On a frigid Friday afternoon this past January I fell in love. There's just something about little baby lambs, baahing newborns, taking their first steps.
A group of about twelve visited Shepherd's Way Farm near Northfield, guided by shepherd Steven Read and his wife-cheesemaker Jodi Ohlsen-Read. Led through the process of cheesemaking from field to aging room, our tour concluded with the opportunity to bottle feed fourteen hungry babies; a meal which needs to occur every four hours at this stage in their lives.
This generation of new sheep will no doubt experience many changes in their milk producing careers. Shepherd's Way Farm is in the beginning of a renaissance. Three years ago the farm suffered a devastating fire at the hands of an arsonist. The Read family (which also includes four sons) has been optimistic and hard working in the time since, continuing to produce award winning cheeses while building the population of their flock and the future of their farm.
Buying their milk at this stage in development, Jodi crafts a fresh queso fresco style cheese called Shepherd's Hope which is available in plain or garlic and herb. The moist, milky fresh cheese is light on the palate. Incredibly robust and complex, Big Woods Blue — which is named for the neighboring state park, carries flavors akin to Roquefort, and incidentally won first place in the Blue category at the American Cheese Society competition in 2006. Their flagship Freisago, a cheese made with the milk of their Friesian breed and originally modeled after Spanish Manchego, carries the terroir of rolling Minnesota fields with its buttery and nutty qualities.
As part of their fundraising efforts, Shepherd's Way offers the public the opportunity to sponsor and name a lamb. Classic Provisions couldn't pass up the chance and so as my heart melted as I fed the lambs, I set my eyes on one special lamb, mostly black with a neat little round white "lid" on the top of her head. "Special K"!
How long will it be before I can taste the cheese made with the rich milk produced by Special K? Many months for sure, but luckily in the mean time we have the treasures from the farm to sustain us. With the variety of styles crafted by Jodi, Classic Provisions is proud to offer the cheeses of Shepherd's Way Farm.
— Kristine
Kristine with Special K & Jodi Ohlsen-Read