June 2024

Blakesville Creamery

Essays by Chris Loughran

About Blakesville Creamery, but First a Brief History of Wisconsin Cheesemaking

Cheesemaking has been a part of Wisconsin since the mid 1800s, and in its nearly two hundred years of cheese production, its reputation as a (the) Cheese State has meant different things at different times; it’s been known for making great cheese, fraudulent cheese, the most cheese, and, of course, the foam hats adorning the heads of Green Bay Packers fans.

But first, Wisconsin was a wheat state. The cheese obsession began out of economic desperation, as wheat production suffered and farmers looked for better ways to use the land. This crisis coincided with an influx of immigrants with rich cheese cultures; German, Swiss, Italian, Dutch, and Hispanic. The rise of agricultural cooperatives and cheese factories led to increases in production, as cheesemaking started its turn from individual farmsteads (where women were cheesemakers) toward industry. The pooling of milk from neighboring farms allowed workers to specialize in cheesemaking, and for a while this resulted in improvements in both efficiency and output.

By the 1880s, however, greed had seized control. Farmers and cheesemakers began to skim cream for use in other products, replacing it with cheaper lard, resulting in inferior products and destroying the quickly growing reputation of Wisconsin cheese. Up against this wave of fraud in the industry, dairymen from the state banded together to form what would become the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association. Strengthened by the progressive political movement of the time, the organization would help develop industry standards based on science. The Wisconsin Idea promised that resources from the University of Wisconsin would be devoted to improving the lives of these farmers and cheesemakers.

Today, cheesemaking in Wisconsin is serious business; the only state to require cheesemakers to obtain a professional license and the only state with a Master Cheesemaker Program. Serious business, but also big business. The major social aspects of the progressive movement never really fulfilled the promise, and eventually the industrialists won out. In the past hundred years, the number of cheese factories in Wisconsin has dwindled from its peak of over two thousand to only 115 by 2021. Considering that in this time production has also swelled from about 300 million pounds per year to over 3.5 billion. The compromises made in the pursuit of profits have had negative impacts on quality, human health, animal welfare, and our environment. More milk produced every year on fewer and fewer dairy farms. 

Into this void steps Blakesville Dairy and Blakesville Creamery, where they’ve converted an old conventional dairy farm into a farmstead goat cheese operation. The dairy opened in 2012 with the creamery eventually following in 2020, both as a part of owner Lynde Uihlein’s “commitment to thoughtful land use and environmental protection.” Blakesville is focused on raising goats using sustainable practices, managing a herd of around 1200 goats, which are mostly Saanen Goats with some Alpine and La Mancha “mixed in for fun.” These breeds were specifically selected for the quality of milk. Blakesvile crops 100% of their own feed, and to ensure a healthy diet the goats are fed a Total Mixed Ration, consisting of hay, corn, minerals, and some molasses.

Blakesville Creamery is led by Veronica Pedraza, head cheesemaker who designed the creamery, a massive four million dollar project completed in 2020. Their line up of farmstead goat’s milk cheese has been a hit from the very beginning. In the short time they’ve been in operation, they’ve already racked up awards, including medals at the American Cheese Society and the World Championship Cheese Contest. But our introduction to their cheese came when Anaïs attended the First Annual Meeting of the Milkmaids in May of 2023, a small gathering of women in dairy. Each attendee was asked to bring a cheese they loved from a woman cheesemaker, and someone brought Shabby Shoe (Anaïs brought Marigold from Valley Milkhouse.) Shabby Shoe was an instant hit for us, and we are so happy to have it included here in this box. Along with that you’ll find two other farmstead goat’s milk cheeses as well as two sheep’s milk cheeses, for which Blakesville sources milk from Ms. J. & Co. a nearby farm. These have also been incredible, and we hope you enjoy the box!

An Interview with Head Cheesemaker, Veronica Pedraza

Q: What got you in the cheesemaking business to begin with?

