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Creamy and rich hand-made cheese made from the milk of European-bred cows grazing Agassiz香蕉视频直播檚 fields

Swiss cheese-makers bring the craft to B.C.

There香蕉视频直播檚 something special about seeing a product come to life from start to finish, and in the case of The Farm House Natural Cheeses you can do just that.

On a self-guided tour through the Agassiz property, you香蕉视频直播檒l find cows and goats grazing the fields and a farmer milking the animals daily in the barn. After that, the milk gets transferred to the farm香蕉视频直播檚 processing plant. Viewers are invited to peer through the windows and see how the cheese-making process works. Inside is what looks like a bathtub 香蕉视频直播 a large metal vat that heats the milk, pasteurizing it.

香蕉视频直播淐ustomers appreciate they can view the whole story,香蕉视频直播 said Dana Dinn, the wholesale manager who has been with the company for over 10 years. 香蕉视频直播淓veryone wants to know and see where their food is coming from and what goes into it.香蕉视频直播

The Farm House Natural Cheeses was established in 2003 by Debra Amrein-Boyes and her husband, George, who learned about cheese making in Switzerland before bringing the craft to B.C. The couple has since retired, relocating to Quebec. The new owner, Brian Bilkes, took over, and the company still maintains that family feel, with a tight-knit team of around a dozen.

In the summer, they pack their products into a truck and drive them to different farmers香蕉视频直播 markets, mainly in Vancouver, where they sell cheese, milk, butter and yogurt. Their cows have a higher fat content, which in the case of cheese, is part of what makes it so delicious.

Their European heritage breed cows 香蕉视频直播 Jerseys, Guernseys and Brown Swiss cattle 香蕉视频直播 contain the A2 protein, which produces a higher butter-fat content, creating those creamy and rich cheeses.

Dinn said that people who think they are lactose intolerant come to their farm and realize they can consume their products, which may be partly due to the A2 protein and also because their milk isn香蕉视频直播檛 homogenized.

香蕉视频直播淸Homogenized milk] can be difficult for our bodies to digest. When the milk is homogenized, it changes the structure in the molecules of the milk, making it harder to break down.香蕉视频直播

The Farm House Natural Cheeses takes the word 香蕉视频直播榥atural香蕉视频直播 seriously, which is often misused within the food industry. Despite regulations by The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 香蕉视频直播榥atural香蕉视频直播 products can still contain artificial or synthetic ingredients.

香蕉视频直播淥ur products are the bare minimum. Milk, culture, a little salt, sodium chloride. That香蕉视频直播檚 it for our cheeses. Our milk is heated-up with no additives. We make a drinkable yogurt, and we don香蕉视频直播檛 add sweeteners. It香蕉视频直播檚 just honey and fruit puree, for example. No sugar or anything like that,香蕉视频直播 said Dinn.

The Farm House Natural Cheeses offers various kinds of cheese, some of which are pressed into a mould, coated with an antifungal layer and then dipped into a wax 香蕉视频直播 think gouda or their Country Morning cheese.

Other cheeses are their washed-rind cheeses, Heidi or Alpine Gold, for example. The cheese is washed with brine (salted water) every two or three days, forming its own rind and developing more colour while it sits and ages.

Most of their cheeses age three to six months, with some aging a year, two or more. Some cheeses head to the farmers香蕉视频直播 markets, others to stores or restaurants, including the farm香蕉视频直播檚 gift shop, where people can purchase them and indulge in cheese tastings. They also sell other curated products, supporting local artisans in the area.

It all sounds picturesque, although it comes with much hard work. For example, due to flooding a few years ago, many larger farms producing on a commercial scale could not transfer their products.

香蕉视频直播淲e were working every day trying to get more milk bottled and products made. All the local grocery stores were calling us trying to get their shelves stocked because they didn香蕉视频直播檛 have butter, they didn香蕉视频直播檛 have milk. Everyone was kind of scared in that situation. It was a crazy experience,香蕉视频直播 said Dinn.

Since their farm doesn香蕉视频直播檛 rely on external transportation and everything is made directly on-site, their employees loaded up their vehicles, delivering milk, butter, yogurt and cheese products as quickly as possible.

To keep up with demand, much of the milk regularly used to make cheese was instead bottled or made into yogurt. Yogurt takes around three days to make, but it香蕉视频直播檚 a quicker turnaround time than cheese, which can take a few months, said Dinn.

The Farm House Natural Cheeses is quaint, and they love to support their community.

香蕉视频直播淲e encourage people to go around, farm to farm, and see everything that the community has to offer.香蕉视频直播

They香蕉视频直播檙e part of the Circle Farm Tour, which guides people to 10 to 20 different farms, markets, eateries, fairs, heritage sites and other special events in the area. The brochure and map allow people to create a leisurely self-guided trip through the grassy fields of the Fraser Valley.

香蕉视频直播淎 lot of people hop on their bicycles and go around to all of the different destinations,香蕉视频直播 said Dinn.

Visit for all your cheese needs.

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kim.kimberlin@blackpress.ca

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Kim Kimberlin, Local Journalism Initiative

About the Author: Kim Kimberlin, Local Journalism Initiative

I joined Black Press Media in 2022, and have a passion for covering topics on women香蕉视频直播檚 rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ and racial issues, mental health and the arts.
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