Shropshires Perform Double Duty (Continued from Page A2O) cow’s milk,” he said. “Lambs gain a pound per day, so that milk’s got a lot of nutritional value.” The dairy has a permit and is inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). The cheese is produced in a garden-shed-turned “cheese house,” according to Cook. “We’ve been making cheese on the farm for six years,” said Cook, a full-time technologist in the semiconductor industry. The milk is chilled overnight before it is pasteurized in a two gallon pasteurizer. Culture (a bacteria) is added and the mix ture is left to sit while the acidity increases. “We propagate our own culture from cultures she (Menhennett) brought back from Greece,” he said. “All cheese is made from the bacterial fermentation of milk it’s what happens to the constitu ents of the milk during fermenta tion that determines its taste... also the aging and treatment of the product. Every little thing you do has an effect on the taste.” Cook holds a tray of Greek-style handform cheese. Newly-cut curds are draining in molds on the tray in front. Curds are spooned into a box to drain. More than 100 purebred registered Shropshire sheep produce market lambs for tiie farm. Next Cook adds rennet, which coagulates the mix into curds. Lee drains the curds and lets them sit for 24 hours. Cook makes three types of cheese: a drain curd cheese, a press cheese, and a Greek-style handform cheese. These cheese they make are “typical of farm cheese made in Eastern Europe,” he said. “We make about a half-dozen differ ent varieties in different quanti ties.” These varieties include cheese curds with herbs, a kind of spreadable cheese, smoked cheese, feta-style cheese, and a small amount of blue-veined cheese. The cheeses are aged for three months to a year, depending on the cheese.. Sheep, Wool Festival Menhennett has been selling cheese since the early ’9os; how ever she has been attending the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festi val since the late 19705. Menhennet recommends the festival if anyone “likes to eat lamb, likes nice wool sweaters, rugs, hand-woven items, likes to look at different kind of sheep, likes to watch border collies work Above and at right, Menhennett milks two groups, usually around 12 total, of sheep twice a day. if they have any curiosity about sheep, that’s where to go,” she said. She originally began going to the event to exhibit her Clun For est sheep, but the last few years selling the farm’s cheese has re placed taking any sheep to the festival. “It’s an easy market. We sell everything in two days,” she said. “When we first started selling it, people would come by the booth and say, “Oh, sheep’s milk 0% APR Financin on ili Grand 130 Series Compact Tractor Brains and Brawn from 24 to 44 PTO HP M Series TVactor EX Sub-compact Tractor 43 to 98 PTO Hp versatile, dependable, easy to use 15 to 22 HP liquid cooled diesel engine THE REAL DEAL - RIGHT NOW Now is the time to get the Kubota tractor you’ve always wanted. With 0% APR financing on all new Kubota tractors through June 30, 2003, you can nde away with a real deal. Contact par local Malar lor a nawnamUoa.FOr man Mamatiin or lolicaro war naanol Malar, nIIMN-44aMa, EXT N( « wrtt* to MOota Item Corporation, Mil Dal Amo IM., Dept Ml, Toman, U MM. Haanclni anllaklo on annuo! craOH ttfoafk KaMa CroOH Canontlaa wvrar.kubotakce.com * Offer ends June 30,2003 At participating dealers Minimum 10% down payment Some exceptions apply T Senes tractors 0% up to 24 months yuck.’ Now they line up.” “We’ve got people pestering us as we set up,” he said. “There are loyal folks that keep coming back. We sell everything we can produce. “Last year we sold the entire year’s production inside of six hours,” said Cook. Menhennett gains new fans from the samples of cheese that they give out during the festival. Kubota. EVERYTHING YOU VALUE Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 3, 2003-A2l Seventy pounds of dry ice keep the cheese cool during the event. “The health department comes around checking for temperature and our hand-washing facilities,” she said. For this year’s festival, “we made all the cheese we could,” (Turn to Page A 34)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers