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Frequently asked questions

I’m lactose intolerant and can’t eat dairy foods.

People who are only lactose intolerant (and not allergic to milk) can usually eat cheeses, especially the longer aged varieties. During the aging process the bacteria in the cheese cultures use up the available lactose. After a few weeks in the aging room, the cheese has little or no lactose remaining

Why isn’t your cheese orange?

We do not use dyes in our cheese. The color comes from the natural colors in the milk. Cheese made in the summer when the cows are on pasture will have a golden color because of the higher levels of carotene in the cows’ diet while cheese made in the winter when they are eating hay will have a creamy color.

Do you use rbst or antibiotics?

We do not use rbst (recombinant bovine somatotropin.) Cows naturally produce bst and so all milk therefore has some level of the hormone but we do not try to enhance performance by injecting rbst. We do occasionally use antibiotics in the treatment of diseases, but prefer to manage the cows so that they stay healthy and happy. Milk for cheesemaking must be antibiotic free for the cheese cultures to work. Actually, all milk on the market has been tested many times during processing and you can be confident that any milk you buy is free of antibiotics.

Is raw milk cheese safe?

Research has determined that aging cheese at least 60 days at temperatures above 35 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy any pathogens present in the raw milk since those pathogens do not survive the acid environment of the aging cheese. Our milk is tested regularly to monitor bacterial levels and is routinely well under the limits established by the Department of Agriculture.

What is better about raw milk cheeses?

Raw milk cheese will have more intense and complex flavors than those made from pasteurized milk. Pasteurization destroys not only any pathogens in milk but also the beneficial lactic acid bacteria and the enzymes naturally present in milk. These contribute to the flavor of the cheese and so are lost in the pasteurization process.

What about omega-3’s and CLAs?

CLAs or congugated linoleic acids are found in foods that come from animals eating grass and are compounds that have been shown to help prevent certain cancers. Pasture also alters the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in milk increasing the levels of beneficial omega-3’s. Our cows are on pasture when it is available so these benefits are preserved in the cheeses we produce.