Connoisseur - Artisan Cheeses from Birchrun Hills Farm

Man cannot live on bread alone.  Indeed!  That’s why there is cheese.
   
Whether packing for a summer picnic, planning a dinner party, or contemplating my lunch options, I can think of no better food to consume than a wedge of hand-crafted, raw milk cheese.  Rich, filling and loaded with proteins, vitamins and minerals, it is my favorite way to start, end or even make a meal.
   
I am not alone in my love of cheese.  One of the oldest foods, its popularity dates back to prehistoric times.  It was a staple of the classical Greek and Roman diet and essential Middle Ages fare. Eighteenth century Swiss featured it in fondues, the communal melted cheese dish that captivated America in the 1960’s.  Twenty-first century Europeans offer it as a dinner course.  In France alone there are close to 400 different types of cheese.   
Today artisan cheese appears as an ingredient, appetizer and course on dinner menus throughout the U.S.  In my house no meal is complete without a little bite of feta, Gruyere or blue cheese. 

With the emergence of local, small-scale cheese makers I no longer need to travel far to get my cheese fix.  Whether at my local farmer’s market, gourmet shop or whole foods store I am bound to find a quality dairy product.  As of late, that means buying Birchrun Hills Farm’s Highland Alpine or Birchrun Blue cheeses.

Located in the highlands of Birchrun Hills in West Vincent Township, the 54-acre dairy farm is owned and operated by first generation farmers Ken and Sue Miller.  At one time the Millers operated Birchrun Hills as a CSA or community supported agriculture garden.  It was their CSA customers who “showed us the way to cheese,” says Sue, the resident cheese maker and former high school substitute teacher.

Requests for products made from the farm’s 90 Holstein cows sparked Sue’s interest in artisan cheese.  Her love of the food, appetite for creating, and desire to develop a closer connection to her Chester Springs community spurred her to take courses taught by renowned, Vermont cheese maker Peter Dixon. 

“If people know where their cheese is coming from, they will be more patient on the road with the farm equipment, more invested in the farmers, and more willing to support local, sustainable growth,” says Sue, who began this new venture in August 2006.

In order to showcase their milk the Millers focused on producing two different, high-quality cheeses.  Personal taste factored into the creation of Highland Alpine, a nutty, washed rind cheese with hints of Swiss and Gruyere, and Birchrun Blue, a delicate blue with a buttery yet earthy flavor.  Sue taste-tests each batch to ensure quality and frequently features the cheeses in meals so choosing types that she as well as Ken and their two teenaged sons, Randy and Jesse, enjoy makes perfect sense.

“Sometimes we eat so much, we all end up with cheese hangovers,” Sue says, laughing. 

By Christmas 2006 the first cheese was ready.  Friends and neighbors featured Birchrun blue at holiday parties and soon the first paying customer, DiBruno Brothers at 930 S. Ninth Street in the Italian Market and 1730 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, signed on to carry Birchrun Hills.  Since then a loyal consumer base has sprung up in Phoenixville at Ramondo’s Cheese! and the Phoenixville Farmer’s Market, at Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton and at Philadelphia’s Headhouse Farmers’ Market and the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market. 

“There is a tremendous interest in buying local.  Books like Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:  A Year of Food Life’ and Michael Pollan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ have really furthered that interest in the ‘buy fresh, buy local’ movement,” Sue says.

Chefs and restaurant owners have not overlooked this passion for investing in regionally produced foods.  Restaurants such as Talula’s Table in Kennett Square, Restaurant Alba in Malvern, Majolica in Phoenixville, and Southwark Restaurant and Bar in Philadelphia also carry Birchrun Hill’s cheeses.    

This interest in and popularity of their cheeses has “put a spark into the farm,” Sue says.  Ken adds that it has also showed them all the possibilities that could happen with farming.  Likewise, it has increased their already existing and shared passion for agriculture. 

The Millers modestly attribute much of their success to their livestock.  “The best way to have good quality cheese is to have the cows’ needs met.  You don’t lose sight of the quality of care for the animals,” says Ken, who always dreamt of becoming a farmer and has been raising cows since high school.  Birchrun Hills Farm was originally his grandfather’s property, which, as an adult, Ken purchased.  

Sue concurs.  “A happy cow is one that’s chewing its cud, laying down and relaxed.  Our cows are content.”

In addition to their property Sue and Ken rent farmland from neighboring landowners for growing feed.  While Sue raises the cows from calves, Ken tends to and mixes their feed using alfalfa, hay, soybean, corn silage, salt and minerals.  For philosophical and ethical reasons the Millers do not employ artificial growth hormones or BST.

Sue and Ken run their cheese-making headquarters at a nearby dairy farm that, 20 years ago, also produced cheese.  There they hand-craft roughly 200 pounds each week.  At any one time they will have several hundred wheels of cheese going, Ken says.   

