Time Flies

With some degree of shock I look at this blog and realize it's been a month since I posted anything. Lots has happened, so I guess it's time to catch up.

Sales have continued to blossom. We are on the shelf at Surdyk's, The Wedge Co-op, Premier Cheese, The Craftsman and Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis. We are also available at the Cedar Summit Creamery, and if you have a chance to visit, it's worth the time to make your way to New Prague. The Minar's sell not only their amazing line of dairy offerings, beef and pork, but goods from other local producers as well. Sales continue to hum at the St. Peter Food Co-op, and we've just been invited to be a part of the "Say Cheese" event at the Annual Great Grape Stomp at Morgan Creek Vinyards in Cambria Saturday, October 3rd. The event draws in the neighborhood of 3,000 people, so it should be a great opportunity to spread the word.

I'll be delivering to the Seward and Eastside Co-ops this Friday, and will be visiting most of the other Co-ops in the Twin Cities that same day. I will also be at Surdyk's on Friday, September 25th from four-to-seven sampling as part of their annual cheese sale. 40 cheeses including ours will be 20% off for the duration of the sale, which runs from the 17th through the 26th.

Checks have started to trickle in from vendors, and I admit to a small sense of glee endorsing them and dropping them at the bank.

Perhaps the nicest part of this month has been a handful of emails from people I've never met, who have taken the time to let me know they are fans of Alemar Cheese. It's sometimes easy to think of myself as an island, but now I'm realizing I'm more like a tiny but growing tree with a few more branches sprouting each week. So much for the similes.

The cheesemaking process continues to be a great source of wonder and satisfaction. Besides becoming more proficient with each make, I'm really focusing on how the cheese ages. I'm trying to find the best techniques necessary to extend the life of the cheese for our vendors. This is primarily a question of when to move the cheese from our aging room to refrigeration, and with a bit of coaching and experimentation, I hope to have this nailed down soon.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by.