Rogue Creamery - Crater Lake Blue

Rivers Edge Chevre - Up in Smoke

Oregon is quickly becoming renowned nationally for innovative cheese

I've just returned from the 3rd Annual Oregon Cheesemakers Festival at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point. There is no better way to truly appreciate cheese than by meeting the people behind the cheese.

In addition to seeing old friends and hearing the latest, it was a pleasure to meet and savor some of the offerings from the state's newest artisan cheesemakers. In the past year and a half, five new creameries have come "online."

All five are farmstead operations, with animals being raised on the farm where the cheese is made. In a state famous for Cow's milk cheese, it's interesting to note that this year's class includes four Goat and one Sheep milk creamery.

Along with Vermont, the state with the most cheesemakers per-capita, Oregon and the Northwest is quickly becoming renowned nationally as a hotbed of innovative and high-quality cheesemakers who are winning awards on national and international levels.

In fact, during the event, two creameries received word that their cheese took honors in the bi-annual US Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin (Rogue Creamery and Tumalo Farms) and the World Cheese Awards in London, England (Rogue Creamery, Best in Class for Crater Lake Blue).

Whenever I have a chance to reconnect with the cheesemakers, I'm struck by the different sort of time they live in. There are no days off in the 24/7 world of herd maintenance, cleaning, twice daily milking, cleaning, cheesemaking, cleaning and aging. Many like to joke that cheesemaking is 90% cleaning.

They are a group motivated by craft and creativity rather than the lure of riches.
Their dedication to time-honored and time consuming techniques is easy to overlook in this mass-produced world; yet it's essential to acknowledge in order to truly appreciate the essence of the new food heritage being created all around us!

Here's the scoop on the not-to-be-missed new creameries available at Farmer's Markets and specialty shops this spring:

Ancient Heritage Dairy, Scio, OR - Farmstead sheep dairy making aged and ripened cheeses. The Obringer family focuses on small production and great taste in Oregon's first sheep dairy. www.ancientheritagedairy.com

Ferns Edge Goat Dairy - Lowell, OR - Family operated, this small goat dairy makes a charming and tasty Chanterelle coated fresh goat pyramid. True Oregon!

Rivers Edge Chevre - Logsden, OR - Pat Morford and her daughter make one of the most photogenic cheeses ever. The delightfully savory "Up In Smoke" boasts a gorgeous smoked Maple Leaf and an irresistible tangy, smokey flavor. www.threeringfarm.com

Pholia Farm - Rogue River, OR - At Oregon's newest dairy, Gianaclis Caldwell crafts exquisite aged goat cheeses from the farm's herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. This small production farm is also Oregon's first "off the grid" creamery. www.pholiafarm.com

Tumalo Farms - Bend, OR - In production just over a year, former high-tech exec Flavio DeCastilhos' creamery crafts a line of flavored aged goat cheese that's winning rave reviews. Their Fenugreek enhanced Gouda, Fenacho, won Silver in Wisconsin. - www.tumalofarms.com

Find out more about Oregon cheesemakers at www.oregoncheeseguild.org.