This Sunday October 10th is Open Creamery Day at many small farm creameries around the state. Most will be open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. For a complete listing of creameries, directions and hours (at least one is open saturday) visit the Maine Cheese Guild. They are mostly in southern and coastal Maine, with the farthest south being Flying Goat Farm in Acton and the farthest downeast being Painted Pepper farm in Steuben. The westerm most is Longfellow's Creamery in Phillips and the northern most is Olde Oak Farm in Maxfield, near Howland west of 95. Today I visited Pineland Farm Creamery in New Gloucester which is set up to handle visitors. Who view the entire process from the glassed walled viewing area. Pineland has a market /welcome center where you can buy not only product produced on the farm but other Maine Made product, both food and non food. There will be a wine tasting from Noon to 3PM here as well as the cheese tasting.
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| This is the Pasteurizing Room, milk begins the process to cheese. they also make butter and spreadable cheese here. |
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| The vats hold 1000 gallons of warm cultured milk beginning the separation into curds & whey. |
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| The whey is drained off leaving the curd which has salt and in the case of Pepper Jack seen here, a blend of peppers. |
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| The loose whey is scoped into metal boxes call Hoops which will be place on a press and cooled overnight. |
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| Feta seen being removed from baskets and cut into blocks here, will be brined in tanks in a nearby room. |
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| The 1000 gallons of milk (8500 Lbs) will make a 1000 Lbs of curd and 850 Lbs of cheese. |
On sunday I'll be visiting the award-winning cheese at Appleton Creamery in Appleton. Cheese is handcrafted daily using traditional methods from the milk from our herd of Alpine goats and nearby EllsFarm sheep dairy. I'll post on tuesday. For a complete list of participating creameries, directions and hours visit the Maine Cheese Guild.
Pineland Farms Creamery
92 Creamery Ln.
New Gloucester, ME
207-688-6400
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