As a small-scale, pasture-oriented operation, Cherry Grove Farm works in very close contact with Mother Nature. Her wills and wiles dictate our day-to-day life, and for the most part we exist in harmony, but, now and again, we do find ourselves at cross purposes.

Back in April, a severe thunderstorm rocked the farm one night. Trees went down, power flickered on and off, and the creek spilled over into the marsh. During the storm one of our cows, Nereid, was caught by a large falling tree branch, and knocked on top of an electric fence line with the branch pinning her down. Poor Nereid received a series of shocks overnight, until we found her the next morning when the herd was brought in for early milking. The storm and its repercussions were frightening for all of our cows, but Nereid’s accident was extreme and she showed prolonged signs of weakness and lethargy. With little improvement over the weeks, we feared that she would not recover.

Over the summer months, fed by lots of personal attention and TLC, Nereid made a full recovery — and, was confirmed pregnant!

We are very happy to see our beautiful girl rejoin the larger herd with the other pregnant cows, and eagerly await greeting her new calf this spring. Congratulations, Nereid!

Cherry Grove Farm is proud and excited to share that our newest farmstead cheese, Rarebird, was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2018 American Cheese Society (ACS) competition in Pittsburgh about three weeks ago.

The ACS Conference is the premier cheese event of North America; Artisan cheesemakers from all over the world gather to meet, learn, and taste the best cheeses being made in the United States and Canada. Rarebird was entered in the Farmstead Cows’ Milk category and was up against some seriously tough competition.

Rarebird is the newest cheese in Cherry Grove Farm’s lineup, after 12 months of fine tuning, our cheesemakers, Paul Lawler and Sean Fitzgerald have honed in on the texture and flavors that we want this cheese to express. Some of you may have tried Rarebird over the last year, as we tweaked and adjusted “the care and feeding” of the cheese to see what it could be.

A washed rind, raw milk cheese aged between 60 and 90 days, Rarebird’s defining characteristic is that it is made with the milk of only one single milking. This ensures not only that the milk is as fresh as possible, but also that the unique tastes and seasonality of the terroir of our Lawrenceville pastures stands out. When mature, the paste has a silky, custardy feel, giving off a whiff of minerally sea cave and a bit of the barnyard.

It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work and care from a small, dedicated group of hardworking people (and cows!) to make real food. And we’re very proud to announce the recognition of our hard work. This silver medal joins three blue ribbons from ACS in prior years.

Our cheesemakers recommend that Rarebird be served at room temperature and paired with Gewurtztraminer, Dolcetto, or a strong dark ale. The next batch should be mature in mid-September.

Dine in our farm garden under white lanterns, enjoying a four course farm-to-fork dinner that will transport you along the ancient spice route from Persian into South Asia.

Cherry Grove Farm will co-host this culinary journey with local Lawrenceville makers (and friends of the farm) Naomi Mobed from Le Bon Magot and The Agarwal family from Pure Indian Foods.

Tapping into our friends’ culinary traditions, we’ve created a soul-satisfying menu with a modern twist, using Cherry Grove Farm’s farmstead cheeses and grass-fed lamb and the bounty of fresh New Jersey fruits and vegetables.

The evening will begin with a short farm tour and cocktail hour featuring Lychee and Rose martinis, and Jal-jeera, a cumin-intense mocktail. Appetizers will include vegetarian pakoras, a CGF cheese board with Le Bon Magot chutneys, and hummus drizzled with Brinjal Caponata.

The sit down portion of the meal is mostly vegetarian with a Burmese lamb entree for our meat-lovers. Look forward to Saag Paneer with foraged greens,  Persian Jeweled Rice, Aloo Gobi with Mutter, Masala Roasted Jersey Corn, Fatoush Salad with pomegranate and a honey lemon vinaigrette, and Naan bread.

We round out our evening with a Lassi White Peach Parfait, Gulab Jamoon petit fours, and a raw milk Masala Chai.

Cocktail hour begins at 6:30. Dinner at 7:30pm.
Bring your own creative place setting (prizes given!) and a favorite alcoholic beverage. Pairings suggestions will be sent with confirmation email.

Tickets are $85 in advance, and $95 dollars within five days of the dinner. There are only 30 seats. Get your ticket today.

(If your have trouble with the link, type www.shopcherrygrovefarm.com into your browser and click the events tab.)

Winning place setting at the Dishing Up NJ Farm-to-Fork

SAVE THE DATE!

Tell your friends! Saturday, July 21st Cherry Grove Farm will co-host a farm-to-table culinary journey with our neighbors, Naomi at Le Bon Magot and The Agarwals from Pure Indian Foods.

Thirty people will share a 4-course meal that leads us from the Middle East to South-Asia, featuring fresh farm fare and the flavors of the old spice route. The menu will be heavily vegetarian but will include Cherry Grove Farm lamb and cheese.

The evening will begin with a 30-minute farm tour and cocktail hour to include Lychee and Rose martinis, vegetarian pakoras and hummus drizzled with Brinjal Caponata.

The sit down portion of the meal will be 2 entrees and a variety of sides, including Burmese Lamb cooked in almond and cashew gravy, Saag Paneer with farm-foraged greens,  Persian Jeweled Rice, Aloo Gobi with Mutter, and more.

We will end the evening with a few sweet treats and a raw milk Masala Chai.

Registration details to follow soon! Stay tuned!

#alongthespiceroute #cgffarmtofork

Check out this Collective Creamery Podcast and get the skinny on making farmstead cheese,
Cherry Grove Farm Cheesemaker, Sean Fitzgerald talking cheese!