Our Craftmanship
Our artisan, or farmstead cheeses, are made in small batches, by hand, with a focus on tradition. The milk is from the VanDorp farm. We are committed to making the best product possible, and are motivated by our customers appreciation and loyalty.
Our sheep
The sheep milk comes from the sheep on our own farm. They graze on 150 acres of pasture as long as the weather permits. All the fields have electric fences to protect the sheep against coyotes and other predators.
As soon as the snow starts, we bring the sheep inside, where they can walk around freely in their pens.
In late fall the first lambs are born and we start milking the sheep twice a day in a double 12 milking parlor, 24 sheep at the time.
The sheep are being fed twice a day with hay and grain from our farm.
We milk the sheep for 200-240 days. Then they get a rest for a few months until lambing starts.
The summer is the busiest of the seasons when we have to cut the hay fields and bale it in large round bales we store for the winter to feed the animals inside.
Nutritional Value of Sheep Milk
Sheep are famous for the deliciously succulent cheeses their milk makes. They are efficient producers, only needing 100% grass to produce rich milk. Their milk is also naturally homogenized. That means smaller fat globules and more medium-chain fatty acids. This aids in digestion.
Gram for gram, the superiority of sheep milk lies in the comparison with cow and goat milk - especially in the differences between levels of critical nutritional substances like protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamins B6, B12 and D, the medium chain amino acids, linoleic acids and all 10 of the essential amino acids.
One litre of sheep milk provides the daily human requirements of protein, eight of the essential vitamins, calcium, phosphorous and several other essential minerals.
Check out the below chart comparing cow vs. sheep vs. goats milk. Hands down sheep's milk takes the top spot!
