscape.
In addition, Dave critiqued a number of cheeses, from experimental batches using different adjunct culture mixes, to commercial versions exhibiting specific culture techniques, as well as cheese brought by workshop attendees. The enthusiastic reception, high attendance rate, and the continued expression of interest in this subject means that the Guild will work to bring Dave (or another culture expert) back soon.
[Deb Hahn has received copies of specific slides that were too small to read on the hand-outs, such as the comparisons of different P. candidum, and Corynebacteria. If you would like to get copies of these, email here at debrahahn@yahoo.com]
Guild Holiday Party
Posted by admin in Cows Milk, Events, Goats Milk, Guild, Organic, Sheeps Milk on November 2nd, 2009
| December 14, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 pm | to | 4:00 pm |
December 14th Holiday Party at Liberty Fields Farm, Saco where it was —
Holiday Tomme!
What a great event.
Besides the warm and spirited hosting by Liberty Fields Farm, our Holiday Party featured seven different Tommes made from the same recipe but each bearing the flavor, milk type, local flora and personality of the cheesemakers around the state. There were hard and soft pate’s, there were buttery and silky textures, there was “goaty” and “cow-y” and complex flavors — sometimes all in the same cheese (Appleton Creamery brought a triple-milk version). There was also bright red local membrillo to accompany the panoply of personal cheeses. It was a lesson about how much of the local cheesemaker goes into making their cheese.
