At 4:00 AM when I head out to the cheese room, I get to enjoy a sight that seems new every morning. That big old dairy barn that was all rust and decay not long ago has come to life. Milk machines running and light streaming out in every direction. The cows waiting patiently for their turn and the goats tapping their hooves on the sliding window that lets them in. Pa might be carrying buckets across the yard and one could be pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with hay out to start feeding. I often pause to watch the family all working together, and think “this is just like in my dream."
The dream has evolved over the years. Twenty something years ago, when we first left the city it was simply a healthy lifestyle- preferably on a little plot of fertile land. We were just newlyweds when I said I wanted a cow! But goats, baby goats, and naturally soft goat cheeses came first. I could never return to the store bought stuff. Then came our babies and as they grew I continued making cheese in the kitchen, faithfully keeping my cheese diary so I could keep learning the craft, dreaming of world class cheeses, and the possibility of our kids growing up working with Pa by their sides.
| Finally in 2001 we left home and business for an abandoned dairy on 164 acres. They laughed at our young family and said it couldn't be done, and I'll admit I had my fears! My faith was put to the test during the blood, sweat and tears of the early years. But we started with three cheeses and now have a list of 18, and at last the farm even feels like home. Sometime last year I noticed that there was a lot of food on our table and some empty chairs, so we adopted 3 more kids from Liberia. Together the kids are learning that hard work won't kill them, and that the pursuit of excellence in our craft and careful nurturing of the creatures placed in our care yield a tremendous reward. Over and over at our farmers markets and in our emails they say thank you, thank you!! And they tell us stories of some of the finest moments of their lives that were enriched by our cheese. We are so blessed.
We hope you enjoy the fruit of our labors as well, and thank you.
Kelli, for the Estrellas
|