Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

OPEN CREAMERY DAY

September 28, 2010

Meet your local cheese makers

The Kennebec Cheesery in Sidney

BY MECHELE COOPER Staff Writer

Jean Koons will be handing out samples of her semi-soft and hard cheeses made of organic milk from a neighbor's grass-fed Jerseys on Open Creamery Day.

This is the fourth year Koons and her husband, Peter -- who own and operate The Kennebec Cheesery in Sidney -- will participate in the annual agricultural day set aside to promote Maine cheeses. Artisan cheese makers will open their farms and kitchens to visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 10.

"We'll give out samples and people will get to see the farm and animals, there's sheep and goats -- we have little ones running around -- and a guard llama. Coyotes got a lot of our sheep a few yeas ago so we got her and haven't had any problems since."

Koons said it is important that people know where their food comes from and how it is produced. Open Creamery Day is a great way to teach people, she said.

"I'm amazed how many people haven't been on a farm and don't understand that you have to breed animals for the milk to get the cheese," she said. "I just hope it's a nice day so people can have some fun touring the farm. They can have a picnic if they want."

Eric Rector, Maine Cheese Guild President, said over 1,000 people visited cheese making operations in Maine last year on Open Creamery Day. He said there are 39 licensed cheese makers in Maine.

"That doesn't compare to Vermont, which has 150 or more, or Wisconsin," Rector said. "We still can't compare with big states, but we have been winning a lot of national and international awards. It's not only a growing agricultural area in Maine, but our cheese is of the same quality or even better than you could fine anywhere else."

He said the guild organizes workshops for cheese makers and highlights other workshops; for example, those hosed by the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont.

"They are constantly having classes and even have a degree program," he said. "We actually bring some of their instructors here to Maine. When we have our meetings we're always talking about the last workshop we went to or the new ones we heard of. There's a lot of education going on among guild members."

Beth Whitman said she looks forward to sharing the art of cheese making with visitors who show up on her doorstep.

Whitman said people have a lot of fun when they come to her farm on the Townhouse Road in Whitefield.

"These types of events are a good way to see what's going on in Maine," Whitman said. "You get to go places you wouldn't otherwise go and meet new people and taste new things. It's sort of an adventure and it's an organized event."

Whitman said she supports local dairies. She buys her milk from Two Loons Farm in China and the Bubier Farm in Greene.

She specializes in Middle Eastern style cheese and yogurt including: Ewegurt, sheep milk yogurt; the original Greek style yogurt; feta made out of goat milk; Halloumi (Cypriot frying cheese from cow milk); Morgandie, a mild aged cheese from cow milk; Chevre -- plain, herb, garlic, zanzibar; and cultured butter.

"My father was with the United Church of Christ mission and I grew up in Turkey and Lebanon," she said. "That's how I sort of started in that direction and those are the flavors I centered around. I'm actually focusing more on aged cheese now. Everything always evolves."

For more information about Open Creamery Day, contact Rector at erector@tilth.com or 323-2664. The event is sponsored by the Five Island Farm in Georgetown.

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com

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