Up on Cripple Sprout Creek Farm

The Jersey and Guernsey cows have done me well at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, New York. They seem to do just about everything there from their wonderful creamery to their camp for children on local and sustainable farming. These grass-fed cows produce really tasty and very different cheeses.

Waking up early on a Sunday morning (something I almost never do) I was proudly the first at the door of the White Plains County Center indoor farmer’s market. I shoot right over to the Sprout Creek table where the woman is feeling chatty and extremely generous with her slices of cheese. Ignoring the Colgate fresh mint toothpaste that is still lingering in my mouth I try one of each of the seven cheeses she has…..and then repeat a few. I end up buying Barat which is a raw, hard cow’s milk cheese that is full of nut flavors. The white, cratered and flakey rind is aged and protects the cheese so that it can last for awhile. On the drier side, Barat would be good to shave over pasta or even better, polenta.

The second cheese was Batch 35. It was named due to the 35 tries it took for the cheese to get where the Cheese Makers thought it was closest to perfection. Aged for 60 days, this cow’s milk coppery colored cheese has an earthy and pungent taste. Balanced and still complex, the smoothness and softness makes it easy to eat this cheese anywhere and at anytime.
Raw cheeses seem to be the way to go. Buying locally, it is much easier to get cheeses that have not had added hormones or preservatives. No matter how inexperienced ones palate is, the freshness and authenticity of the cheese is obvious in unpasteurized cheeses. During the summer, Sprout Creek Farm gives classes on making cheese. I think it would be a really important learning experience for me and one that I am excited to partake in.

The next farmer’s market is March 15th. You can also visit the creamery market Wednesday thru Sunday.

http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/