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Guild Members Awarded at 2010 ACS Competition
Congratulations to two Maine Cheese Guild cheese makers who were awarded multiple ribbons at the 2010 American Cheese Society conference competition, the largest cheese competition in North America including entries from the US, Canada, and Mexico.
A total of five awards went to the two Guild members: Pineland Farms Creamery won three awards; Appleton Creamery won two awards. Maine maintains its lock on the Feta category, with each cheese maker winning ribbons there, while Pineland’s Salsa Jack has won awards for several years.
All the 2010 ACS competition awards can be found here.
Soft-ripened white mold cheeses, flavor added:
1st place — Appleton Creamery, “Camella”
Feta, cow’s milk:
3rd place: Pineland Farms Creamery, “Feta”
Feta, sheep’s milk:
1st Appleton Creamery, “Sophia Feta”
Monterrey Jack, flavor added:
3rd place: Pineland Farm Creamery, “Salsa Jack”
Cheese Spreads, flavor added:
2nd place: Pineland Farms Creamery, “Spreadable Salsa Jack”
Holiday Tomme is Coming Up
***MAKE DATE: On or Around Labor Day Weekend***
Last year’s Holiday Tomme event was so successful, this year we’re asking all the Guild members to make a Tomme based on the SAME RECIPE, and then to bring them to the Maine Cheese Guild Christmas party (December 13th at Hahn’s End) to sample them, and the best of them made by licensed cheese makers will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Guild.
The differences will be found in the milks (we had cows, goats, sheep, and mixed milks last year), in the hand of the cheesemaker (cutting, stirring, and draining the curd), and in the aging environments (last year many cheeses were aged in large sealable plastic tubs).
The make date is coming up: Labor Day Weekend. On or around the weekend of September 4th, make a 4 lb. (give or take) Tomme using the recipe below using whatever milk you have available. Age them as you would normally age a cheese like this (or discover the joy of aging cheeses by experimenting with this cheese. On December 13th bring them to Phippsburg to sample, and then sell.
All cheese makers should use Peter Dixon’s “Tomme Style Cheese” recipe that is posted on-line here:
Next Meeting: Monroe Cheese Studio
| October 4, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
Our next meeting will take place in Monroe at the Monroe Cheese Studio on Monday, October 4th. Stay tuned to this article for more details and directions to be posted.
Meeting: Olde Oak Farm
| August 16, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
We had a very pleasant meeting with Scott, Arline, and everyone at Olde Oak Farm in Maxfield, north of Orono. Most interesting was a tour of Scott’s mobile cheese plant — a 12′ x 32′ structure complete with instant hot water, refrigeration, a twelve cheese press, and room for a walk-in cooler — which he moved from his previous location in Orono to this site. As he explained: “We were making cheese within fifteen minutes of the cheese plant being set down on the site.” Not only is the plant mobile, but almost everything in it is mobile, set on wheels. He has made every effort to reduce the lugging and lifting chores of the cheesemaker.
Meeting: Appleton Creamery
| June 21, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
Our next meeting will take place at Appleton Creamery in Appleton, which is mid-MidCoast, just west of Rockport.
Caitlin says: “In an effort to get more members to attend Guild meetings, I will fire the wood oven and make pizzas for lunch at our meeting here in June! Members should bring their favorite pizza topping…! Should be a fun time, and if it’s raining like it was last year, the oven will keep us warm…”
Ag Day At The Legislature 2010
Maine Dairy Princesses in front of the Guild Booth at Ag Day at the Legislature
It was a wet Wednesday as Maine’s food producer representatives set up displays in the hall of flags in the Maine State House to meet and feed the Legislators as they cycled in and out of meetings and sessions. I had plenty of cheese donations, and everyone who passed our table stopped and said, “oh, I LOVE cheese!” before diving into our samples. Barbara Skapa from Echo Ridge Creamery arrived midway through to bring more samples and give me some assistance.
Read the rest of this entry »
Maine State Reception in August
Posted by President in Events, Guild, Opportunities on June 30th, 2009
| August 4, 2009 |
In 2010 Maine will host the 50th Annual Meeting of the Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC). In preparation of this big event, the State of Maine is planning a “teaser” reception at this year’s meeting in Burlington, VT and would very much like to feature Maine cheese (along with other Maine foods) at that reception.
They are expecting around 300 people to attend this reception, which will be held August 4th. Given that number I “guess-timated” that 10 pounds of cheese (among all the other food) would suffice. The Maine State Legislature (who is coordinating the events) is looking for donations, but is willing to pay for cheese if that would ensure a good turnout. The cheese will need to be shipped to the Burlington Hilton, and they are definitely willing to reimburse for the shipping costs. Given that the reception is on a Tuesday, and the caterers have asked that all food arrive at least the day before the event, the cheese would realistically need to be shipped to arrive on Friday, July 31st.
Please post a comment if you can contribute to this event, or email me directly.
Of course they are also interested in having the Maine Cheese Guild participate in the 2010 event (to take place in Portland) as well; I’ll have more info on that event as it approaches.
–Eric Rector
Culture Questions
Would you be interested in attending a workshop focusing on a review of the cultures and molds available to cheesemakers (what they are made of, and what specific characteristics they give in different cheese recipes), plus information about using them as ‘adjunct cultures’ to provide additional qualities and flavors through aging? This would mostly be lecture and reading, although there would probably be companion tastings of cheeses that best illustrate the effects of specific cultures and molds.
We have the opportunity to hire a culture expert to come to Maine for a one or two day workshop, but we want to know if there is enough interest to justify the cost. Please post a comment of whether this interests you or doesn’t interest you.
Sanitation Products Training?
From Beth Calder:
“I am in contact with our Ecolab rep. His name is Mike Travers. He is really hard to get a hold of, but he is interested in helping the Cheese Guild with further trainings in the future if members are interested. I would recommend that this be held at a site off-campus since it is a conflict of interest for UMaine to endorse a certain company, but he could help people further with questions regarding detergents versus sanitizers, and whether he has products that are approved for organic use. We could discuss this at the next meeting and see if anyone is interested. ”
Would anyone be interested in further sanitation training like this?
