Stone’s Throw Cheddar is a pastuerized clothbound cheddar aged 1 1/2 years in our cave. It is semi-dry, savory in flavor, & medium sharp. This giant truckle weighs around 42 pounds in its original form. How is this cheddar is different from our “Charlie’s Legend” cheddar? Charlie’s Legend is made with all raw milk and is younger in age: right around 5 to 6 months when we release it. "Charlie's Legend" Cheddar is also smeared with butter before we age it so it develops a creamy, buttery flavor.
Winter Milk Buckhorn is the same recipe as our traditional Buckhorn except it was made with winter milk. So why don’t we just call it Buckhorn? In the cheese world, a lot of flavor in cheese comes from what the animals are eating at the time of their milking. Even though the cows are at the same pastures, the foliage growing/available in the winter or early spring is completely different then what is thriving in the pasture mid summer. The variation in the cows’ diets come through in the milk and eventually in the flavor of the cheese. Sometimes the flavor notes come through subtle and sometimes they are extremely different. In this case, we feel that "Winter Milk Buckhorn" is a different cheese than our traditional “Buckhorn" which is made with late spring/summer milk and would be a little misleading to sell it as the same. Not only is the hue of the cheese different but also are the flavors and texture. "Winter Milk Buckhorn" has a soft white hue and is more dry in texture. It also developed a few crunchy Tyrosine crystals while aging (aka: crunchy bits of yum!). Our traditional “Buckhorn” naturally develops more of an intense yellow hue and is creamier in flavor with little to no Tyrosine crystals when under 8 months of age.
We feel that we need to differentiate between the two because we want our customers that know and love our traditional “Buckhorn” can expect a different flavor and texture from the variation of our “Winter Milk Buckhorn”. We use the same exact recipe and techniques for both cheeses. The only difference is the what the cows have available to graze on in pasture at the time.
Arch City Swiss is our take on an Alpine style cheese. Even though this “Swiss” does not flash large holes or eyes as in some Swiss cheeses, it’s flavor is definitely “Swissy” & sweet! The rind is "semi-washed" so it’ develops a less course and dense rind compared to our Tomme & Cheddar style cheeses. This cheese is raw milk and is released for sale around 5 months of age. A great and approachable cheese that is perfect for snacking.
]]>
]]>
INVENTORY UPDATE:
We are now sold out of the wooden cheese boxes for the season.
Still available are the gable boxes (pictured below), square boxes, & vintage milk crate gift baskets (not pictured).
We offer both unique ceramic and compostable platter options for any size of party!
*Custom cheese plates require a minimum of 4 days notice.
Cheese 101 – September 18, 2017 from 5-7 $35.00 12 people
Part lecture, part hands on
Cheese. What is it and why are there so many different varieties out there? This class will walk you through what cheese is, why it came to be, why there are so many different types and variations of types, what to do when you are shopping for cheese and how to enjoy it. Also there will be a demonstration on making a simple cheese to enjoy.
Mozzarella Stretching – October 9, 2017 from 5-6 $25.00 12 people
Hands on
Mozzarella stretching. Is there anything more intriguing than watching cheese curd stretch and bend into shapes unthought of? That’s what mozzarella stretching does. This hands on class will walk you through the ins and outs of stretching mozzarella. Participants will have the opportunity to stretch mozzarella under the guidance of Cheesemaker/monger Brian. Take home the mozz that you make and some curd to have fun with in your own home.
Cheddar - November 13, 2017 from 5-7 $35.00 20 people
Tasting class
Cheddar. The name that brings about images of bright orange to pale white, sulfury to sweet. This cheese dominates the world of cheesemaking. What is it all about and why are there so many differences between brands? Why is a traditional cheddar wrapped in cloth and others in a plastic bag? Does the color actually make a difference in the taste? Sit a spell and learn why cheddar is so complex yet so simple. Taste your way through the different and varying types and flavor profiles that are presented in cheddar.
]]>
We are honored to have some of our menu items mentioned in the latest edition of Columbus Alive Magazine! Recently we launched a small limited lunch menu at our Cheese Shop as a prelude to what will be coming after our renovation. Read the full review here.
* NOTE: We are currently offering this limited lunch menu every Friday and Saturday from 11-3pm. On Monday, April 3, we are relocating to a temporary space within the North Market in order for our permanent space to complete its renovation. We plan to put a hold on our limited lunch menu at our temporary space during the renovation and will start again once we are in the newly renovated shop.
