Great tips to continue for the new year from Dairy Farmers of Washington, by: Chelsi Riordan. 

If you’ve already Googled New Year’s Resolution Ideas, this is what you probably saw: eat less, sit less, spend less, read more, play more, meditate more, pick up a new hobby. For so many, New Year’s Resolutions conjure up the overwhelming idea of a complete lifestyle overhaul. Truth be told, it’s likely that many of your current habits can simply be reinforced to get you to a healthier you.
Our New Year’s Resolution Idea? Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt.

1. Keep Drinking Milk. Drinking milk doesn’t have to just be a big pour in your breakfast cereal and a tall glass with your dinner. Try keeping a fresh gallon in your fridge for:
   • Coffee: Add a splash to your morning cup or order sugar-free lattes instead of Americanos when you’re out.
   • Soups: Substitute half of your recipe for soup stock with milk, it not only adds creaminess, but substitutes sodium for protein.
   • Breakfast basics: Add a bit of milk to your oatmeal instead of finishing it with water. Milk contributes quality protein to a breakfast meal.
   • Warm it up: Hot chocolate, Chai tea lattes, and tea with milk taste great warm all day.
2. Keep Enjoying Cheese. An ounce of cheese (or about a standard slice) counts as a serving. Most find it irresistible by itself; but for those looking for some variety, try:
   • Enhancing a vegetable dish: Shred a dash of cheese over cooked vegetables instead of salt, try a hard parmesan cheese over roasted Brussel sprouts or a sharp cheddar over cooked green beans.
   • Melt it: Sandwiches (name your favorite) tend to be tastier warmed up. Toast slices of whole wheat bread in the toaster, add a thin slice of cheese then add your favorite toppings. Cheese keeps the bread soft and turns any office toaster into a deluxe afternoon lunch tool.
3. Keep Yogurt in the Fridge. Yogurt provides a nutrition punch and a healthy serving of protein. Keep individual containers or a full quart of your favorite flavor in your fridge for:
   • Breakfast parfaits. Keep some shelf stable staples around so you always have the makings for a protein-packed breakfast or afternoon snack. Granola, raisins, chopped nuts and honey all store well and taste great layered between scoops of yogurt.
   • Start blending. Since you already have fresh milk, add a splash to a few scoops of yogurt, frozen fruit and a small handful of fresh greens, bananas or other fresh fruits for a blended healthy treat.
   • Dip: Add fixings to yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
   • Substitute: Plain yogurt for sour cream in recipes (chili, beef stroganoff, etc.) or buttermilk (pancakes, muffins, scones, etc.)

Three servings of dairy a day is a part of a healthy lifestyle, that provides not just the nutrients but the taste you need to MAINTAIN a healthy lifestyle.

Give the gift of cheese this Christmas! Stop by our on-farm retail store or check out our online cheese shop!

10 Reasons to Shop Local This Christmas
1. Shopping Local supports our local economy. For every $100 spent in a locally owned store, $45 stays within the local economy and circulates through other local businesses creating jobs and positive economic development. 

2. Small local businesses have access to unique local products that make great gifts for that special someone in your life. Supporting  local businesses helps diversify our local economy by encouraging more entrepreneurs and more unique businesses.

3. Shopping local supports local charities. Local businesses support local organizations and charities that you depend on through their donations. Without your support, local businesses can’t help all the local philanthropic agencies that come calling. With your support, local businesses give back and help local causes.

4. Shopping local creates jobs. Small businesses are the nation’s largest employer, and according to the US Census Bureau, they create over 90% of all net new jobs. By supporting local small businesses, you create and retain jobs in our local area.

5. Supporting local business establishes our community leaders. What do most of our local elected officials have in common? They are small business owners or work as management within entrepreneurial style businesses. 

6. Supporting local businesses creates the community that we want to see. When you spend money at a local business, you increase building occupancy rates, help establish new businesses and create vibrant local retail, service, restaurant and entertainment options. Local businesses reinvest the money you spend with them to help create a better local economy.