A: I was a disillusioned line cook that wanted to get out of the kitchen but still work with food. I was working at a restaurant where we had a composed cheese plate (like a dish centered around a single cheese). I was fascinated that all the cheeses we got were so different but were all made from just 4 ingredients. 

Q: When did you start making cheese?

Veronica: In 2007. I was an apprentice at Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, GA. I then spent a year mongering at Saxelby Cheese in the Essex Market in NYC. From there I went to Jasper Hill for a few years. In 2012, I started making sheep’s milk cheeses at Meadowood Farms in upstate NY and did that for 5 years. In 2017, Andy Hatch introduced me to Lynde Uihlein- the owner of the farm. She wanted to build a creamery and we spent a few years developing a business plan, designing and building the creamery- which opened in 2020.

Q: What’s your favorite part of cheesemaking? 

A: It provides both instant and delayed gratification. Instant gratification in that in the morning I have all this milk I need to do something with and by the end of the day, I can actually see a physical transformation from milk to cheese. It’s very tangible. Delayed gratification in that you have to wait to see how everything ripens and tastes. Sometimes you are surprised by your work. 

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the cheese industry? 

A: It is a really friendly group of people who are collaborative, supportive and helpful. The lines between customer and friend are very blurred.

Q: What are the biggest challenges of artisan cheesemaking, in your experience?

A: For me, artisan cheesemaking is hand-made. Those hands are expensive and we are increasingly competing with cheese produced by automation/robots/technology. The average consumer can’t really tell the difference save for the price. This is why mongers are so important. To tell the story of the people and community behind a product. 

Q: What’s your favorite type of cheese? 

A: Something I don’t make. It is hard to enjoy your own work when you are trying to evaluate it objectively. My favorite cheese is Colston-Bassett Stilton

Q: What’s your perfect bite? 

A: Probably Shabby Shoe on a baguette with some local honey and champagne to wash it all down. 

Q: Where does the name Shabby Shoe come from?

A: Shabby Shoe is an homage to being a young monger. One of my first days at Saxelby, I asked Anne what her favorite cheese was. She told me “chabichou” but I had no idea what it was. I nodded like I did and then when I went home- googled “Shabby Shoe Cheese” and just got pictures of old shoes. A few months later I saw Chabichou in another shop and the light in my brain went off.

… and now onward to the cheeses!

Pecuri in i Vigne

Milk: Pasteurized sheep
Rennet: Traditional rennet
Age: Fresh
Ingredients: Pasteurized sheep’s milk, cultures, rennet, salt, grape leaves (grape leaves, citric acid), wine (grapes, sulfites)
Texture/profile: Soft and rich, delicate sweet and floral notes
Pairing idea: Dried Cherries

Pecuri in i Vigne is one of Blakesville Creamery’s sheep’s milk cheeses, hand-wrapped in Antoine Arena’s Coriscan muscat-soaked grape leaves. Leaf-wrapping cheese is a traditional method of protecting a cheese from the elements popularized throughout the Mediterranean, where the hot dry climate is not ideal for storing or aging cheese. The leaves were often soaked in the local eau de vie, or fruit brandy, for added moisture and flavor.

Fresh and fluffy, Pecuri in i Vigne develops a pleasant sweetness, floral notes, and a faint booziness courtesy of the dessert wine, adding to the complexity of fresh sheep’s milk tang. Pairing this with the dried cherries accentuates the fruity notes of the cheese.

Shabby Shoe

Milk: Pasteurized goat
Rennet: Traditional rennet
Age: 6-8 weeks
Ingredients: Pasteurized goat’s milk, rennet, cultures, salt
Texture/profile: bright and rich; citrusy
Pairing idea: Integration Acres Pawpaw Spiceberry Jam

This wrinkly rinded pun/homage to Chabichou du Poitou has everything we love in a young goat’s milk cheese; a dense, cakey center with a beautiful creamline, a fresh bright acidity with balanced grassy notes. It is no small compliment to say that the playful name only adds to our joy when eating this cheese. Invoking the name Chabichou brings to mind one of our favorite cheeses and sets a high bar. The original hails from the Loire Valley of France, a region famous for the quality of their young goat’s milk cheese. The history of Chabichou (likely) dates back to the 8th century, the recipe and goats are thought to have been introduced to the region during the Saracen invasion and left behind after their defeat at the Battle of Poitiers. The name Chabichou derives from the Arabic word for goat, chebli.