We are hoping to have an official "Grand Opening" for the newly renovated shop sometime in May. It will feature an expanded menu and cheese offerings along with other exciting news we can't wait to share with you. Stay tuned!
]]>
]]>
The Cheese Shop is owned and operated by us. It is a full scale cheese shop that focuses on artisan cheeses both locally and internationally made. We also sell cheese plate essentials such as preserves, vinegars, olive oils, crackers, & etc.
This is our temporary shop through the holidays. Our permanent retail shop will begin renovation in early 2017 at the same location.
Future space renderings below:
The Cheese Shop at the North Market
59 Spruce Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
Our hours are the same as the North Market. Open 7 days a week.
]]>
As the only Ohio based company to be recognized this year, we are extremely honored to represent and keep Ohio on the Good Food map!!
Full list of winners here!
]]>
Thank you CityScene Magazine for including us in your August issue! Full article here.
]]>Last month we took a trip to California to attend the Good Food Awards. The newest flavor in our product line "King B" brought home an award this year in the preserves category. We were extremely excited to find out that we had won our second Good Food Award, but what made this year extra special for us was being asked to speak at the award ceremony!!
Not only did John get to speak, but he also got to share the stage with a few of the most well known people in the food industry! We are proud to say we are one of three companies out of all eleven categories representing Ohio this year! A full list of winners here.
We made sure our trip was one to remember simply by enjoying every opportunity that came our way... some would call it "wingin' it". Most trips we've taken had specific itineraries planned before we left, so this was a nice change for us. Although we did see some of the touristy sights, we preferred getting recommendations from the locals. Some of the highlights of our trip (other than the Good Food Awards, of course!) were visiting Point Reyes National Seashore (and stopping by Cowgirl Creamery, how could we not?!!), Muir Woods National Park, exploring the wine country around Napa Valley, and meeting up with some old friends from culinary school.
Some of our most memorable eats were Sushi Ran in Sausalito, Sightglass Coffee at the Pier, Mission Beach Cafe (and yes, wait in the line, it's worth it!!), Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Coqueta on the Pier, Goose & Gander in St. Helena, and Vampire Penguin Shaved Snow in Sacramento. We also found a really great juice spot on our way to Point Reyes that we must mention. Juice on the Square in Santa Rosa was a real treat after gorging ourselves on food all week! We did not get to visit and taste at all the vineyards in wine country, but our favorites this trip were Merryvale Winery and Corison Winery in St. Helena.
We could have easily spent another week or five in California soaking up the good food and wine... but the jam was calling back in Ohio and we had to make sure we could still fit on the plane! We were tremendously inspired on our trip and made some great new friends. We now have a million more reasons to return to the bay!
]]>
In early November we were approached by Dr. Abram W. Kaplan from Denison University in regards to a class project for his Environmental Planning & Design Class. Evidently, a few of his students had attended a local township zoning meeting and had found interest in knowing more about our creamery facility and property.* Those students proposed to Dr. Kaplan the idea of using BRC as a case study for their upcoming project that focused on environmentally minded concepts for a business.
We decided that it would be foolish to pass up on this opportunity and with no hesitation, we agreed to this awesome idea!
We took the class to the future creamery site, gave them a tour of the land, and filled them in on our plans as well as future goals. As a class, they narrowed down the topics they wanted to focus on for us. The students formed groups and decided on their final topics of interest. They included Green Building Materials, Waste Management, Water Management, Energy/Solar, and Native Based Landscape Design.
For the remaining of the semester, we worked with the students on providing crucial information and details to them for their research needs. In December, the class presented their research conclusions and suggestions to us in group presentations. We were beyond impressed with all of the amazing details and hard work they had put into our case study! We honestly don't think it could have gone any better.
Some examples on the research conclusions included the opportunity to utilize solar panels on the creamery facility over wind power. The students discovered that our location was not favorable for wind power needs. They also elaborated on green building materials that would work out great for our very specific environmental conditions inside the creamery building. Almost all materials suggested were made in the USA and some even locally in Ohio... which is bonus points in our opinion! Continuing further, the students suggested some really great ideas for our composting and waste management needs and even engineered sample models for us! (see photo) After cutting off thousands of strawberry tops, as one example, we know we will have a decent amount of food waste available for composting. So needless to say, the information on composting opportunities will be extremely helpful to us!
