Mary's Dairy Diary January 2013
January 3, 2013 - 11:11am | by Mary Quicke
The days slowly lengthen, the sun creeps a little higher at noon and wider at dawn and dusk. The dark mornings have me slow to wake, the dark evenings tricksy - is it six or midnight? I drove my car one dark evening along a lane, came to water over the road. In the dark I didn't see how far the water was from the stream, and drove on. The water was over the headlights and I could see a flooded car and tractor beside the road - can't stop or the car will take in water. I made it to the humpback bridge, which is covered in water, can't turn round, maybe I'll make it across the next low bit of road. I set off, lights go under water, the car sighs to a halt. There is silence, then I hear the gurgling of water coming in through the doors. The windows don't work. Will I be able to get out? I open the door, water pours in almost to the top on the seat. I scramble into the boot to put my wellies on, get everything I can think of onto the roof, and climb onto it myself.
Distant Cheeses, Local Farmers: Spanish Sheep's Milk Cheeses in America
January 2, 2013 - 5:11pm | by mollyIn this blog series our intrepid intern Molly will find and interview American cheesemakers attempting to re-create traditional European cheeses. Learn about the difficulties as well as the benefits of this type of cheese making, as well as how terroir and the idea of a cheese tied to a location so distant changes when that cheese is made in a new location. Also, each week you’ll have a chance to win an issue of culture: the word on cheese. Last week's winner was Amber A.!
Follow Up from The Science of Artisan Cheese Conference
January 2, 2013 - 11:24am | by kate
Some of you may have caught my blog entry about attending the Science of Artisan Cheese Conference in the UK in September last year. If you did, this is to follow up and let you know that co-sponsors Neal’s Yard Dairy and the Specialist Cheesemakers Association have now uploaded videos of the conference presentations given by several of the eminent dairy scientists and cheesemakers who were able to attend.
Distant Cheeses, Local Farmers: French Alpine Cheeses and Robinson Farm
December 28, 2012 - 5:39pm | by mollyIn this blog series our intrepid intern Molly will find and interview American cheesemakers attempting to re-create traditional European cheeses. Learn about the difficulties as well as the benefits of this type of cheese making, as well as how terroir and the idea of a cheese tied to a location so distant changes when that cheese is made in a new location. Also, each week you’ll have a chance to win an issue of culture: the word on cheese. The winner of last week's prize was Michele!
5 Quirky, Sometimes Happy, and Certainly Surprising Things (to me) About 2012
December 28, 2012 - 12:47pm | by stephanie
As is required by a civilized society bent on projecting introspection (aka Will made me write this)...I've rounded up 5 things I found curious and captivating about 2012. I could run down a list of bad crap, but we've had enough of that for now, yes? So, here they are, in order of how they dawned on me:
In a world gone mad...
1. I'm surprised by how few surprising things there were. This probably either means I'm clueless, inured, or too quirky myself to see quirky for quirky. But if you take a look at Epicurious' prognostications on 2012 (delivered at the end of 2011) you'll see homemade dairy and cheesemakers sitting proud on their list of things to watch for this year. So I guess the fact that 'new trends' scooched a little closer to my reality in 2012 tamps down the 'surprising' factor.
Visit to the Poncelet Caves and Store in Madrid
December 27, 2012 - 2:42pm | by kate
In November, Elaine and I had a long-awaited chance to visit with Jesus Pombo Lanza and his wife Yolanda at Poncelet (pronounced Ponthelet) in Madrid. The couple own and operate three very closely inter-connected cheese businesses under the Poncelet name. The original store which opened in 2005, is located at Calle Argensola and sells a carefully chosen selection of cheeses from across Spain together with a healthy representation of some of the best from France, Italy and Portugal. In addition, some years after the store opening, the couple decided to develop their own maturation caves and these are located away from the center of the city in a state of the art facility. There, there are several separate maturing rooms, each with a separate environment particularly suited to the type of cheeses it contains.
Culture Magazine: Some Favorite Images from 2012
December 26, 2012 - 7:51pm | by kate
For me, one of the best parts of working at Culture is when, as a group, we review images that come in from the various photo shoot assignments. We collectively go through them and decide which ones will work best with the editorial and layouts.
As you can imagine, the decision making process is often challenging as there is only so much "print real estate" available and inevitably there's never enough room to include all the ones we want.
Given a singular common denominator of cheese, there's an amazing spectrum of subject matter contained within the many hundreds of pages printed over the last year. In no particular order, here are some of my personal favorites from 2012.
Beer & Cheese Pairings for Your Holiday Table
December 21, 2012 - 5:09pm | by AmyCross-posted from my blog Paul and Amy on Beer
Last week my partner in crime, Paul, and I had a tree trimming party. To keep our party-goers sated, we wanted to offer up not just a selection of beers, but also a cheese plate that would complement our beverages. We experimented a bit and now we're happy to share the results of our incredibly hard work. These are our four favorite beer and cheese pairings; feel free to use them at your own holiday table this year:
Holidale 2012
by Berkshire Brewing Co.
Barleywine Style Ale - 9.5% ABV - South Deerfield, MA
Distant Cheeses, Local Farmers: A Story of Cheese
December 21, 2012 - 12:41pm | by molly
In this blog series our intrepid intern Molly will find and interview American cheesemakers attempting to re-create traditional European cheeses. Learn about the difficulties as well as the benefits of this type of cheese making, as well as how terroir and the idea of a cheese tied to a location so distant changes when that cheese is made in a new location. Also, each week you’ll have a chance to win an issue of culture: the word on cheese. Read on to learn more!
Cheese and mistletoe?
December 21, 2012 - 10:08am | by Lassa
There hasn't been a Christmas yet when I haven't eaten far more than my fair share of cheese. Even when working the cheese counter right up to the moment and sleeping far too late on Christmas Day, then getting back behind the counter the day after...I am still eager for cheese itself on December 25th. Why? Because I love it. It's my favorite food. And working day in & day out with it doesn't make that go away. Strange, but true.
And I am asked repeatedly what that 'must have' cheese is, the cheese that I can't resist eating even when my partner has wandered under the mistletoe and is waiting, patiently but very clearly, for a passionate kiss. What is it that I'll still need to pop in my mouth regardless of breath and residue? Well...
It's got to be oozy and semi-fluid. Must be full-flavored and not overly buttery. Nothing but sheer cheesy goodness with a hint of yeast, nuts, meat. Something that is bulging out of its rind and literally showing off its glorious innards.
