NATURAL VALLEY
Artisan Cheese
Natural Valley Cheeses are made with both cow and goat milk from a cooperative
of Amish farm families in south central Wisconsin. Old practices of
pasturing animals and hand-milking still take place on these farms. They
chill and store the fresh milk in metal milk cans. We pick the milk
up daily from the farms and then it is segregated to make specific kinds
of cheese.
The farms are situated in the Lemonweir Valley and driftless area, which
has long been associated with the “goat prairie’ stewardship program
offering a multitude of rare, protected and endangered prairie plants. This
wonderful mix of prairie is delectable grazing land for the animals. Their
milk has complexity in flavor that is informed by the make up of the prairie
throughout the seasons. In the end, we get to taste the seasons of the
prairie in our cheeses.
Our entire line of artisan cheeses require handcrafting with special handling
of the curd, specific forms to shape each cheese variety, and specialized aging
and affinage or ripening.
Some of Natural Valley cheeses are cave-aged, hand-rubbed, surface ripened to promote the full, complex flavors and old world appearances. Others are cellar cured and aged in the Wisconsin River area where the temperature and humidity are ideal. Our remaining varieties are brined and smoke-cured for the perfect finish. There is true passion for the art of cheese making at Natural Valley Cheese.
