A32-l_ancaster Farming, Saturday, November 29, 2003 Sheep Milk Cheese Anyone? The Shepherd Becomes The Dairyman Here, OLDWICK, N.J. Eran Waj swol might be running a niche enterprise, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy keeping up with de mand. “Anybody who tastes it is my customer,” Wajswol said of his specialty “cave-ripened” cheese made from sheep’s milk. Wajswol manages a flock of 60 East Friesian milking ewes on his 20-acre farm here in northern New Jersey. The milk is used to produce about 4,000 pounds worth of hard, ripened cheese Wajswol built this portable milking parlor for his East Friesian ewes. LaiKaster Farming's Classified Ads Get Results! 'fU^CAROI^A * HARDSkWOODS 2240 Shermans Valley Road, P.O. BOX 64 ELLIOTTSBURG, PA 17024 717/582-4122 Fax: 717/582-7438 email: sales@tuscarorahardwoods.com Manufacturers of Northern Appalachian Hardwoods “WANTED” Timber orTimberland We pay cash before cutting Manufacturer of Quality Kiln-Dried Lumber Woodland Management Buyer of Standing Timbers FREE Appraisal with NO Obligations, NO Brokerage Fee, NO Hidden Cost “MULCH FOR SALE” Two basic grades to choose from. wheels per year, plus some soft brie-style cheeses. Wajswol, who has been milk ing sheep for about seven years, calls the 60-ewe setup a testing ground for a much larger opera tion he hopes to have up and run ning by next year. That facility, situated on a 120-acre farm, will feature a 36-unit carousel milk ing parlor and capacity to even tually milk about 700 ewes. The art of cheesemaking takes a lot of time to learn, according to Wajswol. That’s why he 3 colors to choose from Red, Black, Brown started out with a modestly sized operation. “The small facility was built to make mistakes on a small scale,” he said. “It takes 10 years to make a good cheesemaker... 20 years to make a world-class cheesemaker.” Wajswol’s goal is to be num bered among the world’s “inter national-quality” cheese makers. To learn his craft, he has made a number of trips to Europe’s great cheesemaking countries, where sheep dairying is more common place, including France, Italy, For The Tractor Collector On Your Shopping List - other Christmas items available \ \ PRECISION COLLECTION 1/16 Scale 50th Anniversary 1953 NAA Ford Golden Jubilee In 1952 the division of Ford and Ferguson was complete. Ford had already begun production of the new Ford models. Many changes were introduced, starting with the new hydraulic system and ending with the new "Red Tiger" engine. January of 1953 saw the onset of the production of the new model Ford NAA Jubilee, the beginning of the new Ford tractor. Treasured by opera tors,in 1953 and by collectors today, the Golden Jubilee has taken its place in Ford history as a true classic. 1b commemorate the SOlh Anniversary of the introduction of the 1953 Ford Golden Jubilee tractor, Erll is proud to unveil this special 1:16 Scale Precision Collector edition, complete with a Precisian blade and Precision Collector medallion. LANCASTER TRACTOR & EQUIP. 1655 Ftohrerstown Rd. Lancaster, PA 17601 Phone -717-569-7063 Your Tractor Specialists For Service That Does Not Stop At A Sales Promise Wajswol’s cheese press is based on a type of press that has been used in Europe for centuries. and Spain. “There really is no sheep milk ing heritage in this country to learn from,” he said. In his most recent trip this past July, Wajswol spent about a month living among the Basque people of southern Spain, study ing their sheep milk cheese-mak ing methods. Wajswol, a former mechanical engineer and builder, constructed a 16-foot deep “cave” on his farm to recreate the ideal conditions for ripening his cheeses. In Europe, cheese-ripening caves are traditionally situated on hillsides. But without an ade quate hill on his farm, Wajswol dug the cave essentially straight down into the ground. Roughly the size of a kitchen, the cave is walled with concrete and equipped with iron spiral stairs. A small building above, ground leVel' ! . shelters the en tranceway to tH<! cave. With the aip of a heater and air conditioner for the coldest and hottestjhqpths, respectively, and by (piping standing water on the floor, temperatures and humidity can be maintained at optimum conditions (about 55 degrees Farenheit and 90 percent relative humidity) for the molds that help impart the unique flavor for each style of cheese. Most of Wajswol’s hard cheeses are ripened for 60 days. He is also experimenting with aging some for as long as two years. But it’s hard to set cheese aside for the longer aging process when customers are constantly asking for it. “They told me they will buy everything in my cave,” he said. “I say ‘no’ more than I say ‘yes.’” Wajswol wholesales about 70 percent of his products, labeled Farmersville Cheeses. Much of his cheese goes to New York, Philadelphia, and urban centers in New Jersey, and some as far away as San Francis co, Calif. He retails at farmers’ markets as well. The cheeses sell for $l5 to $2O a pound. Prior to going to the cave for aging, the cheese wheels are formed-by a process for which there is no set recipe,'Wajswol said. Cheese cultures and rennet (which allows curd separatioii) (Turn to Pago £33) t \ Collector Bells NEW HOLLAND
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