by David Flint
The Gouda cheese is aging quietly in the “cave” and will soon be ready for sale. Gouda is the latest variety added to the line of cheeses produced at Berlin’s Mapledale Farm. It shares company in the aging room, called the “cave” by the Mapledale folks, with the Farmhouse Cheddar, the Classic Colby, the Pepperpatch Colby and the Garlic Colby. Carl Greene, one of the owners of Mapledale Farm, said the Gouda is creamier and moister than the cheddar. Given the Dutch background of this area, the Greenes thought it appropriate to try out a Dutch cheese.
Although the current cheese making endeavor at Mapledale is very recent – they produced their first batch just last April – cheese making on the farm goes back a long way and continued up to the late 1800s.
Greene said he believed the farm in the 1800s had their cheese made at the Berlin Condensary on the Little Hoosic River at the lower end of Southeast Hollow Road and that it probably was a type of cheddar. As poultry became the main focus of the farm, the cheese was discontinued. Greene said there are a number of reasons for bringing it back now that dairy cows are the focus. There has been a renewed interest among family members in being able to see the end product of their labors. Milk is sold on the wholesale market so you can’t hold a bottle of Mapledale Farm milk in your hand. The production of a semi-hard cheese fits well with the Holstein herd maintained at the farm and with the type of milk they strive to produce which is high in protein and butter fat. Beyond that, Greene said, expansion into cheese making, while only a small portion of the business now, is part of positioning the farm for the future and offers the possibility of continuing to grow a strong business, taking into account the area in which the farm is located. There are only so many acres available to support cows, Greene said, and the Northeast will never have the mega-farms of the West.
The cheese is not actually made at the farm on Greene’s Brook road. Batches of milk are sent to the Cooperstown Cheese Company in Milford, NY. Greene said this small company was chosen because it custom makes cheese for individual farms. They are well respected in cheese circles, and their products have been well received. They also have the expertise to advise as to what kind of cheese is the best fit for a particular dairy herd. Mapledale cheese is made there entirely by hand and entirely from whole Mapledale milk. It takes 10,000 pounds of milk to make 1,000 pounds of cheese. The Greenes help with the process when they can get away from the farm work. The milk is warmed in cheese vats and cultures are added to cause the separation of curd from whey. As the curd grows, the whey is drained and the curd is pressed into cheese. For cheddar cheese, when the curd forms it is sliced into cubes and then it is folded and knitted continuously and allowed to set. When all the whey has been drained, the cheese is formed into molds and further pressed and allowed to set again. Wax is applied to seal it and a week later it is ready to be transported to Berlin where it is placed in the “cave” at Mapledale Farm to age. The cave is kept at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and about 86% humidity. The cheese bricks, weighing 40 to 50 pounds, and the 8 pound wheels are flipped over every few days, and the color is constantly checked to see that they are aging correctly. Colby ages for 90 days. Cheddar ages for 90 to 120 days. Greene said that eventually they plan to age some of the cheddar for longer periods which will produce an extra sharp cheddar. A taste test by the Greenes and farm employees determines if the cheese is ready for sale. The cheese then goes to a commercial kitchen in Greenwich, NY, where it is cut and wrapped. The Greenes are working on constructing a room on the farm where they will soon begin to perform the cutting and wrapping operation on their own.
The cheese is currently sold online at Mapledalefarm.com and at a variety of local vendors including Hewitt’s Market and Corner Creations in Berlin, the Cherry Plain Pantry, the Berry Patch in Stephentown, the Green Pea Market in Greenwich, the Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, Goold’s Orchards in Schodack, the Canaan General Store and Duncan’s Dairy in Brunswick. It is also sold at the Hoosick Farmers Market on Fridays. In the New York City area the cheese is distributed to restaurants via Pampered Cow, a company organized to help market, promote and distribute New York State’s artisanal farmstead cheeses. To pick up cheese at the farm, just call ahead at 518-658-2419.
Greene said it has been lots of fun learning about cheese. Whole milk makes for a much more creamy, rich and flavorful cheese. He has also found that the same type of artisan cheese can differ considerably depending on the geographical area, and he has found it interesting to detect the slight difference in the complexity of flavor depending on the herd that produces the milk. “I always thought cheese was cheese,” he said.