Why Many Fold?
*Manifold: *adj:
1.a. Varied or diverse in appearance, form, or character; having various forms, features, component parts, relations, applications, etc.; performing several functions at once; complex, difficult (obs.).
b. That is the specified thing in many ways or in many relations; entitled to the specified name on many grounds. Also (occas.), of persons: many-minded, variable; having many diverse capacities.
2.Numerous and varied; of many kinds or varieties. Formerly also: numerous, many; abundant (obs.).
3.Math. = MULTIPLE n. 2a. manifold to: that is a multiple of.
n.1.
2.Multiplicity, abundance, or variety (originally of material objects, now chiefly of abstract phenomena). In later use, also as a count noun.
3.That which is manifold. Chiefly Philos.
a. spec. In Kantian philosophy: the unorganized sum of the particulars furnished to the mind esp. by sense before they have been unified by the synthetic activity of the understanding. Also manifold of sense.
Origen: Old English, manigfeald
many
1.adj. (determiner). Designating a large (indefinite) number.
5.A company, host, or flock
fold, n.2
1.A pen or enclosure for domestic animals, esp. sheep.
b. fig., esp in a spiritual sense.
2.An enclosed piece of ground forming part of a farm, as a farm-yard.
-fold
suffix forming adjectives and adverbs from cardinal numbers:
1in an amount multiplied by : threefold.
2consisting of so many parts or facets : twofold.
Can I come visit the farm?
Absolutely! Just give us a call or drop us an email. Come spend the day or just an hour, bring a picnic. Better still, come on a volunteer day and help us weed whack, or build a bridge, or clean chicken houses. Check out our visit pagefor more details.…
Where do you sell your products?
We sell both retail and wholesale. Our primary market is the metro Atlanta area. At the moment, we are selling at The Peachtree Rd Farmers' Market, Fern's Market in Serenbe, and at Star Provisions. You can also taste our cheeses at The Hiland at Restaurant Eugene. You can also come by the farm to purchase. We will branch out to other markets as our business grows. If you are a retail outlet or wholesale distributer that is interested in purchasing local artisan cheese or high-quality pasture-based meats and eggs, we'd love know who you are!
Why do you want to be in farming?
Ha! The answer to this question could go on for pages. It's something we are constantly surprised by. The short answer is that we have cultivated a love of food and a love of land throughout our lives. We love to work with our bodies and minds together, and we are constantly amazed, in awe, and humbled by nature. It makes us happy and we feel good doing it.
How do you make cheese?
Cheese is made by carefully controlling the decay and spoilage of milk. It is an ancient process of fermentation, much like that of beer, wine, or pickles, that was used to preserve nutrient rich milk over winter and in lean times. The process involves the removal of water from the milk solids through the use of bacteria and the enzyme chymosin (rennet) which is furthered by a process of stirring, cutting, and pressing. Once the water is removed to an appropriate level, the cheese is aged in order to develop flavor.
What kind of dogs do you have?
There are two types of sheep dogs, herding dogs, like Border Collies, and guardian dogs, like Great Pyrenees. We only have guardian dogs on our farm. We use two types, Maremmasand Anatolian Shepherd x Great Pyrenees. We LOVE these dogs and we are always happy to talk about them!
Are you Certified Naturally Grown?
Yes! Our eggs, meat, and fruit are CNG. There is no certification from CNG for cheeses.
Will you be certified humane?
Maybe. We're learning what goes into this certification. We will, without a doubt be a humane facility to the highest degree, but we're still learning about the positives and negatives of this certification.
Will you be certified organic?
Probably not. Organic certification is a cumbersome process that we feel is not altogether necessary in order to market our products successfully. We are a grass-based farm, which means that all our animals eat grass and other forages on the land. Some animals, like chickens, require more than what the grass alone can provide, so we supplement them with a certified organic feed. Dairy ewes receive a small supplement (alfalfa-based) at milking. Additionally, sheep are vulnerable to some pretty nasty parasites that occasionally require some equally nasty chemicals to get rid of them. These drugs will save a sheep's life. We feel strongly that the benefits of these drugs when given as needed (and NEVER as a prophylactic) far outweigh the risks. However, until we develop the genetics for strong natural parasite resistance in our southern sheep, we will never be able to keep our animals alive and be certified organic.
Are raw cheeses safe to eat?