Overall, we were blown away by the amount of information the class did for us and are truly grateful for having the opportunity to work with them and Dr. Kaplan on this project. We are almost certain that we will be able to incorporate the ideas the students created for us at some point in our timeline. We would love to extend an open invitation to the entire class and Dr. Kaplan (or any of you that may be interested) to check in at any point to see when and how we have utilized the recommendations from this experience!
*(In case you are out of the loop, we have been working a great deal with the local zoning board this past year on getting approval to operate our creamery facility within the township. Under current zoning conditions, our facility would not be approved. We are working with the board on creating a conditional use that would allow us, as well as other agriculturally based artisan businesses, to operate legally in the township without having to rezone to commercial.)
]]>
Edible Columbus Magazine recently interviewed us about our latest news and updates. We discussed everything from the Good Food Awards, creamery updates, and even our new partnership with Food52.com.
You can check out the entire Q&A here.
John also shared with Edible Columbus his recipe for the "Gruyére Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions & our "Sailor's Cider Jelly" pictured above.
For those of you interested in creating this deliciousness, the recipe is below. Enjoy!
Preheat pan over med heat.
Slice an onion into a fine julienne.
Put a bit of oil or butter into pan and heat. Then add onions.
You do not want this to really cook very fast otherwise you will have burnt tips on the onions and that’s not the best. Saute onions and move when they start to get a little color on them. Then let them sit until they get a little more color, then stir. When stirring be sure to get as much of the brown bits stuck to the pan off and on to the onions! Note: as onions get close to the finish they will tend to cook faster and you may need to adjust your heat down just a bit.
Repeat until onions are "Golden Brown & Delicious."
Pre-heat pan over med.
Take 2 slices sourdough bread and brush one side of each slice liberally with olive oil. Season the oiled side with some fresh pepper and a touch of salt. This will be the outside of the sandwich.
Optional: Drop a little bit of butter in the pan.
Put about a good tablespoon of Sailor Cider on the un oiled inside of one of the slices of bread. Put that piece oil side down into hot pan.
Layer with caramelized onions and then layer with gruyére cheese. Place final slice of bread oil side up on top.
Lightly press sandwich and let cook over medium heat flipping when bread is GB&D. Cook remaining side until GB&D and the cheese is melted.
]]>
Our good friends at Jorgensen Farms invited us to be their "Guest Chef" last month. So we created a locally focused menu featuring many of the farms own offerings as well as our fruit preserves. We prepared the food and beverages for over 30 guests. Some of the highlights of the menu are featured below.
We really enjoyed our day at Jorgensen Farms and look forward to partnering with them again in the future. If you are interested in attending any of their dining events you can check them out here. We highly recommend visiting the farm for a tour and to experience real "Farm to Table" dining.
The Buttermilk Glazed Pear & Carrot Bread topped with our "Bootleg Butter" was such a hit with the guests that we have decided to share the recipe with you!
Pears and carrots are currently in season, so be sure to stop by your local farmers market and pick some up for this recipe. We hope you enjoy it as much as ourguests did!
"PEAR & CARROT BREAD WITH BUTTERMILK GLAZE"
Makes 2 Loaves
INGREDIENTS
2 2/3 C. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/3 C. chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/3 C. shredded coconut
2 1/2 C. shredded carrot
2 C. shredded pear
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 1/3 C. vegetable oil
5 large eggs
PREPARATION
Step 1.
Preheat Oven To 350 Degrees.
Step 2.
Butter Or Spray Two 9” Loaf Pans.
Step 3.
Sift the Flour, Cinnamon, Salt, Baking Powder, & Baking Soda Together In A
Mixing Bowl. Add The Walnuts And Coconut To Mixture.
Step 4.
Make A Well in Center Of Mixture.
Step 5.
In A Separate Bowl, Blend The Carrot, Pear, Sugar, Oil, & Eggs.
Step 6.
Blend Both Mixtures Together Until Batter is Evenly Moistened.
Step 7.
Divide the Batter into Both Pans & Fill About 3/4 Full. Tap the Pans to Release
Any Air Bubbles.
Step 8.
