As February turns to March and pasture babies begin weaning off mom and onto Northbay grasses, local cheese makers swing into full gear, making their curds and whey. This year, however, expect a bumper crop of goat, sheep, cow and even buffalo milk cheeses as a new (or at least semi-new) group of artisan producers bring their ripe and ready wares to market.

Read “Upcoming Artisan Cheesemakers of the North Bay” on BiteClub Eats

Claire O'Neill /NPR

Take a look at some beer and cheese pairing suggestions by Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery.

Read the full article on NPR

photo by Lukas Gerber

“For a group of Swiss bio-engineers, that moldy rind is one of nature’s greatest living surfaces, doing double duty as a shield and a cleaner. The rind allows the cheese’s deep flavor and aroma to mature, but also defends it against microorganisms that could spoil it. The cheese repays the fungi on the rind by supplying it with nutrients.”

Read the full article on NPR

Drake Family Farms (David Karp / August 14, 2011)

“Drake has four breeds of goats, all descended from prize-winning stock, costing up to $1,200 a head, and they are registered with the American Dairy Goat Assn. Saanens, named for a valley in Switzerland, are large and white, with erect ears and a calm manner. They produce the most milk, but Nubians, which have big, floppy ears and Roman noses, produce the richest milk, with the highest butterfat and protein content. They also raise Snubians, which are a Saanen-Nubian cross, and Alpine goats.

One of very few goat dairies in Southern California, and one of the newest and best cheese vendors at local certified farmers markets, is Drake Family Farms, which started selling an excellent fresh, mild chevre cheese a little over a year ago.”

Available at local certified farmers markets, and the Cheese Cave in Claremont. Thanks Drake Family Farms!

Read the full article: LA Times

Lisa Fain - Homesick Texan

Of course, good looks and flavor aside, the best thing about a cheese ball is its infinite variety. Most cheese balls start with a base of cream cheese, but from there you can add just about anything you want—goat cheese, blue cheese, herbs, spices dried fruit and nuts. With a cheese ball, the only limit is your imagination.

Find the recipe on Lisa Fain’s ‘The Homesick Texan’

Craig Lee / Special to The Chronicle

The Spielhofer family that makes Montagne du Jura buys its cow’s milk from an 80-year-old cooperative that specializes in Gruyere. Montagne du Jura resembles Gruyere in flavor, but in format it is closer to Appenzeller, another Swiss mountain specialty. The Appenzeller is slightly smaller; Montagne du Jura weighs in at about 18 pounds.

Read more about Montagne du Jura in Janet Fletchers article, “Rethink ‘Swiss cheese’ image with Montagne du Jura”

Listen to the Podcast online. You can also jump ahead to 23:30 to get right to the cheese!