Medias in Res - Definition

"Medias in res" is a latin term for when the story starts in the middle and not necessarily at the beginning. You join us here at LARK'S MEADOW FARMS in the middle of a story that began long ago and is far from its conclusion. We are learning along the way and we hope that you will come along on our journey. There is much to explore in the world of cheese!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Late, But GOOD News


The 2011 American Cheese Society Conference was held in Montreal last year. Kendall went and represented Lark's Meadow. With over 1700 entries it was quite a production and quite a competition. As always, ACS pulled it off in style and provided an amazing experience for cheese lovers from all over the world.
We were absolutely delighted that Dulcinea received two awards in the judging. In the category for Aged Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Dulcinea Extra Reserve took 3rd place. In the category of Sheep's Milk and Mixed Milk Cheeses Aged over 60 Days, Dulcinea took FIRST PLACE!
We were honored to receive this recognition for Dulcinea and as the last few wheels of Dulcinea from the 2011 season are being shipped off and we are setting our sights for the next season we are excited for what is to come.
Congratulations to Kendall our cheesemaker, Mark and Emily the owners and everyone at Lark's Meadow for earning these prestigious awards.





Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Pleased To Meet You


As people all over the country are trying our cheese and finding us online, one of the fabulous benefits that we enjoy on the farm is meeting new people and making new friends. We were delighted to meet a couple who have been traveling across the country ON THEIR BIKES, visiting farms and learning everything they can in their intense summer tour. Kevin Donley and Caitlin Martin rode there bikes all the way from Philadelphia to this side of the country. One pedal, one farm, one park at a time... That is the way they are doing it. There quest is to learn about local farms, the production of food, how to use food in good recipes all while enjoying their love for biking.


They called us when they were a few days out and asked if they could visit. What was expected to be a short tour, turned into a few days and all of us on the farm were sad to see them go. When they got here, they were in desperate need of a shower and some rest. We introduced them to our family tradition of tinfoil dinners made in the fire pit and as conversation ensued. We quickly found that there was much we had in common. Topics ranged from sheep teets to educational issues to favorite ice cream flavors.

In spite of their exhaustion Kevin and Caitlin were diving in to try things out (like milking sheep at 4:30 am, making cheese and pitting cherries) on the farm. New friendships blossomed. They were even gracious in the onslaught of our children's affections, bravely dealing with all the little girls who were vying for their attention. We talked them into staying as long as possible and were sad to see them go, but we admire what they are doing and didn't want to deter their progress on their tour.

If you want to see what they have been learning about food, agriculture and our farm check out the blog at http://headwind2011.blogspot.com/2011/07/cheese-thats-goodidaho.html.

Monday, June 13, 2011

The Farmers Market Season Is Here!

That time of year has rolled around again. Farmers markets are right around the corner and we are getting excited. We had a meeting to decide about which ones we would be participating in this year. It is official that we will be in the Driggs, Jackson Hole on the Town Square and Jackson Hole People's Market. Here is some information about each of them. We hope to see you there!


Driggs


Annual Teton Valley Farmers Market, every Friday from 10pm to 2pm in front of the Driggs Community Center. Locally grown and produced foods. Farm fresh veggies and tomatoes grown right here in the Tetons. Vendors will offer locally baked breads and cookies, fresh cut flowers, organic mushrooms, jams and jellies, and many other delicious items. Come see all the tasty goodies made by your neighbors.

100 Main Street (in front of the community center)
Driggs, ID 83422

(June-September)
Fridays,10-2 pm June 24 - September.


Jackson Hole Farmers Market on the Town Square
The first market of the year is always on Saturday after July 4th. This year that will be July 9th. We invite you to visit our market each Saturday during the summer from 8:00(am) to 11:00(am).

The market is located on the Town Square each Saturday throughout the summer. It is great fun for the entire community! Bring your family, friend or dog down to the Square to get your weekly groceries, listen to some local music, learn about a local non-profit, pick up a recipe and taste some great food and, most importantly, come enjoy the benefits of eating locally. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you this summer.

Every week the market will feature a non-profit organization. Using the honor system, the featured nonprofit will receives 10% of the total sales from each vendor. Last year the market earned more than $14,000 total for our local nonprofit organizations.



Jackson Hole People's Market


"The People's Market exists to build community
thru food, art, music and family, while celebrating
products produced locally. "

Every Wednesday 4 PM to 7 PM
June 22nd, 2011 - September 21st, 2011
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Located at the Corner of Gill and Willow Streets
Next to the Recreation Center

The People’s Market’s incorporates all aspects of the community by providing a venue to gather and enjoy what Teton County and the surrounding areas produce. The market will provide a venue for farmers, food producers, artists, musicians and brewers. Additionally the market will provide fresh nutritious produce and foods to low income customers through the Wyoming Food Stamps program. If we are what we eat, choosing foods from the Teton eco-system will produce an amazing, strong and beautiful community.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

What People Are Saying About Us

Check out what Ryan Kendrick of Salt Lake City Eats wrote about us on their blog.


Lark’s Meadow Farms Tasting

One of my favorite things to do is meet new, local food producers who have great passion for what they do. I love hearing their stories about their journeys to where they are now.

