I think we’ve turned a corner, with sunny skies and warm weather. The cows and sheep are thrilled, milk production is really picking up, and it is time for me to get in the kitchen and make cheese!

The sheep have all twinned this year, which is exciting news for anybody on the list to buy lamb this winter. The girls are going to milk the ewes for a couple of weeks in May or June so I can make sheep milk cheese. I will be experimenting with cheeses that highlight the specific qualities of the milk, not just throwing it in with other cow’s milk cheese. Right now I’m looking at a recipe for Ossau-Iraty.

In other milky news, goats (not mine!) are freshening all around us, and very soon I’ll have lots of goat milk to play with, too. My favorite tommes are cow and goat milk mixed, and then there’s Valencay, Chaource-style cheeses….

I think it’s going to be a fun summer!