It’s all quite a lot to live up to! But we absolutely adore Shabby Shoe, and hope you’ll love it to. Enjoy it with the Pawpaw Spiceberry Jam from Integration Acres in Athens, Ohio.

Linedeline

Milk: Pasteurized goat
Rennet: Traditional l rennet
Age: 8 weeks
Ingredients: Pasteurized goat’s milk, rennet, cultures, salt
Texture/profile: Rich, creamy, notes of mushroom
Pairing idea: Emile Vergeois Black Currant Nectar

These cheesemakers certainly have a sense of humor. With its ash-lined center, Linedeline is a tribute to Blakesville’s owner, Lynde Uihlein. Cheesemaker, Veronica Pedraza, says that “sometimes solicitors will call and ask to speak to Linedeline.

As for that ash, which lines the center and coats the rind, well its use in cheesemaking is an old tradition. Its original purpose was as a pest deterrent. As farmers combined cheese made from the morning milking with cheese from the evening milking, they would use a layer of ash to protect the morning cheese from flies and other insects. Today, it is used for its pH neutralizing properties, allowing the Geotrichum mold to thrive, which helps make the rind inhospitable for undesirable molds and balances the flavor of goat’s milk cheese. The dark ash also looks pretty cool, cutting through the powdery white rind and chalky interior paste, striking a sharp contrast, that of rock hiding behind freshly fallen snow.

Compared to Shabby Shoe, Linedeline has a bit more acidity, a profile of crème fraiche and mushrooms. Enjoy with the black currant nectar which can be spiked with gin or vodka for a lovely, easy summer cocktail.

St Germain

Milk: Pasteurized goat
Rennet: Traditional rennet
Age: 4-5 months
Ingredients: Pasteurized goat’s milk, rennet, cultures, salt
Texture/profile: Smooth, milky, grassy
Pairing idea: Dried Cherries

Cheesemaking in the Pyrenees (the mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain) dates back thousands of years and includes some of the oldest known recipes, such as that for Ossau-Iraty. Traditional cheesemaking in the region has an ancient connection with transhumance, shepherds moving their flocks of sheep seasonally from the low valley pastures of winter to the high mountain pastures of summer. The most well-known cheeses of the region are made from cooked and pressed curd, formed into cylindrical wheels with rounded edges, and aged with a natural rind. Although historically, these were sheep’s milk cheeses, today they are also made using cow and goat’s milk.

St Germain is made in this style, from farmstead goat’s milk. Its name is a nod to a local bird sanctuary, which explains the artwork on its label of a goat wearing binoculars. Pairing with the ramp crackers highlights the grassy notes alongside the garlicky notes of the crackers.

Piedras

Milk: Pasteurized sheep’s milk
Rennet: Traditional rennet
Age: 8 weeks
Ingredients: Pasteurized sheep’s milk, rennet, cultures, salt
Texture/profile: Semi-firm, smooth, nutty, meaty
Pairing idea: L’Epicurien French Tomato Pesto

The name Piedras comes from the word for stone in Spanish, and it is also a nod to head cheesemaker, Veronica Pedraza, whose last name means red rock. And yes, the cheese looks strikingly like a beautiful red stone, its red hue from the b-linens that develop on washed rind cheese, which are periodically brushed with brine as they age. The first iterations of this cheese were small discs which were less than one pound each, but since moving to this larger format, five pound wheels, we feel Piedras has really hit its stride with a consistent, rich and nearly spreadable paste.

Our pairing suggestion includes the French Tomato Pesto, which will work well with the more savory elements of this cheese. But we also think you might enjoy it with the Pawpaw Jam, which we have found to have some unexpected fireworks when paired with washed rind cheeses.