Farmstead, Artisanal, Raw Milk Cheese
Harmony Encore
;)
What's does "farmstead" mean and how is it different from "artisanal"? Farmstead means "from the farm" and in the case of cheese it means that the cheese is made on farm from cows owned and milked on farm. And that's how we operate at Nature's Harmony Farm. This enables us to have a closed-herd of primarily Jersey cows that consume only lush grasses and hay from our pastures. No grain, not even a nibble, not ever. And certainly not any antibiotics, steroids or any other nonsense. Grass. Only grass.
The diet of grass only does present challenges to us in the form of very low volumes of milk (1-2 gallons per cow per day compared to 7-10 for traditional dairies) which is reflected in the price, but we believe that the taste and nutritional quality of the cheese is unsurpassed anywhere.
;)
As small-scale cheese makers, we craft every batch by hand. Indeed, we hand pierce the blue cheeses and hand turn/wash the washed and natural rind cheeses by hand every day. This is the true essence of artisanal production.
Our goal is to capture the full flavor and nutritional qualities of the milk and preserve it in the form of cheese. We believe that to do this we must use ONLY raw milk. Since our milk is never pasteurized we are required to age all cheeses for at least 60 days.
Commitment to Integrity
Heritage and tradition are very important to us so our cheeses are based on traditional European methods that are adapted to our local conditions in Elberton, Georgia. We embrace the fact that the seasonal nature of our grasses will lead to delicious and discernible variations in our seasonal cheeses. The taste of our cheeses reflect the diverse pastures, clean water and soil minerals that we carefully cultivate at Nature's Harmony Farm. Our goal is to create unique cheeses that showcase the taste and quality of our organic, grassfed milk.
We operate an on-farm licensed and inspected cheese plant and grade A dairy in the state of Georgia.
Cheese Varieties
We make four varieties of raw milk cheese.
- Elberton Blue, a natural rinded blue-veined cheese with a dense, flavorful paste that entices you to close your eyes and go "ummmm"; and,
- Fortsonia, named after the local community in which we live, this cheese will be carefully aged to intensify the salty-sweet flavors and nut and brown butter aromas of the best Gruyere. Aged 12-16 months.
- Georgia Gold, a clothbound cheddar cheese aged 12 months and smeared with lard from our own Ossabaw Island hogs. VERY LIMITED PRODUCTION.
- Harmony Encore, a raw milk, washed-rind creamy cheese that is unlike any cheese on the market. Aged 60 days.
Facts about our cheese
All made on-farm;- 100% raw milk from Jersey cows;
- Based on European traditions;
- Hand-made, small batches;
- 100% rBST free-milk (no added Bovine Growth-Hormone, of course!);
- Our cows are on pasture 100% of the time, in ALL seasons; and,
- All whey used on farm as feed for woodlot raised pigs.
;)
Where to Buy
Retail establishments carrying Nature's Harmony Farmstead cheese include:
Earth Fare, Athens, GA
Star Provisions, Atlanta, GA
Big City Bread, Athens, GA
Heirloom Cafe, Athens, GA
