Idyll Pastures Spreadable
- Producer
- Idyll Farms
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Michigan
- Weight
- 5 oz
- Website
- www.idyllfarms.com
- Milk
- Goat
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Soft
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Rindless
- Style
- Fresh
In 2010, Mark and Amy Spitznagel purchased a 100-year-old cherry orchard in Northport, northern Michigan and turned it into a goat farm. Mark, a successful hedge fund manager, saw the farm as an opportunity to spend time with his family in the area where he grew up. He also saw it as a way to pursue a holistic approach to sustainable agriculture compatible with his ideals, combining time-honored French tradition with modern techniques and technology.
By 2015 Idyll Farms was growing to become one of the largest pasture-based goat farms in the country. In addition to managing the intensive rotational grazing of their Certified Humane Alpine goats, the Spitznagels are also interested in urban farming projects; in the past, they’ve experimented with bringing Alpine goats to Brightmoor, a blighted section of Detroit, to graze on the city’s overgrowth.
All of Idyll farm’s goat cheeses are made on premises at the farm. This super-fresh chèvre, Spreadable Idyll Pastures, transforms from milk to packaged cheese within three days. After milking and gentle pasteurization, culture and animal rennet are added and, after coagulation, the curds are hand-ladled into a cheesecloth to drain. Once it reaches the desired fluffy, spreadable consistency, it’s hand-packaged into a five-ounce container and sealed to maintain freshness.
Tasting Notes
This soft cheese has a clean lemon start with a rich, creamy mouthfeel and a hint of vanilla bean.
Pairings
A versatile cheese, Spreadable Idyll Pastures is great in sweet or savory preparations. It makes a decadent cheesecake when mixed with cream cheese, or a creamy counterpoint to zingy roasted tomatoes and pesto.