7. Local businesses support other local businesses. When you spend your money with a local retailer, they spend money with a local advertiser, their local accountant, a local bank, the local office supply store, local product suppliers and much more.

8. Shopping local is green. Less money spent on fuel and packaging means a lower carbon footprint. Less time in the car means more time with family, friends and enjoying life.

9. Shopping local supports local schools, infrastructure and services. The property and sales taxes generated through local businesses pay our local teachers, fire fighters, police and support local roads and other infrastructure. When you shop local, you are literally helping to build our community.
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10. Shop local because we have many great local businesses that want to help you have a wonderful Christmas season. There is nothing quite like running into your friends and family as you shop your home town, and buying things from people that know and care about you. This holiday season, do more than just shop local. Invite your out of town friends and family to shop our community, and let’s have a wonderful Christmas season here in our rural community!

Acidifying (souring) milk helps to separate the curds and whey and control the growth of undesirable bacteria in cheese. Usually special ‘starter’ bacteria are added to milk to start the cheesemaking process. These bacteria convert the lactose (milk sugar) to lactic acid and lower the milk’s pH.
There are two types of bacteria used for this process:

1. Mesophilic bacteria thrive at room temperature but die at higher temperatures. They are used to make mellow cheeses, such as Cheddar, Gouda and Colby.
2. Thermophilic bacteria thrive at higher temperatures, around 55 °C, and are used to make sharper cheeses such as Gruyère, Parmesan and Romano.

Some cheeses are curdled only by acidity. For example, paneer cheese is made using lemon juice to curdle the milk and cottage cheese is made using mesophilic bacteria. However, for most cheeses, rennet is also added to the milk after a starter bacteria. Rennet is a mixture containing the active enzyme chymosin. Rennet speeds up the coagulation of casein and produces a stronger curd. It also allows curdling at a lower acidity, which is important for some types of cheese.

Milk is about 86% water but also contains fat, carbohydrate (mainly lactose), proteins (casein and whey), minerals and vitamins. Milk is an emulsion of fat globules and a suspension of casein micelles. These are suspended in the liquid phase of milk that contains dissolved lactose, whey proteins and some minerals.
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The chymosin in rennet breaks down the kappa casein on the surface of the micelles changing them from being hydrophilic to hydrophobic. This causes them to aggregate together, trapping fat and water molecules in the developing curd. Further processing of the curd helps remove more water and compress the curd to form a solid cheese

After separating curds and whey, further processing of the curds helps release more of the whey trapped in the network of micelles before it is drained away. The exact processing steps vary depending on the type of cheese. However, generally, the curds are captured, pressed and moulded to form blocks of cheese.
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Historically, whey was considered a waste product of cheesemaking. However, growing concern over the environmental impact of its disposal encouraged research to better understand the properties and potential uses of whey. Increasing scientific understanding and technological advances have led to a wide range of uses for whey and established it as a valuable coproduct of the cheese industry.

Cheese is left to ripen, or age, in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment for varying lengths of time depending on the cheese type. As cheese ripens, bacteria break down the proteins, altering the flavour and texture of the final cheese. The proteins first break into medium-sized pieces (peptides) and then into smaller pieces (amino acids). In turn, these can be broken down into various, highly flavoured molecules called amines. At each stage, more complex flavours are produced.
During ripening, some cheeses are inoculated with a fungus such as Penicillium. Inoculation can be either on the surface (for example, with Camembert and Brie) or internally (for example, with blue vein cheeses). During ripening, the fungi produce digestive enzymes, which break down large protein molecules in the cheese. This makes the cheese softer, runny and even blue.

And there you have it, the complicated science behind cheesemaking! 

Source: 
http://biotechlearn.org.nz/focus_stories/cheesemaking/the_science_of_cheese

This week Bonnie Mohr Studio gave me (Aubrey) the honor of being their guest blogger! I was completely taken by surprise of such a generous offer! I truly admire @BonnieMohr and her talented ability to portray cattle in such a beautiful and artistic style. She is truly a gifted lady! Below, is the entire blog post from the Bonnie Mohr Studio website, check it out! 

