GammelGarden visit – by Paul Lawler

This week I paid a visit to GammelGarden, a microcreamery in the truest sense. Stina Kutzer, with help from her sister Marta Willett, work dairy magic with a herd of 6 Jerseys and 1 Guernsey girl.    They churn out delicious cultured butter, with enough quality flavor that at room temp it could be mistaken for a cheese. Stina churns her cream, straw-gold in the good weather, and according to Stina an “other-worldly yellow” when the Guernsey is milked, in a 7 gallon separator pictured on the right.

It all started two years ago when her family cow, Babette, had twin heifers. Stina had already dreamed of being the local go-to milk maven, and the birth of twin heifers coincided with her reading an article, “How to Make it on Five Cows”.

A facility, the size of a little prairie-esque schoolhouse, was built and Stina tapped her Swedish heritage to make the extraordinary yogurt of her homeland, Skyr. After much experimenting and dutiful taste-testing a luscious, way beyond any commodity Skyr was arrived at.

After much experimenting and dutiful taste-testing a luscious, way beyond any commodity Skyr was arrived at.

“The problem with the big ones is that if I buy one I’ll just eat the whole thing in one setting.” Topher, our Farm Manager, compromised on a smaller skyr with Raspberry preserves.Yum

Skyr is indeed addictive, one of the most tempting products in our store that calls out to me after a morning cheesemaking or lit alone whilst sweeping the store at night, it’s maple uber-creamy goodness an experience somewhere between a pudding and yogurt.

It leaves me almost wishing this is what our creamery made (so I could eat all the more of it) now and then. I am glad enough we have Stina as our neighbor, just north by 20 minutes in Vermont.

Her gals and a gang of rambunctiously playful yellow labs have their way some of the prettiest pastures I’d seen in awhile. It didn’t hurt that my visit was on the 4th day of fall, with Autumnal  vermillion and blushes coming into view. 

Her butter (cultured and not), tart plain and Maple Skyr are available in our farm store most every day of the week. We also carry little lunch size snack versions with varied thick fruit jams like strawberry, Maine blueberry and raspberry at the bottom.