Rennet Workshop Planned

Posted on November 2, 2009April 22, 2010 by President

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. This will include a report written by Oregon cheesemaker David Peterson 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 $125 for the general public, $100 for Maine Cheese Guild members (lunch included). For more information email info@mainecheeseguild.com/MCG-build. 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

Cheese Culture Workshop

Posted on November 2, 2009February 2, 2010 by President

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 on November 2, 2009January 13, 2010 by President

holidaytomme_stack 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.