I think winter has officially arrived! We received a lot of much needed moisture at the end of last week and hopefully it will all carry over so we can have a productive Spring and 2017.

We wanted to inform you all that we are currently looking at scheduling the cheese and bread making class for the first Saturday in February. This is all very tentative right now but for those of you that are planners (like me) it will give you something to shoot for!

As we mentioned before Brie and Cheddar are aging. Parmesan might be in the near future. What kinds of cheese do all of you enjoy? What kinds would you like to see us have available for you? We would love to hear from YOU!

This week Kris will have very berry yogurt (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and bananas) and honey vanilla yogurt available for purchase. We are also running a special that includes: 1.25 lbs. of Italian seasoned ricotta, 1 lb. of mozzarella, and 1 lb. of grass fed ground beef all for just $15. You can throw all these ingredients together to make lasagna, stuffed shells, or even spaghetti pie. We made stuffed shells last night with the ingredients and we both went back for seconds! Give it a try.

With Thanksgiving around the corner we wanted all of our customers to know how thankful we are for them! Without you, we would not be where we are today. We absolutely love bringing you the freshest dairy products available. Thank you to every single one of you for supporting our local small business. We hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving with their family and friends and maybe Diamond S products will make it onto the Thanksgiving dinner table! Safe travels to all!

~Emma for Diamond S Delights

It appears snow is on its way this week so hope everyone is finally ready for some winter. The great part about that is that we are getting that much closer to Christmas and we have some exciting news for Diamond S customers! Kris has been aging about 6lbs of Brie that will be ready about Christmas time, and would make for a wonderful appetizer during your Christmas dinner.

Below, five things you should know about this buttery, creamy crowd favorite: 

1. It’s a textbook bloomy cheese — and yes, you can eat the rind. There are three main types of rinds: bloomy, washed, and natural. Soft-ripened cheeses like Brie fall into the former category, owing their soft, white exterior to Penincillium candidum, an edible mold. 
2. Don’t be afraid to squeeze your cheese. The top and bottom of your Brie will always be firm, so gently squeeze the sides instead. They should give a little when the cheese is perfectly ripe. 
3. If you like your cheese mild, look for a gooey interior. As Brie ripens from the outside in, you’ll notice creamy, almost liquid edges — otherwise known as the creamline — surrounding a dense center.
4. Think outside the cheese platter. Mild and versatile, Brie is the default choice for holiday cheese platters, but it really shines when paired with something acidic, like zippy fruit preserves, to bring out its creaminess.
5. Store your cheese in plastic wrap. Really. Many a cheese lover will tell you to never, ever use plastic wrap — but a little plastic is the key to protecting your Brie’s creamy interior. Wrap the cut side in plastic and then put it in a box to preserve the integrity of the rind.

Kris has also been aging around 30lbs of cheddar that will be ready a while after Christmas. Aging cheddar is the only difference between the mild and sharp flavors. The longer the cheese is aged naturally, the sharper and more pronounced the cheddar flavor becomes. We hope to age it for quite some time to get that great, sharp flavor!
 
We’re excited to get some more cheese available soon, and as always we will continue with our milk orders. Be sure to subscribe to the blog for weekly updates!

~Blaise for Diamond S

I hope you all remembered to set your clocks back over the weekend for daylight savings time and get that extra hour of much needed sleep! We have been really enjoying all the nice weather here lately before winter arrives. Shipping day has come and gone here at Diamond S Ranch. Now it's time to wait for the next round of calves come Spring!

In the mean time, milk production has significantly increased here at Diamond S Delights with 3 cows calving within the last month or so. Miss Lizzy, Lila, and Hannah have all had bull calves and are currently being milked to help us keep up with all the milk orders and cheese making that is happening. I wanted to share with everyone some pictures of the calves. To the left is Miss Hannah's calf and below are all three of the boys enjoying the sunshine.

We are still taking milk orders and if anyone wants to special order organic sourdough bread please do so before Monday of each week.

I also wanted to remind everyone about subscribing to the blog. The subscribe feature on the right hand side of this blog has been updated so it's easier to sign-up now! All you do it type in your email address and an email is sent to your inbox. The email contains a link that you need to click on in order to confirm your address. Once that is done the blog will be sent to your email every time we post one!

Enjoy the weather and hopefully we'll have more updates soon.

-Emma for Diamond S Delights.