Baking For About 1 Hour 15 MInutes. Be Sure The Tops Are Golden Brown
and A Skewer Inserted in Loaf Center Comes Out Clean.
Step 9.
Cool Loafs About 10 Minutes In Pans.
Remove and Drizzle on Buttermilk Glaze. Just Before Serving, Spread “Bootleg Butter” on Sliced Portions.
Buttermilk Glaze
Whisk a Couple Tbsp. of Buttermilk Into 1 C. Confectioners Sugar Until Desired Glaze Consistency Is Reached.
*The recipe above was inspired by the "Pear and Carrot Cake" recipe in The Culinary Institute of America's Breakfast & Brunches Cookbook, (2005)
]]>There is some great info on preserving for those of you that are interested.
Check out the entire read here, (pages 28-31)
]]>This project has been in the works for a few months now and we are so excited to finally share it with you! We found two great local printing companies here in the Columbus area that were able to deliver exactly what we hoped for in quality and customer service. Some highlights of the new look include a seal sticker with flavor name and batch number, a more resilient hanging tag with pairing suggestions for each flavor, a tiny blurb about how and where we source our fruit, and bar codes.
We have already started to incorporate the new look into stores and are in process of updating all of the locations that carry our products. Stop by any of the stores to check them out!
]]>We are proud to announce that our very own "Mr. Atwood's Jelly" won a 2014 Good Food Award!! As well, our beloved "Billionaire" preserve was also recognized as a finalist in the competition!
This award is very exciting for us, however also bitter sweet. The amazing farmer who grew the best Concord grapes we've ever tasted (chemical free none the less), Martin Zelones of Windy Hill Berry Farm, recently passed away. We are extremely heartbroken that we never got to share this great news with him. We will miss our dear friend and hope he is looking down on us and to his memory we dedicate and share this award.
For those not familiar with the GFA, below is a brief explanation of the national competition:
"The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsibly produced. We grant awards to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients. We host an annual Awards Ceremony and Marketplace at the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco to honor the Good Food Award recipients who push their industries towards craftsmanship and sustainability while enhancing our agricultural landscape and building strong communities.
In its fourth year, Good Food Awards will be given to winners in ten categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserve, spirits and our newest category, oil. Awards will be given to producers and their food communities from each of five regions of the US. The Good Food Awards seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good."
A complete list of the 2014 winners here.
While we were attending the American Cheese Society Conference this year, we got the chance to spend some time with award winning cheesemaker Katie Hedrich, of LaClare Farms. She was kind enough to talk cheese with us and share her experiences in building her creamery from the ground up. Although LaClare Farms has a brand new state of the art facility that utilizes goat milk, the concepts and operational flow will still apply for our own creamery, which for the most part, will focus on local grassfed cows milk. By the end of our conversation, not only did Katie provide us with some noteworthy ideas for our own creamery, but also extended an invitation to come help her make a batch of her award winning cheese, Evalon.
When we expressed to Katie how thankful we were that she was offering us information, contacts, and experiences, she explained to us that when she was in our position an established cheesemaker that she admired, took her under their wing and allowed her the same opportunity. The only thing they requested in return was to have her "pay it forward" someday and she felt that helping us would be her way of doing so. We could not pass up the opportunity and before we knew it, we were already planning our return to "America's Dairyland"!
In early October, we took Katie up on her offer and headed back to Wisconsin for what those in the food industry would call a "stage". We spent the week absorbing anything and everything we could. Not only did we make the infamous "Evalon" cheese with Katie (which we are still trying to get in Ohio.. hint, hint cheesemongers!), we also experienced how the facility runs on a day to day basis. Just a few of the highlights during our "stage" was an exclusive look and tasting of what other cheeses and experiments Katie has been working on, attending a private cheese analysis and dissection project at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, and playing with some of the cutest newborn kids around!
Overall, our "stage" was more than we could have asked for. We have great admiration for Katie and her family and are extremely thankful to be given the opportunity we had. We are looking forward to our opportunity to "pay it forward" in the future.
]]>In case you didn't know, cheese is our first love... the preserves and jellies are just a prelude to our cheese! Recently, we took our second adventure to the annual American Cheese Society Conference which was held in "America's Dairyland", also known as Wisconsin. Since we are in process of bringing our creamery into reality, we have been working hard to learn as much as we can about the trade and getting advice from some of the best in the industry along the way.
