With harvest season upon us, it is time to consider a locally made goat cheese that adds much delight to the freshness of this year's crop. Stickney Hill Dairy is growing fast in the local markets and with good reason. Through a combination of time honored tradition and the latest in dairy technology, they take fresh quality milk processed each day from their own herd to make one of the finest cheeses in the nation. Clean, fresh, tart, savory, and all the other mouthwatering expletives that describe great goat cheese are here. Where is here? Kimball, MN in Stearns County, the nation's tenth largest milk producing county. The Stickney story began when Truman Stickney arrived with his family in 1870. Already in 1879, the Stearns County Agriculture Annual Report recorded 500 lbs of butter production from the Stickney Farm.
In 1999, Stickney Hill Dairy was rekindled with a mission of producing the nation's finest quality goat cheeses. Their offerings seem to be constantly expanding and whispers of butter, ice cream, and seasonal flavored goat cheeses have been heard. (More info coming soon) Whether it is retail or food service size, their constant staple is plain fresh goat cheese. Provided all its uses, it's a wonder why every kitchen is not stocked with ample supply. From appetizers to dessert, Stickney Hill's crumbled goat cheese has it covered. Sure it's great on baguette. Served by itself could give ice cream competition as a formidable dessert. But what about these favorites:
Add fruit and honey for a first course or dessert
Combine with olive oil and your favorite garden fresh herbs as an excellent sandwich topper
Use a quenelle in a salad.
Crumble over fresh vegetables however you like them, grilled, broiled, sautéed
Perfect with the late season harvest of beets with dill
A great pairing with black mission figs
Delicious in your favorite pasta
And as for wine, you name it — 99.9% of the time the answer will be YES!
So what are you waiting for? Get 4oz or 4 lb of Stickney Hill Goat Cheese and enjoy the freshness of great local flavor.
As we launch our website, everyone here at Classic Provisions would like to thank all the outstanding artisan cheese-makers that help make us successful in everything we do. We are grateful not only for their wonderful cheese, but also for the passion and dedication that they devote to their craft. We're proud to begin our foray into the internet by showcasing some of our best local cheese producers: Faribault Dairy Company, Inc., Hook's Cheese Company, Inc., Natural Valley Cheeses, Roth Kase USA, Ltd., and Stickney Hill Dairy.