Jackson Gets Cheese

We joined another market last week! The historic Town Square is the backdrop for Jackson Hole's delightful farmers market. Surrounded by old western style buildings and with gateway arches made completely of sun-bleached antlers, you know you have stepped into cowboy country. In Jackson they say that it is "not just a place, it is a lifestyle."

With tourists out in number, I was not the only one toting a camera around. Among the throng were people from all over the states and the world. We were excited to meet a family who officially became our most distant customers. A family of three from Korea ordered a wedge in soft spoken English and smiled shyly as we asked where they were from.

We quickly ran out of cheese as people purchased wedge after wedge and we realized that we will need to be more prepared in the future. It was also thrilling to cut open a wheel of cheese to discover another treasure. The much sought after crystals that are sometimes found in cheese when the lactic acids crystalize were waiting there to tickle our taste buds. These slightly crunchy little deposits of flavor are so delicious that we got a little distracted as we sampled the wheel with great excitement.

We are grateful to all those of you who have supported us and given us meaningful feedback. We look forward to visiting Jackson more often!

Small Town, Big Heart

The majestic peaks of the Tetons were beckoning as we embarked on another farmer's market cheese adventure this week. We headed down the road to a wonderful little town called Driggs that is about an hour away from Rexburg. In spite of the early hour we were refreshed by the clean air and sunshine as we wound through rolling valleys of swaying wheat, rich alfalfa and potatoes just poking first leaves up into the sun. Kendall was so enraptured by the experience that he began honking and waving at workers in the fields as we made our journey. They seemed unsurprised by the gesture and smiled widely as we passed.

Driggs is right at the base of the Tetons and the peaks are striking from every angle. The closer we got the greater the temptation we had to head off into the peaks for an exploration, but we resisted the call and continued on to one of the most delightful farmers market experiences we have had so far. Although Driggs is quite a small town, it is a much sought after destination. The cluster of pleasantly arranged bright canopies situated on green grass in perfect, sunny weather was quite inviting and natives and tourists alike showed up in number. We met people from all over the country and all over the world.

Our hearts skipped a beat when we met discerning tourists from France who quite obviously knew their cheese. They asked many questions about our sheep, the milk and the cheese itself. As they raised the sample pieces to their mouths Kendall and I searched their faces for any subtle expressions of either delight or disappointment. We sighed silent sighs of relief as big smiles broke across their faces and in impeccable English they shared their delight in finding "real cheese." As they purchased large wedges of both kinds we felt like we had just received an A on a comprehensive exam. Whew! They loved it!

With customer after customer explaining their delight in having a locally produced cheese that actually tasted good, we were delighted ourselves to open the cooler and realize that we had sold out. The personality of our customers, engaging conversation and pleasant atmosphere made time fly by. We had been enjoying ourselves so much that we did not realize how quickly the cheese was going.

What a bright and beautiful day!