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!

OOOOOOOOOUUUMAMMMI…

Lady Miss Keir gets it, do you hear it? Ooooummmmammmi, OOOOUUMAMI.

That’s right, Oooumami is back. Notes of cauliflower, beef, asparagus, cannellini bean, sour cream and mushroom dip – a real spring ringer of a raw milk bloomy! Get it while the getting is best.

THIS WEEK IN CHEESE:
Oooumami: Gorgeous raw milk, mixed bloomy rind cheese. Tall and delicious. Raw milk.

Herdsman
Working on December batches now. These wheels are surprising us (go hay milk!) with classic tomme flavors and textures. An array of flavors that range from oregano and heavy red sauce to garden fresh carrots and beets to lemon and malt!. Raw milk.

Havilah
October and November 2016 batches. Can’t stop and won’t stop, this cheese is a flavor bomb and it makes no apologies. Current tasting notes include: pineapple, beef broth, grass, caramel and an array of allium flavors. These batches are heavier on the savory side. Raw milk.

Toma
January wheels now available. These wheels are kind of blowing us away. Insanely decadent texture with a rin that makes an absolutely indelible impression. Our tasting notes included everything from alliums, shellfish and ballpark peanuts to mango! These are some special batches. Raw milk.

Rarebird
Not many wheels. The flavor is typical Rarebird: gamey meat, peanutty, funky butter and wild mushrooms. Raw milk.

We’re currently washing a handful of these Rarebirds in this radically tart lil beer from Allagash for our friends at Tria Taproom in honor of upcoming Philly Beer Week!

Buttercup Brie
We’ve got a seriously tiny stock of Brie available at the moment. First come, first serve. More is on the way. Pasteurized milk.

Don’t Worry, Brie Happy! 
Always grateful for your support.