Within an hour of milking their cows the Millers have poured the still warm milk into a vat and are ready to begin working.  As Birchrun Hills is licensed for raw milk products, the Millers can forgo pasteurization.  This, however, must be done for commercially produced cheeses and those aged less than 60 days.   

I, along with more seasoned aficionados, swear by raw milk cheeses.  They possess a richer flavor, a stronger aroma, and the beneficial enzymes and bacteria that are killed off during pasteurization.   

Those concerned about unpasteurized foods can take heart – none of the Millers cheeses are aged less than 80 days.  Pathogens are killed off by 60 days yet all the good enzymes remain.

“With artisan cheeses cleanliness is the key.  Cleanliness of the milking system, the cows’ udders, the cheese making facility, and equipment,” Sue says. 

After the milk has acidified in the vat and curds have formed, Sue will stir and cut them using a cheese harp.  “Harp” is an apt term for this tool.  Its long, metal spokes resemble the strings of the same-named musical instrument.  These slice into the curds to separate them from the whey.  The size of curds formed will help to determine the type of cheese made.  Smaller ones result in a firmer, drier cheese, such as Highland Alpine.

Once the curds have been drained, molded and pressed, they are aged on racks in the aging room, which has its own cooling system.  “You have to be exact with the heat and the aging time.  Otherwise, you create a totally different cheese,” Sue says.

Three to six pounds wheels of Birchrun blue age for 80 to 90 days.  Placed in wheels of 10 to 13 pounds, Highland Alpine gets aged for five to six months.   

Along with these signature cheeses Birchrun Hills creates seasonal varieties and flavors.  A firmer, buttery offering with “a bit of a tang,” Matilda’s Summer Tomme was a hot summer seller.  Fat Cat resembles a softer, creamier brie while the seasonal Red Cat calls to mind a “stinky cheese,” Sue says.

Prices start at $4.25 for a quarter pound at the farmer’s markets.  Costs at cheese shops and grocery markets vary from location to location.

How to store all these wonderful cheeses can be mystifying. Unless I have a copy of Steven Jenkins “Cheese Primer” or Rob Kaufelt’s “The Murray’s Cheese Handbook” close at hand, I am likely to forget how long a certain kind will keep.

“From the moment you cut open a wheel, the cheese starts to decompose,” Sue says.  “The refrigerator isn’t that great of a storage facility because the humidity is low.  Cheese needs around 80% humidity and a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Even so Birchrun Hills’ blue is good for a few weeks while the Alpine will last for a month or so.  Sue advises not to wrap any cheese in plastic wrap.  Instead, use waxed, butcher’s or freezer paper for storing.  Place the wrapped package in the most humid part of the refrigerator, such as cheese or vegetable drawers.  Additionally, put it in a Rubbermaid container to lock in the moisture before refrigerating. 

Experts instruct serving cheese at room temperature so that it exhibits the fullest flavor.  I usually pull out my cheeses about an hour before serving.  I also leave them covered until everyone is ready to eat.  Otherwise, they could dry out and become unappealing in both presentation and taste.

A cheese plate is the perfect way to show off the diverse aspects of Birchrun Hills cheeses.  Fruits such as grapes, strawberries, sliced apples, slivers of pear and figs pair well with both.  As for wines, Sue advises using reds as they can stand up to the flavors of the two.  She also advocates using stoned wheat crackers or a good baguette from such Philadelphia area bakeries as Sweetwater or Metropolitan Bakeries.  Sweetwater is available at Kimberton Whole Foods while Metropolitan can be found at Ramondo’s Cheese! and at various Philadelphia locations. 

Not relegated to appetizers alone, these cheeses can star in a variety of dishes.  Sue suggests grating them over a salad, sprinkling them over pasta, headlining them in a quiche or frittata, or featuring them on bruschetta.  She even adds the rinds to soup stocks to ensure a richer, heartier soup.  While I haven’t experimented with this, yet, I have used Alpine in a delectable cheese fondue.  With its intimations of Gruyere, a staple of fondues, Alpine is the perfect local ingredient for this Swiss dish.

When looking toward the future, the Millers envision market growth as well as an expanded list of offerings.  One cheese slated for the menu is feta, the white, crumbly, traditionally sheep’s milk cheese that is cured in brine.  Due to the need for quick consumption, feta will be carried at farmer’s markets only.

“We want to grow sustainably and responsibly and also keep the quality the same,” Sue says about the possibility of broadening their selection.  “For us, it is very satisfying to make high quality cheese.”

Birchrun Hills Farm can be contacted at 610-827-1603 or by e-mail at birchrunhillsfarm@verizon.net.  They are also online at www.birchrunhillsfarm.com.
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