| Tiny Town Goats |
Andover Meadow Farm presents . . .
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| Cheese |
So when you own a herd of dairy goats, and you reach that time of year when the babies are weaned, and
the does are still milking and showing, what exactly do you do with all that milk? Silly question , you make
cheese! We have been working on our products for years, and many of the recipes are a work in progress,
but some we have just right! In our household, Tiny Town Basil Chevre' is by far the favorite. We serve it
multiple ways, but believe it or not, on toasted bagels for breakfast is the number one request. Our recipe is a
nice smooth soft cheese about the consistency of cream cheese. Quite by accident, in an effort to use up all
the cheese in the fridge, we discovered that plain chevre is AWESOME in Quesadillas. It makes for a
creamy/cheesy center that does not over ride the subtle flavors of the cilantro, shrimp, and chicken....just
scrumptious!
the does are still milking and showing, what exactly do you do with all that milk? Silly question , you make
cheese! We have been working on our products for years, and many of the recipes are a work in progress,
but some we have just right! In our household, Tiny Town Basil Chevre' is by far the favorite. We serve it
multiple ways, but believe it or not, on toasted bagels for breakfast is the number one request. Our recipe is a
nice smooth soft cheese about the consistency of cream cheese. Quite by accident, in an effort to use up all
the cheese in the fridge, we discovered that plain chevre is AWESOME in Quesadillas. It makes for a
creamy/cheesy center that does not over ride the subtle flavors of the cilantro, shrimp, and chicken....just
scrumptious!
Pictured here is one of our wheels of aged cheddar, Tiny Town Meadow. We believe that aging no
less then one year is what is needed to to bring out the full flavor and bloom of the cheese. 12-16
months produces a medium sharp cheese, and it differs from store bought sampled. The wheels
average about 2.5lbs each, which is derived from 2 gallons of raw goats milk. Raw is used in all the
aged cheese processes. This cheese is a stand alone winner with wine and crackers - but we also
serve if shredded in recipes, and melted sliced and melted on burgers. The particular wheel pictured
here, has just a hint of cheese coloring giving it a slight hint of yellow. For the most part however,
we process our cheese 'o natural' which, in the goat world is white. Goats milk cheese is naturally
pure white. In earlier times, coloring was added to inferior cheeses to make them all look the same!
I like color variety - but there is something special about cutting into a wheel of perfectly aged, bright
white goat cheddar! Another cheddar recipe favorite in our house is Tiny Town Jalapeno. My son
and husband go ape when I cut one of these wheels open. It is snappywith a slight bite of pepper.
Excellent on crackers or served in Tex - Mex dishes. The bright red color you see is wax. Each
wheel of cheese is dipped and sealed in cheese way after the pressing and drying process to seal in
the flavor during aging, and seal out the air which is the fuel for bacteria. The cheddar takes about a
day to make, two days to dry, day 4 is waxing and labeling then off to the cooler to hibernate! The
cheese is turned daily for about 6 months to encourage even aging, and then allowed to finish over
the next six months. SOOOO worth the wait!
less then one year is what is needed to to bring out the full flavor and bloom of the cheese. 12-16
months produces a medium sharp cheese, and it differs from store bought sampled. The wheels
average about 2.5lbs each, which is derived from 2 gallons of raw goats milk. Raw is used in all the
aged cheese processes. This cheese is a stand alone winner with wine and crackers - but we also
serve if shredded in recipes, and melted sliced and melted on burgers. The particular wheel pictured
here, has just a hint of cheese coloring giving it a slight hint of yellow. For the most part however,
we process our cheese 'o natural' which, in the goat world is white. Goats milk cheese is naturally
pure white. In earlier times, coloring was added to inferior cheeses to make them all look the same!
I like color variety - but there is something special about cutting into a wheel of perfectly aged, bright
white goat cheddar! Another cheddar recipe favorite in our house is Tiny Town Jalapeno. My son
and husband go ape when I cut one of these wheels open. It is snappywith a slight bite of pepper.
Excellent on crackers or served in Tex - Mex dishes. The bright red color you see is wax. Each
wheel of cheese is dipped and sealed in cheese way after the pressing and drying process to seal in
the flavor during aging, and seal out the air which is the fuel for bacteria. The cheddar takes about a
day to make, two days to dry, day 4 is waxing and labeling then off to the cooler to hibernate! The
cheese is turned daily for about 6 months to encourage even aging, and then allowed to finish over
the next six months. SOOOO worth the wait!
Pictured here is a tray of our Tiny Town Feta draining during the part of the creation process. We make our
Feta with pasteurized goats milk as it is a semi soft cheese that does not get above 95 degrees during the
cooking of the curds. After the initial draining of the whey, it is brined, drained again, set out to dry a bit,
and salted. We eat a ton of salad in our household, and hunks of this crumbled cheese is om top! I have
caught my daughter in the fridge eating it right out of the container - as this is a Feta strong enough to
stand up to the salad dressing, yet mellow enough to eat stand alone. Our feta is softer and slightly moister
then the typical greek feta you buy in the store - and of course, bright white!
Feta with pasteurized goats milk as it is a semi soft cheese that does not get above 95 degrees during the
cooking of the curds. After the initial draining of the whey, it is brined, drained again, set out to dry a bit,
and salted. We eat a ton of salad in our household, and hunks of this crumbled cheese is om top! I have
caught my daughter in the fridge eating it right out of the container - as this is a Feta strong enough to
stand up to the salad dressing, yet mellow enough to eat stand alone. Our feta is softer and slightly moister
then the typical greek feta you buy in the store - and of course, bright white!
Tiny Town Bloom is a chevre that is slowly air dried during the salting process. Credit for this cheese must go
to our friend Anita and Tiny Town Goat owner Kathleen for sharing this foreign concept to me. The yield is a
quick cheese, sliceable, yet ready for the table in just a few weeks vs months for the cheddars. It has a much
more for those who like a mild flavored cheese.
Other farm favorites are our fresh mozerella, our fresh ricotta, and chevre logs rolled in fresh herbs. Running with a recipe from my
friend Pat in West Virginia, we also created with success an apricot chevre spread, which gave us a fruity, light spread for a different
cheese experience. We are continuing are learning process, and taking classes to learn the secrets of some of the other cheeses we
hope to produce in the future including blue vein cheese, and provalone.
Nutrition and Goat Cheese
Compared to cow’s milk products such as cream cheese, goat cheese is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol. It also provides more
calcium and fewer carbohydrates than cream cheese. Even though goat cheese has fewer calories, it has a full, rich and creamy
flavor.
friend Pat in West Virginia, we also created with success an apricot chevre spread, which gave us a fruity, light spread for a different
cheese experience. We are continuing are learning process, and taking classes to learn the secrets of some of the other cheeses we
hope to produce in the future including blue vein cheese, and provalone.
Nutrition and Goat Cheese
Compared to cow’s milk products such as cream cheese, goat cheese is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol. It also provides more
calcium and fewer carbohydrates than cream cheese. Even though goat cheese has fewer calories, it has a full, rich and creamy
flavor.