Part of what sets Houston Dairymaids apart is our focus on the relationship between cheesemaker and you, the consumer. As such, we love to go visit our dairies and farms and get to experience the process of cheesemaking from milk to finished product so that we can then bring that story back to the shop.
Last week, Shannon and I went out to Granbury, TX to meet with Dave and Matt Eagle of
Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese. To say this trip was amazing would be the understatement of the year. Dave, Matt, and their fellow cheesemaker Corey invited us into their cheesemaking facility first and allowed us to help them with the flipping and pressing of the cheeses. Eagle Mountain makes cheeses on Monday and Thursdays, so Friday was a pressing day. While the cheese is being pressed, each wheel must be flipped regularly to ensure an even distribution of butterfat and an even expulsion of whey.
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Shannon hard at work flipping some Granbury Gold |
After we spent time learning about the process of cheesemaking, it was time to go visit the cows! Eagle Mountain gets their milk from Sandy Creek Farm in Bridgeport, TX. This Grade A dairy uses only Brown Swiss cows to produce their high-quality raw milk. Shannon and I made fast friends.
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Mike Moyers, in the background, is the Dairyman! |
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Dave Eagle is gettin' some love! |
Mike Moyers, the owner of Sandy Creek Farm, took us around the land and through the milking room. Shannon and I even got to milk a cow! Needless to say, this was an experience of a lifetime and one that I will remember fondly throughout all my mongering days!
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This cow is ready for milking! |