There is a great deal of controversy about the safety of raw cheeses in government regulatory agencies. Some cheeses, like fresh cheese and yogurt, must be pasteurized to legally sell. Other cheeses that can be aged past 60 days are considered safe by most state regulations when consumed raw. The logic behind this law is that most dangerous bacteria will either make their presence known or will die off before 60 days elapse. However, this does not necessarily guarantee safety. some bacteria produce dangerous toxins in milk that lingers despite pasteurization and despite the number of days the cheese is aged. Pasteurization may kill the bacteria, but the toxin it produces is still present. Milk can also be contaminated with clostridium bacteria, especially if the animal is fed silage or other fermented feeds. Although, after 60 days, cheese with this contamination will usually explode, so it's safe to say that it gets noticed. Most vectors for contamination of milk comes from animals that are unhealthy or a creamery that is not sanitary. Catherine Donnelly of the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese has a great article on listeria contamination and the 60-day rule.
The best way to ensure that the cheese you want to eat is safe is to buy from farms that process their milk very soon after it comes from the animal, that has a clean facility, and that keeps its animals in excellent health, feeds little or no grain, and that minimally feeds milking animals silage or other fermented feeds.
Do you make raw cheese or pasteurized cheese?
Both. We believe that both raw and pasteurized cheeses are a part of the cheesemaking tradition and both impart their own special characteristics. We believe both are perfectly safe to eat if they come from a creamery that is clean and that keeps its animals in excellent health.
I love Gruyere! Will you make Gruyere?
No. Unequivocally no. The French make perfect Gruyere, there is nothing we can do to improve upon it. We won't make Emmental, either, or Gouda, or Pecorino, or any other cheese you may already know and love. We believe that a cheese directly corresponds to the unique flavors and characteristics of a particular region. We would never presume to re-create the unique environment of the French alps in our cheese. What we will do is work to capture new flavors from a place that has never really seen cheese before: West Georgia.
I'm so excited! Why does everything seem to take so long?
I know. But patience is everything in farming. When you're working with nature and natural processes, things take time. In addition, we've never built a business before, and so we figure slow and steady wins the race.
Why did you choose sheep?
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (you know, the guy who wrote The Little Prince) said, “If someone wants a sheep, then that means that he exists.” We agree. There is something about them that just feels good and right. Apart from that, there are 5 other reasons:
- Sheep's milk has the highest butterfat per litre content of any ruminant (roughly 9%). Therefore, sheep efficiently turn grass into the highest quality of the stuff you need to make cheese with the least amount of waste (whey).
- Because of the high-quality and rich taste of most sheep cheeses, they fetch the highest prices.
- Lamb, the natural by-product of dairying, is a delicious, high-value item.
- Sheep are easier to manage than cattle or goats. Sheep flock well, so they are easy to move. They are very complacent animals, unlike goats. And unlike cattle, if one charges you, you're going to end up with a broken arm or leg, as opposed to dead.
- Sheep, because of their small body mass, are very beneficial to pasture under management-intensive systems.
What kinds of sheep do you have?
We primarily raise East Freisian) and Lacaune) crosses for our dairy flock. We also have some pure Fresians and some pure Lacaunes. We also maintain a small meat flock of Katahdin sheep). We are also looking in to breeding our dairy ewes with Gulf Coast Native sheepin order to improve hardiness in our hot, wet, Southern climate.
Are those eggs dyed?
Nope. They come out that color.
What kind of chickens lay the blue eggs?
What makes them blue?
Genetics. Chickens have a gene for a blue shelled egg, much the same way humans have a gene for blue eyes.
Are the insides different?
Nope. The shell color does not affect the egg inside; only the nutrition and health of the hen affects the inside of the egg.
How long do your eggs keep?
The legal answer is 40 days from the time it is laid, however, eggs keep much, much longer in the refrigerator; they only diminish in quality over time. For example, we recommend using our eggs for raw consumption, soft-cooked (poaching, coddling, etc), or more delicate baking (meringues, soufflés, etc.) the week of purchase. If you still have eggs after one week they are best for frying, scrambling, hard-boiling, and more general baking needs. If an egg is bad, you know it's bad.
What about lamb? When will you have some?
We have a limited supply lamb in the spring and fall of each year. Lamb will be sold directly to individual customers by the cut and restauraunts on-the-hoof. We also have lamb organ meats available.
Will you have any goats or cows?
Probably. We plan to have a few Nigerian Dwarf goats and a couple of cows or steers. Our main reason for the cows is to assist with pasture management. Cows do a good job maintaining pasture quality and help to break the parasite cycle in sheep. The Nigerian Dwarf goats are just for fun and a bit of fluid goat milk for us on the side.
When will you have cheese?
Right now! Our creamery operates seasonally, so we don't always have everything we make at the same time, but we almost always have something in the caves ready to eat!