As a cheesecake lover, I initially tried this recipe with sweetened cream cheese inside berries, but the simplicity of it offers a lot of room for play.

All you need is some of our fresh chèvre, sweet strawberries and nuts or graham cracker crumbs. While the subtle tartness of our chèvre compliments berries nicely on its own, you could also try adding a smidge of your preferred sweetener.

Preparation:

• Slice off the tops of your washed berries. You can also carve out the white flesh inside the berry with a slim paring knife to create more room for filling. 
• Spoon on our chèvre, adding more to hollowed berries.
• Gently press the exposed chèvre onto a plate of graham cracker crumbs, slivered almonds or some other crushed nut.
• ENJOY!

This treat takes mere minutes to prepare and, I’ve found, about as long to devour with friends, family and party guests.

Join us for the next open house at Mountain Lodge Farm!

The event will be held:

Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 – 2:00

Open House events welcome you to meet the animals, tour barns and peek into our new creamery. You can also taste fresh cheeses and purchase some to take home with you! We had a fabulous turnout at this month’s event and look forward to meeting more fellow cheese and goat lovers.

Click the following link to access directions – HOW TO GET HERE             Gate Code: 4120

A note about open houses: Please wear closed-toe footwear you can dip into a shallow sanitation bath, and be prepared to wash your hands to help keep the animals healthy. Also, know that we gladly welcome all those interested in learning about the farm, but appreciate your efforts in bringing a group with a manageable adult to child ratio.

Our on-site cheese shop will be open to the public for samples and shopping every Sunday starting May 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:oo p.m. Request entry at the front gate and buzz the farm by dialing 033. Please see our website for directions. No tours will be available during this time.

We love to have our customers and community see where we make their favorite cheeses. However, as a working farm it can be difficult to accommodate guests during our busy season. Cheese shop doors will remain open from Spring through Fall during the aforementioned time.  If you would like to tour the farm, we offer an open house once monthly – please see our website for event specifics, or sign up for our newsletter.

If you’re a new or old fan of Mountain Lodge Farm cheese, you will agree that our delectable dairy delights come from happy goats in a beautiful place near Mount Rainier. You can come visit us at either of the two Open House Farm Events over the next two months:

Saturday, May 11

Saturday, June 8

Open House events welcome you to meet the animals, tour barns and peek into our new creamery. You can also taste fresh cheeses and purchase some to take home with you! We had a fabulous turnout at this month’s event and look forward to meeting more fellow cheese and goat lovers.

Check your inbox soon for newsletters with updated event times and directions. If you are not yet a subscriber, contact us and we will sign you up to receive monthly messages about farm happenings and, of course, adorable animal photos will be included!

Cheesemaker Meghan McKenna puts MLF on the map! The article is available to online subscribers at sunset.com, or pick up a copy in stores now (print version comes with free arugula seeds). Congratulations – what a coup!

Read about our growth into a farm with an award-winning cheesemaker in Mallory Peterson’s “Cream of the Flock”

Goats are a seasonal animal, meaning they breed in tune with the amount of light present throughout the year.  When days become shorter in the fall, our goats come into heat.  We breed them and slowly their milk production starts to wane.  We dry them up, or stop milking them, for about two months during their pregnancy.  This gives the does (and us) a rest and allows their bodies to prepare for new babies. In early Spring, our girls give birth to their kids and start producing milk.  After a healthy start nursing from moms, we take the baby goats to their playpen.  The moms come with us to the milking parlor and everyone gets to work.

Our new moms have given us delicious milk and we finally have enough to fill our vat. We will start our season with fresh Chèvre followed by our lovely little bloomy rinds in a few weeks.  We will post on Facebook when Paradise, Glacier and Summit will hit the market.  I know this cheesemaker can’t wait to taste them!

We are so excited to be making our first batches of cheese in our shiny new creamery. Quite literally, we’ve spent years designing, consulting experts, planning and building this facility.  As the cheesemaker here, I pinch myself daily that I am making cheese in such a high-tech dairy. We will break the champagne bottle across its bow at our Spring Open House.

Spring Open House

You’re invited to experience the farm first-hand by meeting the animals, touring the barns, tasting cheese and helping us christen the new creamery!

When: Saturday, April 6th

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Farm visits are a gorgeous and fun outdoor adventure, but are also hosted on our business site. Please wear closed-toe footwear you can dip into a shallow sanitation bath. Also, please know that we welcome all those interested in learning about the farm, but appreciate your efforts in bringing a group with a manageable adult to child ratio.

Click the following link to access directions to Mountain Lodge Farm: start the fun!         !Use Gate Code 8143 on event day!

This is hardly a recipe, just about the quickest way to a weeknight dinner or game day snack. You could serve with a nice side salad for an entrée or double the cheese and salami for an open-faced  presentation and feed a crowd.

Serves four.

1 baguette sliced in half lengthwise

½ pound Tipsoo sliced into 1/8” thick slices

¼ pound salami sliced very thin

2 Tbls coarse mustard

Optional: assorted pickled vegetables, mostarda or chutney for zing

Method:

Place the top rack of the oven about 5 inches down.  Preheat the broiler. Working on a large baking sheet, spread both sides of the baguette with the mustard.  On the bottom half, lay the salami and 2/3 of the sliced Tipsoo, keeping in mind the cheese will spread as it melts.  Arrange the remaining third of cheese on the top half of the bread.  Place the baking sheet under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes keeping an eye on the cheese.  You want to pull it out once the Tipsoo is bubbling and just starting to color.

Put the baguette back together if you are serving sandwich style and cut into desired portions.  I like to add a layer of pickles to this treat – it’s a nice balance to all the ooey gooey cheese!

Winter Open-House at Mountain Lodge Farm

Sunday, January 13, 2013

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

                                                                                              Come tour the barns, meet the animals,

welcome the baby llama, and take advantage

of your last chance to buy our delicious cheeses until March.

You can learn more about the event and find directions HERE!