Cows, cheese, and (wedding) cake ~ The Moo's-Letter

Published: Fri, 10/19/18

What beautiful autumn weather we are enjoying right now! Autumn is my favourite season, and I honestly wish that it would never end.

Earlier this year I sold one of my Jersey girls, Birdsong Princess Alexandra, and she is loving ranch life and all the attention that she receives at Montana Hill Guest Ranch in Bridge Lake. The adorable cow selfie with Lexi at the top of this email was taken by a sweet couple who were visiting the ranch from the Netherlands this spring.

Right now my Jerseys are divided between two farms, with almost half my herd on a friend's dairy farm outside of Enderby and the rest of my cows and heifers on my husband's dairy farm in Armstrong. Wednesday was classification day for the Enderby cows, and I was pleasantly surprised when Birdsong Princess Sophie and Birdsong Princess Zara both received a score of Good Plus 82.

My dear friend (and award-winning cheesemaker) Sandra Proulx made a magnificent cheesecake for Ben's and my wedding, decorated with fresh Okanagan fruit and flowers and complete with a Jersey cow and Holstein bull cake topper!

Fun fact: I made the cheese for our wedding cake! It was made with a blend of Holstein and Jersey milk and represents our favourite dairy breeds.

I taught a cheese making workshop at Montana Hill Guest Ranch on Saturday, October 13th to an enthusiastic group of cheese makers that came from as far away as Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. We made a traditional Gouda, covering everything from culturing the milk and cutting the curd to waxing and ageing the finished cheese.

I will be back at the ranch in the spring to teach a Parmesan workshop—look for details in the next Moo's-Letter.

Naomi