Last Thursday I was lucky to be able to attend the Soil and Nutrition conference, sponsored by the Bionutrient Food Association and NOFA/Mass. During the lunch break, I sat down with the presenter John Kempf to ask him some questions and talk with him about some of the issues we struggle with in our pasture …
We make butter each week from our own fresh cream. Every Monday night we allow the milk in our bulk tank to separate by leaving the agitator off overnight. On Tuesday mornings, all the milk (usually between 115 and 180 gallons) has separated and the skim milk is on the bottom with the cream on …
What goes better with an old gnarly piece of Maggie’s than a hunk of fermented and dry-cured sausage? In my mind nothing at all, but a nice crisp sour apple may complete the triumvirate of my palate. On Friday, with the help of my best friend and cheesery extraordinaire, Suzy, I delved into the art …
Read more “Dry-cured sausage… food of luxury and rugged durability thoughts from Matthew Ball”
The late winter/early spring is a transition time of year for farm labor. This is the time when many small farms are bringing on new apprentices and gearing up for the season ahead. Since we are a dairy farm and we milk cows and make cheese year-round, apprentices at Cricket Creek stay for a year. …
This year, at the annual conference of the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, I led a workshop about farmstead cheese production. I was a bit nervous before the workshop because I hadn’t prepared much and I was told to expect a large turnout. The first few participants who showed up were cheese makers …
Read more “Spreading the cheese love at the NOFA conference.”