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I work every day surrounded by cheese.
I spend a lot of time in the fridge sorting, rotating, and caring for the amazing products that we are lucky enough to source. It’s easy to become obsessed with the finished products, and how they taste, what they pair with, and when they are at their peak ripeness. It is easy to forget where the cheeses come from, and the hard work of the farmers and cheese makers. It’s great to have time to meet up with any of our local cheesemakers and see their farms and get a better appreciation of their lives, and the inspiration for the cheese they make.
For the last few years I have been hoping to make a trip to visit the source of one of our favourite BC cheeses, Alpindon, but it took until late this fall for me to actually manage it. After driving through some early fall snow and meeting up with a family of caribou, we arrived unscathed in Creston. Kootenay Meadows Farm is located on bench land just above the Creston Valley. The swath of farmland is framed by the Thomson mountain range in the distance, and dotted with sizeable looking farms. After a few wrong turns and a little sightseeing we arrived at the farm and parked next to their newly built shop. The first thing that greeted us was a few inquisitive cows, which seemed very appropriate!
The Harris family owns and runs the farm and Joe and I have been lucky enough to meet Denise and Wayne, as well as their daughter Nadine, over the past few years at various cheese events. Today we were met with Nadine’s brother Foster, who very kindly agreed to show us around the farm. We had a great tour of their facilities including the milking parlour, bottling line, and their newly built cheese shop which serves the local community as well as welcoming visitors in the sunnier seasons. Their adorable farm dog kept us company as we toured the property. The farm is in such a beautiful location that it isn’t hard to see why this lush farmland would be a good choice for this family of dairy farmers.
The weather in the Creston Valley is somewhat milder than that of the surrounding area and they get a lot less snow and harsh winter weather, so
it is perfect for the Harris’ farm. The cows are able to graze outside in the meadows from April until October, and that is the secret to Alpindon. This cheese is made only in the milder months when the cows are grazing outside on grass. Once they come in for the winter months the milk is used for other products but not the Alpindon. This practice is used in Europe for many mountain style cheeses, as the summer milk is so superior in flavour it is often used for cheeses that will be aged longer and where the true flavour of the milk will really shine.
Kootenay Meadows’ herd is certified organic and their approximately 80 cows produce enough milk for the production of Alpindon, Nostrala (another great mountain style cheese they produce), as well as the bottled organic milk that they sell all over the Kootenays.
Alpindon is made with raw (organic) milk and is made with vegetarian rennet. The wheels of cheese are rubbed and turned during maturation, and that is what forms the natural rind. Then the cheeses stay in their caves for a minimum of 4 months until they are aged enough to develop their full flavour. Often over the years there is a gap in the summer where last year’s cheeses are gone and this season’s cheeses aren’t ready yet. I’m always sure I will remember and stockpile a little but I never seem to manage it quite right!
All of these careful production details are important to the end flavour of the cheese. Cheese has very few ingredients, so the quality and flavour of those ingredients are what really count. If you start out with delicious milk that is gathered from happy cows grazing outside in a lovely lush valley, what you end up with is a cheese with an amazing taste, and unique to that area.
Alpindon certainly has the unique sense of place that being made in Creston gives it, and it has many attributes that you would recognise from a European mountain cheese. The texture is dense and slightly brittle, with the crunchy little crystals that are a result of the careful aging process. The first taste I notice is of toasted nuts, and although the finish is quite sharp, a little fruitiness sneaks in right at the end. Another thing I always notice is that this is one cheese that seems to have a finish that goes on and on. Five minutes after you have tasted a little bit you can still taste the flavour and you’re thinking you might like just a little more…
I’m happy I managed to get out to visit this great cheese making family farm. If you’re in the Kootenays you should drop by their new shop and get a chunk of Alpindon for yourself, and see one of the unique cheeses being made in BC.
