Oasis of cheese: Farmers markets stocking regional artisanal varieties to serve 'desert'

Published June 20, 2012 in the Commercial Appeal.

Lori Greene, one of the founders of the Cooper-Young Farmers Market, is passionate about cheese. When the market started a few years ago, she really wanted a local cheesemaker to be a vendor.

"There's a real desert around Memphis for cheesemakers," Greene says. "It's not a real easy thing to get into. There are a lot of regulations and costly equipment, which can require a big investment up front."

In addition, Greene explains that most dairies stay busy enough just caring for their herd. "It can tie you down," she says.

Finally, there is a learning curve for making cheese. "You can't just read a book," she says. "You really need hands-on experience to hone the craft."

There is such a high demand for local cheese that Greene considered making it herself after some success with ricotta and mozzarella at home. "It's not something I need to do right now," she says.

Greene started calling cheesemakers around the region, looking for someone who might represent other regional cheeses at the market.

"Everyone offered to ship me their cheeses, but no one wanted to take on the responsibility of organizing a booth," Greene explains. She decided she did have time to do that much herself.

Greene called Kathleen Cotter, who authors the "Bloomy Rind" blog (thebloomyrind.blogspot.com) and is a "cheesemonger" at the Nashville Farmers Market. "I want to do what you're doing, but in Memphis," Greene told her. Cotter agreed to help and now regularly ships cheeses to Greene to sell at the Cooper-Young Farmers Market. Greene cuts and weighs the cheeses and brings them to the market a couple of times a month.

Cotter knows a lot about cheese and has been a great resource. Some of the cheeses you'll find at Greene's booth include those from Sweet Grass Dairy in Georgia, Looking Glass Creamery in North Carolina, Locust Grove Farm in East Tennessee and Sequatchie Cove Farm in Southeast Tennessee.

"A dairy uses their own goats and cows, while a creamery buys milk from their neighbors," says Greene, who recently spearheaded a restaurant cheese and beer tasting at Sweet Grass Next Door in Cooper-Young. "It worked out real well to partner with Steve Barzizza at Southwestern Distributing. We're definitely going to do it again."

There is at least one regional cheesemaker who regularly comes to Memphis. Award-winning Bonnie Blue Farm cheeses from Waynesboro, Tenn., 150 miles east of Memphis, are available locally at the Memphis Farmers Market in Downtown and at Miss Cordelia's on Mud Island.

Jim Tanner and his wife, Gayle, moved to Bonnie Blue Farm in Waynesboro from Sacramento, Calif., in 1999 to retire. One day in 2002, the couple realized they'd already finished all of their "retirement" projects and were bored. "What if we had a dairy?" they thought.

They'd brought along their goats, and Jim says they had to milk them every day anyway. He contacted the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in Nashville and realized starting a dairy was possible. A couple of years later, they had created not only a dairy but also a food-manufacturing business.

Today, they sell a variety of cheeses made from goat's milk and a few from cow's milk. They have more than 70 goats, 42 of which are milking goats, and one Jersey cow named Eileen.

The couple run the milking and cheese operation, but they have four to five people who come in part time to help with chores and construction.

Gayle started making cheese almost 40 years ago. She completed a degree in culinary arts and took a short course in cheese at North Carolina State University, but basically she just gradually taught herself how to make it. Jim jokes that the first cheese she made was terrible. "The chickens wouldn't even eat it," he says.

Now Gayle can boast that she's an award-winning cheesemaker. Her repertoire includes fresh chèvre (plain and seasoned), fresh chèvre logs (plain and seasoned), feta, marinated feta, bandaged cheddar, Tomme and Parker, which is a Gouda style, all made from goat's milk. Gayle also makes Tomme and Gouda Moulin from cow's milk.

On Saturdays, Jim gets up at 2:30 a.m. to drive to Memphis to sell cheese (and eggs) at the Memphis Farmers Market. While in town, he also drops off cheese at a number of restaurants including Felicia Suzanne's, Rizzos, McEwen's, Interim, Restaurant Iris and The Elegant Farmer. Then he goes home, gets a little sleep and heads to Chattanooga on Sunday for the farmers market there. He also has a wholesale route of restaurants in other cities like Chattanooga, Nashville, Sewanee, Tenn., and Huntsville, Ala.

"I whine a lot, but I really do like the interaction at the markets," he says.

Goats are seasonal breeders, but the couple have enough that there is overlap to make cheese year-round. They recently built a cheese cave on their property to properly age the raw-milk cheeses. Fresh chèvre ages for about three days, feta for three weeks and raw-milk cheeses for four months to a year.

Their cheeses are called farmstead cheeses because they use only milk from the farm. "The characteristics of the milk change with the seasons, which in turn changes the flavor of the cheese," Jim says. "These are not factory cheeses."

Bonnie Blue cheeses are not certified organic because Jim says they don't want to go through the "rigmarole," but he said no hormones or antibiotics are used.

Jim calculated that Bonnie Blue sells 10,000 pounds of cheese a year and it takes 9,500 working hours between the two of them to make it. "Running a dairy with cheese is not a job; it's a lifestyle," he says.

Resources

Tours of the Bonnie Blue Farm dairy and cheesemaking facility in Waynesboro, Tenn., (bonniebluefarm.com) are available subject to cheesemaking and farmers market schedules. Small groups of two to 10 people are the best size. Cost is $10 per person and includes a cheese tasting.

There is also a log cabin available for rent for people who would like to stay the night or several days. Call for cabin availability. Rate: $95 per night includes tax. Call (931) 722-4628, or e-mail tanngoat@wildblue.net.

Websites

bonniebluefarm.com

thebloomyrind.blogspot.com

cycfarmersmarket.org

memphisfarmersmarket.org

Bonnie Blue Farms Goat Cheese Cake

2 cups Essencia dessert wine, (orange juice may be substituted)

Honey to taste

11 oz. mild fresh goat cheese, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar (extra for pan)

2 tsp. orange juice

1 tsp. minced orange zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 large eggs, separated

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 cups mixed fresh berries

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and dust with granulated sugar, pouring off excess. If using wine, reduce 2 cups to 3 or 4 ounces and cool. Add a touch of honey to your own taste. Combine goat cheese with the granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons orange juice and orange zest and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks, 2 at a time, incorporating them completely before adding the next batch. Beat in the flour at low speed. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until firm but not dry. Beat one third of the whites into the goat cheese mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and then bake for about 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a large plate. Pour Essencia syrup (or orange juice, if using) evenly over cake and arrange the berries on top and garnish with sifted confectioners sugar.

Yield: 8 servings.

Calories per serving: 220. Fat: 7.5 g

Source: Memphis Farmers Market website