Cheese, Please. And Eggs.

Oregon is home to a great purveyor of luxury linens, but our state is perhaps better known for its bounties of the earth.

Wine, hazelnuts, cranberries, Christmas trees, strawberries and Tillamook cheese just scratch the surface of this vast subject.

I met Chrissy of Kookoolan Farms last year at our Hillsdale Farmers' Market and bought a couple dozen eggs and a fresh chicken.

Since my son is on Spring Break this week (his French immersion school follows the vacation schedule of France!) and the weather in Portland was fine, we decided to stay home for the week and make day trips. Tuesday was country day and we headed out to beautiful and rural Yamhill to visit Chrissy, the farm and the farm store.

Since my cheese making kit had just arrived, I was on the hunt for farm-fresh raw milk to begin my new hobby as a cheese maker. Since Kookoolan Farms has three lactating cows, I found my source for milk. And fresh eggs. And a freshly killed chicken. And more supplies for making cheese.

Chrissy was welcoming and gave us a quick tour of the henhouse and more detailed tour of her hyper-clean and constantly monitored milking parlor. This is important, of course, when dealing with raw milk. We also learned how the self-service farm store works: you pick up the goods, write your own receipt, leave cash or a check or run your own credit card, and be on your way. You've gotta love Oregon!

With our two gallons of milk and assorted dairy treats all on ice, we headed back to sunny Portland so I could begin making some cheese.

After measuring, mixing, heating, agitating, stirring, draining, heating again and kneading, I made myself a pound of delicious mozzarella cheese and half a pound of ricotta cheese. 

Not white like store bought varieties, my fresh cheeses carry both the flavor and color of the pasture to the table. Crazy, huh?