Thanks to a meet and greet held at Caputo’s market, I was able to meet cheesemaker Kendall Russell, from Lark’s Meadow Farms. Lark’s Meadow, based out of Rexburg, Idaho, creates delicious farmstead cheeses, meaning that it owns the entire production, from the cow to final product. While many cheesemakers truck their milk in from other dairies, Lark’s Meadow is able to maintain complete control over their raw product: milk. And speaking of raw, Lark’s Meadow only produces raw milk cheeses, meaning no pasteurization of milk takes place. Instead of pasteurization, in order to ensure that the cheese is safe to eat, a minimum amount of aging must occur for the cheese to meet government safety standards. Many cheesemakers (and cheese aficionados) swear by unpasteurized cheeses, insisting that the taste is purer and truer to history.

Kendall certainly has an interesting history in the cheese business. His only formal training consisted of a two-week internship. Other than that, he has self-taught cheesemaking, which is a pretty formidable task (and costly—Kendall told us that he had to throw away about $40,000 in bad cheese as a result of early mistakes).

According to Kendall, the act of making cheese isn’t a very difficult process, but understanding the nuances that go into making cheese, such as understanding differences in how milk tastes, aging temperatures, and humidity really is more art than science. One small tweak in any of these variables can have a significant impact on the final product.

Leland Cheese

We tasted three cheeses at the event. The first cheese is called Leland. It is a half sheeps’ milk, half cow milk cheese. Their cows are Brown Swiss, which are known for producing high fat content milk. It definitely shows in this deliciously creamy, high moisture content cheese. This one would be perfect for a decadent grilled cheese sandwich.

The second cheese we tried is called Helen, named after one of Kendall’s mentors. This cheese is made with 100% cow milk. It has some strong grassy notes to it, and has a distinct yellow coloration. Kendall mentioned that milk that comes from cows who graze in a pasture has a slight yellow tinge to it, due to the beta carotene that the cows consume in the pasture. Many cheesemakers add coloring to try to duplicate this orange-yellow coloration in their cheeses.

Dulcinea

The third cheese is Lark’s very first production cheese recipe, and I have to say, they nailed this one. While the other two cheeses were delicious, the Dulcinea knocked my socks off. This cheese is a very low moisture cheese. This rich cheese was nicely salty and nutty, and it even reminded me a bit of the sharpness you get with Pecorino, except much more rounded and subtle. The other really neat thing about this cheese is that as you eat a piece of this cheese and work towards the rind, the flavor profile changes dramatically to a much nuttier flavor.

All of Lark’s cheese is hand-produced, which, as Kendall said, means that he takes a lot of Ibuprofin since it is so labor intensive. Hand-pressing cheese results in some of the whey being trapped in the cheese, whose lactose then ferments into esters. It is these esters which give their cheeses some fruity notes that you won’t find in many other cheeses, contributing to make Lark’s cheese some of the most unique cheese out there.

Lark’s Meadow Farms cheese are currently available at Caputo’s Market and Liberty Heights Fresh, and they will be carried at many Harmon’s stores in short time.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Passers By

While we receive reports from other parts of the country that they are already picking food from their plants, gardening season has just barely come to Rexburg. We were delighted this last week to finally see the flowering trees blooming and to feel that warm weather is truly here to stay.
I say that with hope and a will for it to be so, but Susie is already predicting one last snow flurry here in June sometime, so we will hide and watch.


Each year at this time we get a large influx of birds and the morning air is full of a cacophony of avian songs. One temporary visitor that migrates through on the way to Yellowstone Lake each year is the Franklin Gull. On some days, if you have the time, you can sit for hours and watch as group after group pass by overhead, squawking to each other and all heading in the same direction.



This year they seemed to think that our flooded field was a nice stopping off point and a whole group of them paused for a snack and refreshment before they continued their journey. Like most gulls, their voices are not as pleasant as other birds, but their appearance is sleek and their antics are entertaining as they pass by.

To learn some other interesting things about Franklin Gulls click on this link-

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/featured_birds/default.cfm?bird=Franklin%27s_Gull

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Greener Pastures

This season's first day out on pasture has come! Slight cloud coverage today did not seem to bother the sheep in the least. While we were hoping for a little more sunshine, they were gleefully exploring every corner of the pasture. With their noses happily buried in the new green foliage they chowed down on the tender green growth. Watching a sheep's mouth move while it eats is truly a site to behold. The speed at which they are able to chomp down on things is really quite something and their mouths were really moving today.


Once they had filled up, they settled down and napped contentedly. With the new food will come new flavors in the milk and of course delicious nuances in the cheese. And speaking of cheese, there is going to be a whole lot more than there was last year. With milk coming out our ears there are daily makes. Out in the creamery there has been a lot of learning, a dash of experimenting, a smidge of tweaking and a sprinkle of well... mistakes. The result is that our cheese is getting better all the time and some new cheeses will be available soon. Some of those stories will be coming up soon.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Our Newest Little Lamb




Weighing in at 7.2 Margaret Elizabeth is our most precious little lamb this year. She was born on April 1st and has her daddy (Kendall the Cheesemaker) wrapped around her little finger. She is already showing some discernment for flavor and milk quality, so maybe she is a cheesemaker in the making.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us at this important and crazy time!