Guest Blogger, Aubrey Fletcher
This week Bonnie Mohr Studio is thrilled to have Aubrey Fletcher, Marketing Executive at Edgewood Creamery in Purdy, Missouri, be our guest blogger!
Aubrey and her family run a true farm-family business, where each member contributes to their final products. They pride themselves on their unique farming technique of intensive, rotational grazing for their dairy cows.  Every 12 hours, the cows rotate from paddock to paddock where they can graze fresh pasture. This system allows for quality raw materials, with proven results in increased butterfat and protein levels in their milk – perfect for producing quality cheeses! Yum!
Edgewood Creamery has received awards for Innovation Dairy Farmer of the Year in 2008 and Dairy Farmers of America Member of Distinction in 2012 – a true testament that their hard work and family contributions are appreciated!

Below are some beautiful words about Edgewood Creamery from Aubrey, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did at the Studio!  Aubrey has also included her famous lasagna recipe at the bottom, featuring three of their unique cheese products they sell.  If that tantalizes your taste buds, you should check out their website store for their entire product line (www.edgewoodcreamery.com); if you need help picking out what to buy, Aubrey gives us the inside scoop of the Top Sellers! 

     1. Cream-line Milk
     2. Chocolate Cream-line Milk
     3. Milk and Honey (Fromage Blanc)
     4. Edgewood Cheddar (Mild) 
     5. Fresh Cheese Curds 


Aubrey’s Celebration of Dairy Farm Life
As I look over our farm from my hill top view, I am astonished at God’s handiwork. To some, our farm may merely be 260 acres of pasture, grass and trees, but to me and my family it depicts our hard work and dedication.  
The dairy farm life isn’t always as easy as milking twice a day, everyday, 365 days a year and an extra day during Leap year. Dairy farming is early mornings, late nights, low milk prices, muddy boots, sweaty clothes, icy fingers, and achy backs. For me personally, dairy farming is working with family, raising your children, viewing astonishing sunrises, fulfilling dreams, watching new life begin and witnessing miracles day in and day out. 
I am proud to have grown up on a dairy farm and later marry a dairy farmer (what can I say, it’s in my blood!). In my 23 years here, on God’s great Earth, I have discovered the many blessings being a dairy farm kid has brought me. The friendships I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the memories of it all are my greatest treasures. 


As I was going through my college years, I wanted to be an advocate for dairy farmers everywhere. I wanted to shed some light on the industry that is depicted to be a 60-year-old man hand milking his cows while sporting Key overalls. I wanted consumers to understand the farm life that I treasured during my youth. I wanted to paint a picture of what it meant to produce the product that thousands of families enjoyed, because of my family’s hard work. 
And now, as we have begun a new journey on our farm, Edgewood Creamery, I realize I can accomplish the goals I set in college. I can promote dairy farmers. I can change the stereotypic view of what a farmer is. I can communicate directly to the consumers who purchase our cream-line milk and artisan, farmstead cheeses. I can take a picture of what it looks like to bring the goodness of dairy to the table of families. 

Edgewood Creamery has been a way my husband and I can continue on with the dairy industry and stay connected to our roots. My husband, Tyler and his father, Charles run the dairy operation. My mother-in-law, Melissa, her mother, Wanda, and I operate the creamery.  Establishing the creamery has enabled the dairy to survive the ever-volatile prices of milk. We are better able to stabilize our income by manufacturing artisan cheeses and bottling our own milk.
Working with family and having a farm has been a dream come true. Raising a family on the farm surrounded by family is truly a privilege, which is not taken for granted. The sun is ending another day, and looking over our herd of 300 cows, reminds me of my thankfulness for another day of this dairy life.

For more information about Aubrey or Edgewood Creamery, please visit: www.edgewoodcreamery.com or like us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 
Enjoy Aubreys delicious 3 Cheese Lasagna - CLICK HERE for full recipe!