The ACS Conference is a great way for cheese makers, cheese mongers, retailers, and enthusiasts to experience the latest in the cheese world. They offer classes on everything from "identifying cheese defects" to "cheese curd tastings" and even organize one of the most well-known competitions, (if not THE most well-known competition) in North and South America. Some refer to it as "The Cheese Olympics"! During our time in Madison, we had the opportunity to privately tour a few creameries both new and established. All were kind enough to let us pick their brains and offered us great feedback for our creamery. We also had the chance to meet up with our consultants and get some serious work done towards the plans of our own creamery. We are forever grateful for the great opportunities we had with others in the field during our visit.
All cheese aside, we must mention the city of Madison. Madison itself, is a city that awes in more ways than one! Not including the natural beauty of being surrounded by lakes, Madison's pride is showcasing everything local and they have the restaurants to prove it. Bikes are the preferred method of transportation, where "eco-friendly" is practiced, not preached. If you ever get a chance to visit "Madtown" be sure to visit the nationally celebrated Madison Farmer's Market. (locals claim it's the largest in the country, and after walking through it on a Saturday morning, it would be hard to disagree) Honestly, we feel any city could learn a little something from their successes.
When we left Madison, not only did we leave with some inspiration from the city and more knowledge of the cheese industry, but we also left with some great new friends (not to mention, an obscene amount of cheese!). We are excited to be apart of such a great industry where knowledge is often openly shared and we are typically greeted with a warm welcome. We are looking forward to taking what we have learned on our trip and investing it into our own local food scene here in Ohio.
Next year's conference will be held in Sacramento, California. We can't hardly wait! The cheese is coming...
]]>
Looks like the word is getting around town... a big thanks to Columbus Monthly Magazine for featuring us in this year's "Best of Columbus" Issue! We are thrilled!!
]]>This is tiny glimpse of what goes into sourcing and prepping the fruit for our premium jams, jellies, and preserves. Here we have used our most popular preserve "Billionaire" to illustrate our common practices.
During each fruits' growing season, we are always searching the countryside of Ohio looking for small farms with the goals and growing practices that align with our beliefs in sustainable farming. Many of the farms we source from also use organic growing practices. This point is very important to us as we feel it is very important to keep the inputs in our food system to a minimum. This is not only for the health of the land but more importantly the health of those who enjoy our offerings. Our dedication to this part of the process not only assures that we are able to provide a superior product to our customers but also helps to support a sustainable local food system.
The secret to the intense flavor in our offerings is in the quality and condition of the ingredients we source. We are dedicated to sourcing the best Ohio has to offer. When choosing our fruit, we use all our senses, not just taste, but how appealing the fruit looks, how it feels in the hand, and the aroma.
After we source our fruit at the peak of ripeness, we bring it home and give it a gentle cleaning with water and organic apple cider vinegar and then an additional water-only bath in order to separate any remaining material from the farm. At this point we prep all the fruit and quickly deep freeze it in order to preserve the freshness and have a supply of fresh fruit throughout the year.
The creation of a preserve follows a recipe or a script that we have developed over time. No batch from year to year is ever the same. With variations in seasonal growing conditions some years our fruit is sweeter than others and we need to make minor adjustments to the recipe in order to present the flavors in all their glory. Here is where the science meets the art. And like any good chef, we taste, taste, taste!
With our jellies aside, we use no pectin in our products and this requires a lot of attention during the making of the preserve or jam. In order to have the preserve thicken up properly we must stir, often for hours on end and by hand, in order to get as much excess water out of the preserve. In the making of "Billionaire" we often spend up to 4 hours stirring the preserve. While we are reducing the water in the preserve we are also slowly reducing several bottles of wine. By reducing the wine at a slow rate we keep many of the nuances the wine has to offer the preserve and further reduce the final water content of the preserve.
We finish all of our products by hand ladling into every single jar the final product. We give our lids a brief dip in boiling water and screw each on by hand as well. We then give each jar a final bath in boiling water to seal the jars and assure that the product will remain safe until you are able to enjoy it.
We hope you can look at these steps and take home an example from them. Every dollar you spend is a vote you have. Every time you buy local food you vote for your health, the health of the land, and the health of your community. Local DOES taste better!
]]>