Inside Yellow Springs Farm’s restored, Chester County-based barn is where the cheese-making magic happens. As our recent Town Dish tour revealed (see Part 1 HERE), the historic barn was once a major asset to the land’s former dairy farm, one that resided on the 150-year-old property and dates back to around 1851.
Such a sustainable landscape appealed to owners/cheesemakers Al and Catherine Renzi when they purchased the property back in 2001, as it is part of their personal mission to make strides for local land preservation and connect sustainable landscapes with sustainable food systems. Through further property research, the dynamic duo uncovered that their property possessed a fine breed of native plants, which in turn, also became part of their on-going agenda to restore, maintain and conserve the native landscape.
Satisfyingly so, the prosperous landscape situated on some of the “most fertile soil” due to its dairy farm past makes for an incredible birthplace for cheese making (great fields for raising goats; fantastic natural bacterias for cheese-aging). Prior to trotting throughout the majority of the property and visiting with the goats, we paid a visit within their notable dairy barn, which acts as the cheese-making and aging facilities.
Before entering the cheese birthplace, it’s important to note the measures taken to prevent unintended bacteria and molds from interfering with the cheeses (we had to strap on protective booties over our shoes). Any interference of a “bad” mold to a batch of cheese could easily affect the intention of the farm’s products, so careful measures must constantly be made.
All of Yellow Springs’ goat milk cheeses start out as raw milk, using age-old processes borrowed from both French and Italian traditions, while following their own, original interpretations of cheese recipes. As they breed and raise Nubian goats (see them HERE), the goats are milked within a sector of the dairy barn, with the fresh milk immediately wheeled next-door to be incorporated into the latest goat milk cheese batch.
Considering their impressive measures made with the land, it’s expected that each recipe of their 25+ cheese lineup would feature the inclusion of products from their stomping grounds, from farm-raised herbs, leaves and nuts, to wildflower honey. For example, the breezy Purple Passion is crafted with dried lavender, the semi-soft Red Leaf is wrapped in the farm’s Sycamore tree leaves, the delicate Mellow Yellow incorporates the garden’s saffron, and the Christmas favorite—the Nutcracker—is fermented with the land’s black walnuts.
Our favorite part of our visit? A walk inside the cheese aging “cave,” which is technically a climate-controlled, walk-in refrigerator that comes speckled with a breathtaking, funky display of aging cheese. The layers of Yellow Springs’ mold-laden wheels are revisited day after day, ritually flipped and carefully washed to follow their precise cheese-aging practices, devoting the utmost care to their affinage.
While the pleasantly pungent bouquet wafting through the space was an experience to remember within itself, we also enjoyed our cheese-loving tromp and spying Yellow Springs’ collaboration with Victory Brewing Co. in the making. While they have teamed up previously to craft the Golden Monkey-washed Yellow Brick Road, this batch aging was washed with DarkDevil (the mash-up brew of HopDevil and Storm King Stout), and we’re certain it will develop a cult following—well, you can consider us jump-starting such an cheese obsession.
Want to visit Yellow Springs Farm as well? The final seasonal open house, titled “Holiday Celebrations with Cheese,” unfolds on Saturday, Dec. 22—a perfect stop for stocking up on Christmas Day cheese. Yellow Springs Farm is found at 1165 Yellow Springs Road in Chester Springs, and more information is available at yellowspringsfarm.com.
All photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography.
