The Art of Natural Cheesemaking class, Feb 2016

DATE: Thursday, February 11, 2016 to Friday, February 12, 2016
TIME: 9AM-5PM Daily
LOCATION: Shelburne, VT
FEE: $225 (Includes lunch both days; Optional accommodations available at $65/night-double occupancy- tax included)

David Asher approaches farmstead cheesemaking from a traditional viewpoint, avoiding the use of unnatural additives and laboratory raised cultures; instead he uses only natural ingredients, keeping his own starters, growing his own fungi, and working with the indigenous microorganisms of raw milk to help cheeses evolve their best possible flavor. This is a rare opportunity to learn with David, who will be visiting from the west coast of Canada.

For more information, and to register, click here.

Peter Dixon Workshop: Nov 13-14, 2015

Soft, Hard, and Stretchy: The Culture of Southern European Cheeses with Peter Dixon

Peter Dixon taught a two day workshop focusing on the cheese styles of Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Albania and beyond). He demonstrated making three different cheeses — one stretchy pasta filata type, one aged hard style, one young semi-soft style — and the techniques for making all three types. In addition, Peter will discuss and demonstrate how to create and propagate natural cheese cultures for use in these and other cheese recipes.

The workshop took place on FRIDAY and SATURDAY, November 13-14 at Pineland Farms Creamery in New Gloucester, Maine. The hours are 8am to 4pm each day.

Here are some pictures of the two-day workshop:

Hooped cheeses ready to drain

Hooped cheeses ready to drain


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Workshop

Dairy Sanitation Workshop June 1st

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has announced that they will present a Dairy Sanitation Workshop on Monday, June 1st at the University of Maine Orono campus in the Buchanan Alumni Hall, McIntire Room. The Maine Cheese Guild will co-sponsor the event, and Guild members will receive a discount on the workshop fee.

Guild members will get a discount on the registration fee — here is the link to register.

Registration opens at 8:15am and the sessions begin at 9am. This will be an all-day workshop with a break for lunch (included in the workshop fee). There will be a limit of 50 people they can accommodate so it is advised that you register as soon as possible to make sure there is room for you at the workshop.

This workshop will also include the latest update on the upcoming implementation of the federal Food Safety and Modernization Act which will completely overhaul food safety compliance across the country beginning October 2015. (The Guild has posted updates on this periodically but we expect things to change right up through the implementation.)