Local Cheese and Cider Tasting The Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market will host a Local Cheese and Cider Tasting event on Saturday, December 23rd from 1:00 – 4:00pm in the lobby of the Paradise Center for the Arts. Featured cheese and cider makers include Singing Hills Goat Dairy, Shepherd’s Way, CannonBelles Cheese and Keepsake Cidery. Visitors will have the opportunity to visit with the cheese and cider makers; sample products; and purchase or order local cheese and cider. This event is free and open to the public.
About the Cheesemakers All of the cheesemakers participating in this event are from Rice and Goodhue Counties. Singing Hills Goat Dairy, owner Lynn Reeck, has been producing goat’s milk cheese at her micro dairy since 2010. She produces fresh, classic goat’s milk cheese such as chevre, feta and cheese curds. To add a twist, she offers different flavors depending on the season. Lynne also recently started producing a goat milk caramel that has been a hit at farmers’ markets in Minneapolis where Singing Hills sells most of their products. Come visit Lynn on Saturday to ask her about how to make goat milk cheese. Shepherd’s Way Farm produces artisanal sheep milk cheese. Located in Nerstrand, owners Steven Read and Jodie Ohlsen raise about 200 sheep and produce sheep milk cheese year-round. Jodie, the cheesemaker, makes award winning cheese including Friesago and Big Woods Blue, as well as ricotta, tomme and other cheeses made in small batches. You can find their cheeses at specialty groceries including Just Foods in Northfield, Twin Cities farmers’ markets and by ordering a subscription to Shepherd’s Way CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that allows consumers the chance to buy a year’s supply of cheese. CannonBelles Cheese, from Cannon Falls, started making cheese a little over a year ago when three female co-owners, Deeann Lufkin, Jackie Ohmann, and Kathy Hupf, decided to make their hobby into a business. In less than two years, they have won the American Cheese Society award for Best Queso Fresco. Their cheeses are all made from cow’s milk sourced locally. Aside from queso fresco, they offer cheddar, gouda and eight flavors of cheese curds. CannonBelles has been a vendor at the Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market since it began in 2016.
About the Cidermaker
Keepsake Cidery, named after the Keepsake apple, is a family owned and operated cidery and orchard located in Dundas. Owners Nate and Tracy produce hard cider on-site. In 2017 they opened a sampling room for people to visit and try the ciders during warmer months. They currently produce four types of hard cider, many of which can be purchased at local liquor stores. People interested in enjoying local cider year-round, can join the Keepsake Cidery Club. Visit Nate, the cidermaker, on Saturday to ask him about the cider making process and how to join the cider club.
About the Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market
The Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market is a food and farm-focused market that brings local farmers and food artisans together to share local goods with the Faribault community. Saturday, December 23rd 1:00-4:00pm is the final day of the 2017 market season, however it will open again in 2018 on the first Saturday of February, March, and April. The winter farmers’ market is held at the Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault. The Paradise Center for the Arts’ Holly Days Sale with creations from local artisans that also ends on December 23rd. To find more information and updates about the Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market, visit the Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market Facebook page or follow faribaultfarmersmarket on Instagram.
For more information about the Local Cheese and Cider Tasting Event, contact the Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market Manager Tiffany Tripp at tatrippmn@gmail.com.
Event Information:
Local Cheese and Cider Tasting (Faribault Winter Farmers’ Market)
Saturday, December 23rd, 2017
Location: Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave. N, Faribault MN 55021
Cost: Free
Date and Time
Saturday Dec 23, 2017
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM CST
December 23, 2017 1-4pm
Location
Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave. N, Faribault MN 55021
Fees/Admission
FREE