Four well-known cheese producers from Australia’s Scenic Rim—Towri Sheep Cheeses, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, Summer Land Camels (whose marinated Persian feta was on our Summer 2020 cover), and Naughty Little Kids—have co-created Ewe+3, Australia’s (and quite possibly the world’s) first sheep, camel, goat, and Jersey cow’s milk cheese. The collaboration was sparked by devastating floods that impacted farms in the region earlier this year. According to the Australasian Farmers’ and Dealer’s Journal, Ewe+3 is “a cooked natural rind cheese, with earthy, buttery and pear undertones and a touch of sharpness from the sheep’s milk.” Read more here.
- Yoav Perry of Philadelphia’s Perrystead Dairy is making headlines once again with an innovative, sustainable cheese shipping material—lambswool. Perry got the idea from a visit to Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, and after experimenting with it this summer, he’s going to start shipping his cheeses exclusively with wool insulation this fall. Read more here.
- These days people are putting cheese in just about everything, including cocktails! From the gimmicky Velveeta martini to more elevated aperitifs, like those crafted at Le Syndicat in Paris, cheese is popping up in cocktails all over the world. The Takeout examines the trend and tells us which can stay and which can go. Maybe soon we’ll be saying “drink more cheese”.
- Archeologists in Egypt recently discovered 2600-year-old white cheese in a tomb. Now that’s some aged cheese!
- Butter boards are now a thing apparently, but they will not replace charcuterie and cheese boards, according to Marissa Mullen of @thatcheeseplate. The butter board trend originated with Joshua McFadden’s 2017 cookbook, Six Seasons and has reached the masses via @justine_snacks on TikTok (who unabashedly wants to make the butter board the next charcuterie board).
- If you’re eager to get a start on holiday shopping, Food & Wine has a round up of grazing boards in all shapes, sizes, and materials.
- A woman from Albuquerque was fined $1,000 for attempting to smuggle 50 1-kilo wheels of Mexican cheese across the border in El Paso. The cheese was seized and destroyed.
- Applications are being accepted through Nov. 10 for a new round of Dairy Business Builder grants open to small to medium-sized dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors in 11 midwestern states.
- Miyoko’s Creamery has taken its plant-based game on the road with a Foodie Truck Tour making stops in the Bay Area, Southern California, Arizona, and Austin, Tex.
- New Zealand company, WheyTech Bionics NZ, is developing a whey-based sweetener that could be a “game changer” for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Events and Classes
- You’re invited to join us for Counter Culture Live at the Barnyard Collective at Larkin in Long Island City, NY on Oct. 10. The interactive day of education, tasting and networking will wrap up with the Ultimate Ham and Cheese Bite Competition— your chance to win a handblown glass culture cheese plate and a special prize from Bayonne Ham. Sign up here.
- Want to expand your cheese credentials? Zoe Brickley of Jasper Hill Farm and Liz Thorpe of the People’s Cheese are teaching “The History, Culture, and Science of Cheese: A Tasting Journey,” as part of Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. The remote course is Sept. 26 to Oct. 11 and includes reading and video assignments, live lectures, and guided cheese tastings. Learn more here.
- The SF Cheese Fest, hosted by the California Artisan Cheese Guild (CACG) is back after a two-year hiatus. Taking place on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Riggers Loft in Point Richmond, just across San Francisco Bay, the festival brings together local cheesemakers and food producers offering samplings of their products, along with beer, wine, cider and live music. Culture is proud to be among the sponsors of this event, which supports CACG’s mission “to celebrate the quality and diversity of artisan cheeses produced in California through partnerships, outreach, and education.” Buy tickets here.
- Anyone in the cheese trade is invited to the World Cheese Market at the World cheese Awards in Wales on Nov. 2. The market will include 30 vendors, Welsh food/drink sampling, and more.
Josie Krogh
Josie Krogh is culture's Digital Strategy Lead. She earned her master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from The University of Georgia. Josie developed a love of food while working at farmstands in the D.C. area as a young adult, and discovered her love of cheese while living and working on a dairy farm on Martha's Vineyard. Josie currently lives in Catskill, NY.
