That’s a healthy sign, says Kehler, because ammonia is a natural byproduct of the ripening process. Their color is dusky mottled light brown, and the aroma in the vault is not cheesy but an unexpected and almost overpoweringly odor of ammonia. We are standing amidst towering racks of special Cabot clothbound cheddar, thousands of wheels stacked on fir planks rising to the ceiling. But not to Mateo Kehler, who already sees a sunny future in the 22,000-square-foot cheese ripening cellars that he and his brother finished building three years ago at Jasper Hill high above Caspian Lake. It’s an odd place to carry out a bright vision, in a 30-foot high domed concrete vault buried under as much as 12 feet of rock and dirt. In the 15 years since, they have also spent a small fortune expanding their operation and reinventing the whole cheese-making process. So in 1998, the two linked their fortunes to making cheese from Ayrshire cows. They eventually looked to the dairy farms that dotted this northern landscape as a way to make a living and hew close to their roots on the 200-acre farm near where they spent summer childhood vacations. He’s Mateo Kehler, one half of the dynamic duo (the other is his brother Andy) who founded Jasper Hill Farms in Greensboro after a career search that meandered from beer making to tofu. (Photo by Andrew Nemethy)He’s also a not-so-mad scientist in charge of a remarkable experiment, not to mention probably Vermont’s most unusual workplace. Jasper Hill is a tireless advocate for artisan cheesemakers everywhere in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and works closely with lawmakers and regulators to ensure that reasonable regulations supported by sound science are enacted for our industry.Wheels of clothbound Cabot cheddar are stacked nearly to the ceiling of a massive concrete aging cellar at Jasper Hill Farms, where science and the cheesemaker’s art are being innovatively combined to create award-winning cheeses. Jasper Hill employs 73 people, up from 45 in 2014 and is pleased to be considered a leader in the Vermont artisan cheese industry, which has grown from a $5 million industry in 2005, to a $50 million industry in 2015. Jasper Hill was recently named one of Vermont’s Best Places to Work by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Jasper Hill’s mission is to be a Standard Bearer of Quality and Innovation in the Artisan Cheese Industry and an active participant in the conservation of Vermont’s Working Landscape through the production of high quality products that reflect our regional Taste of Place. The Cellars at Jasper Hill, an on-site, underground aging facility, maximizes the potential of cheeses made by the creamery, as well as those made by other local producers. Jasper Hill is a working dairy farm with an on-site creamery in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. At peak ripeness, this cheese is spoonably soft and tastes of bacon, sweet cream, and spruce.Īll of Jasper Hill’s award winning cheeses can be purchased where fine cheeses are sold, at Jasper Hill’s retail counter within the newly constructed Boston Public Market, or from Jasper Hill Farm’s online store.įor more information about our cheese collection: /cheeseįor a release archive and awards summary: /press-release During aging, the cheese is washed in a cultured salt brine to help even rind development. Young cheeses are wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, the tree’s flexible inner bark layer, harvested from Jasper Hill Farm’s woodlands. In keeping with this tradition, this decadent cheese is made only during winter months when Jasper Hill’s herd of Ayrshire cows are enjoying a rich ration of dry hay. Winnimere is a take on Jura Mountain classics like Vacherin Mont d’Or or Fösterkäse. The cheese’s historic namesake, Moses Sleeper, and his compatriot Constant Bliss, were Revolutionary War scouts killed while defending a blockhouse along the Northeast Kingdom’s legendary Bayley Hazen Military Road. Beneath its thin, bloomy rind lies a gooey, milky core showing a complex array of flavors at peak ripeness: cauliflower, crème fraîche, and toasted nuts. Moses Sleeper is an approachable and nuanced brie-style cheese. ‘Oma’, made by von Trapp Farmstead and aged at the Cellars at Jasper Hill, also placed 5th in its category. In addition, two of Jasper Hill’s other cheeses, ‘Harbison’ and ‘Bayley Hazen Blue’, placed in the top five in their categories, with scores of 98 or higher. This year’s contest included 2,959 entries from 23 countries and 31 states. Jasper Hill Farm announced today that two of their cheeses, ‘Moses Sleeper’ and ‘Winnimere’ were awarded Best in Class awards, with Winnimere ultimately placing in the top 16, at the World Cheese Championships, held this week in Madison, WI.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |