Category Archives: Events

Posts about Workshops, Meetings, Festivals and conferences with a focus on cheese, dairy and agriculture.

Exhibit at the Big E in 2014

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The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry would like to invite interested organizations to apply for exhibiting opportunities this September in the State of Maine Building at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The State of Maine building currently has 2 remaining exhibit locations and will be accepting applicants for these remaining locations until Friday, March 28th.

Over the course of the 17 day fair in 2013, the Big E fairgrounds had over 1.4 Million visitors from New England and surrounding areas. An estimated 850,000 visitors tour the Avenue of States where each New England State has its own building; including the State of Maine which is dedicated to selling and promoting Maine and its culture. This is a great opportunity to showcase products or services that positively represent the State of Maine to a large audience, with two booth size options including 13’x10’ and 13’x20’ measurements.

Please visit our website for application materials and more details on this opportunity. Contact us at 287-3494 with any questions you might have on exhibiting at the Big E. Please feel free to share this notification with any party that may be interested in this unique opportunity.

Thank you for your interest in promoting the State of Maine!

Sincerely,

Jessica Nixon
Promotions Coordinator
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Agricultural Resource Development Division

Intro to Cheese Making at Rural Living Days March 29

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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Waldo County is presenting “Rural Living Days” on

Saturday, March 29th between 8:30am and 3pm

Eric Rector, President of the Maine Cheese Guild and cheese maker at Monroe Cheese Studio, will give an introduction to cheese making workshop titled “Queso Presto!” in the early session beginning at 9am:

Cheese making can be quite mysterious because it involves using a few unusual ingredients to turn liquids into solids. Cheese making also can take a lot of time: usually a day of work just to get the initial stage of fresh (but bland) cheese, and then weeks/months/years of aging before that turns into something completely different. Rector will talk about all cheeses and what makes them different, and he will show you how to make a quick and tasty cheese in an hour, and describe milk’s “leap toward immortality”.

To learn more about this session, all of the sessions at Rural Living Days, and to register on-line, follow this link.

Help Fuzzy Udder Creamery’s make their big move!

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Help Fuzzy Udder Creamery get ready to make cheese at their new home in Whitefield!

Check out Fuzzy Udder’s IndieGogo Campaign

Fuzzy Udder Cheese!

In 2011, I started my own business, Fuzzy Udder Creamery with my two favorites: fresh hand-stretched mozzarella made from buttery jersey cow milk and sheep’s milk yogurt. If you haven’t had sheep’s milk yogurt, you have no idea what you are missing! I built a cheeseroom in Unity Maine in 2012 and had two successful seasons making all kinds of cheeses from both sheep and cow’s milk, including: fresh mozzarella, sheep’s milk yogurt, fresh sheep cheese, brie, ashed-layered soft-ripened cheese, washed rinds, gouda, swiss, tomme and baby provolone. I have also spent the last few years building up a small herd of well-cared for and very happy sheep and goats.

This summer, I had a severe allergic reaction to the house I lived in a the farm in Unity where I had built my creamery, so I had to find a new home for myself, my creamery and my animals before the winter. Luckily through the generous support of so many people in our farming community here in Maine, including Slow Money Maine and Maine Farmland Trust, I was able to purchase an old farmhouse with a barn and a creamery here in Whitefield Maine, the former home of Townhouse Creamery.

Now that I have moved, I need help getting my new creamery up and running. I am looking to raise enough funds to install my cheesemaking equipment in my new cheeseroom, build a walk-in cooler to age my cheese and get a milking parlor set up to milk my sheep and goats this spring.

With your help, I can start my 3rd season as Fuzzy Udder Creamery out right!

I am looking to raise $10,000 from this campaign so I can start making cheese again. With these funds, I will be hiring a plumber, an electrician, and several builders to get my cheeseroom and milking parlor ready for licensing.

Once I start making cheese again, I will host an open house and creamery/farm tour for those who contributed $25 or more. I will be serving a feast of local food, featuring all of Fuzzy Udder’s wide variety of cheeses. In addition, anyone who donates $50 or more will receive a cheesy gift in the mail!

Please help me publicize this campaign by telling all of your friends.

Thanks for reading about me and for supporting small farmers in Maine! To find out more about Fuzzy Udder Creamery, please visit my website: http://www.fuzzyudder.com