Swiss Alps Cheesemaking

fx

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 15:00:11 GMT

Ah no tour exists to visit such places, all you get is a vague pointer of where the chalet lies, then you climb the mountain until you smell the smoke, and knock on the door. Bringing that kettle up there must have been quite an ordeal!

fx

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:00:02 GMT

Thanks for the tip

Vina

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:22:10 GMT

LOVE MMMAC N" CHEESE! Whenever i"m in Dowtown Boston/ Faneuil Hall area and I don"t bring mmmac n" cheese home Im in truoble w/ the wife, kids and Grandma.. we all love it! My faves have to be BBQ/Buffalo Chicken Mac, Cajun Mac (Sausage, peppers, onions, Cajun spices) bacon mac, seafood mac. In addition to the great food, great service, and great value is that they prepare your meal in front of your eyes made to order even the family platters that serve up to ten ready in 10min, I don"t know If that"s important to other people; it"s definitely important to me. Best mac n cheese, best place to eat in Quincy Market. Enjoy!

steve shapson

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:06:04 GMT

Love the copper kettle. Must be quite old. Must book a tour soon to see your operation. Be well.

Collection Agency

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:32:05 GMT

This cheese making is actually making me drool. Simply amazing so glad I click the link. Now I am going to go smother something in cheese.

Rick

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:20:24 GMT

Can you recommend an alpine cheesemaker that takes one-day visitors.(paying of course)

Ranu Ali

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 07:33:26 GMT

It is wonderfull experience, in India we started to taste cheese more recently but we love this but india is hot country there is not availble variety of cheese, but may be one day I like to come in switzerland and tast your cheese.

Hernan Coregoso

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 05:17:03 GMT

Me parece excelente el trabajo sobre la fabricacion de quesos en Los Alpes. Yo hago vinos en Mendoza Argentina, y estoy estudiando la posibilidad de hacer algo parecido con quesos en Los Andes. Si pudieras contactarme con Jenny y Christian los invitaria para ver si no quieren venir una temporada a hacer quesos en las monta�as Andinas. Quizas podamos inventar algo interesante. Espero algun d�a probar esos quesos.
Un fuerte abrazo
Hernan Cortegoso

Danilo Ibarra

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:52:42 GMT

FELICITACIONES:
Interesante tu reportaje, deseo comentarte que soy originario de una provincia de Guatemala Centro America, llamada Coban y se asemeja el clima y la actividad lechera y productora de quesos a Suiza, y que importante saber del esfuerzo que realiza Jenni y su colaboracdores para producir estos exquisitos QUESOS en nuestro medio no es tan rudimentario el sistema de produccion aunque si hay procesos mas tecnicos QUE DIOS TE BENDIGA EN TU TRABAJO

fx

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:15:04 GMT

Alex, this is a most inspiring story, Armenia looks like an amazingly beautiful country! I do love your cooking too. For the cheese I believe copper has stabilizing properties although I only read about it in matters connected to eggs. Copper is not in itself much toxic but it can develop green salts when in contact with other substances which will kill a horse. You need to wash it properly - but that is the rule for any material in contact with cheese. Please do send me pictures of your beautiful land by email!

Alex

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:13:54 GMT

I am writing from Armenia.
I enjoy your site and articles. I can just imagine myself there by just looking at the pictures. I am familiar with the life of shephards in the pastureland of Armenia. I used to manufacture natural dyed carpets with handspun wool. I can"t do it any longer after the fall of US$ in value.
I used to go to pastureland in the summer time to buy wool from the shephards. I have spent nights in the tents of local shephards. No lights, no sewer or any other trace of city life. There would still be snow left on the ground at the end of July and it would be exteremly cold at nights. This pasture is about 3200 meter above the sea level.
The shephard dogs would bark all night long trying to protect the sheep from the wolves. The sheep would be milked early in the morning and in the evening.
This particular pastureland that I had been to has a very different vegitation. Ther is hardly any grass and it is mostly flowers and other types of vegitation. The shephards used to tell me that the quality of the milk is much higher in this pasture. Some shephards would bring their cows along with them.
The cheese making in Armenia is very primitive. It is called panir and this name is used throughout Iran and India and it is Peynir in Turkish. Only rennet is used in making it.
I have been thinking of the idea of making Alpine style cheeses. I have ordered the cultures and rest of the necessary stuff. I will be using cows milk from this pasture next summer.I also do have copper kettles that I used to use in natural dying of wool. I have been reading how important the use of copper kettles are in Swiss cheese making. Most people in Armenia think that copper can cause poisoning unless the interior is coated with tin
Should I be worried about this ? I do have six kettles which are around hundred litres each.
I would also like to send some pictures of this pasture to you if you provide me your email address

fx

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:43:35 GMT

Thanks Stephen, I encourage you to knock at the door of any such chalet if you ever walk the Alps in the summer, people are very welcoming.

Stephen

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:51:14 GMT

Absolutely inspirational!

fx

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 06:47:57 GMT

Christine, thanks for your kind words! Apparently none of this cheese gets exported, I"m not sure they US health inspector would let it in anyway. The smallish quantities produced seem to be absorbed all by the Swiss market - man are we fierce cheese-eaters! Hold on for another article about a different type of cheese, this time made by three guys in the Gruy�re.

Christine Hyatt

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 17:17:01 GMT

Absolutely stunning photos and a peek behind the scenes that one rarely gets to enjoy. I work in the cheese industry and truly enjoyed seeing the true Alpine cheesemaking experience. Love it. Will check back more. Do you now if any of the finished product makes its way to the US?

fx

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 08:24:35 GMT

Elarael, thanks for dropping in and glad you liked my blog! Use the keywords/tags to find more articles like the ones you like, I have now over 200 articles and 2 more every week!

fx

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 08:19:28 GMT

Marie, thanks for your kinds words! A lot more is coming on Alpine cheesemaking, and then some more about Cheddar.
I visited your blog and love your pictures, so vivid! What sort of light do you use?

Marie

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:49:08 GMT

What an amazing blog you have, I just love the pictures! I feel that I have experienced cheese making in the Alps through your photo"s, I"ll definitly be back for more!

elarael

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 03:51:52 GMT

So lovely, this post, in so many ways! Wow. Only recently discovered this blog and looking forward to reading more. Many thanks for sharing!

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:25:21 GMT

Donsiranni, I have not Swiss dried meat for you yet, but I have found a really awesome Speck in S�dtyrol. That"s a whole pig, not just the fat big, sliced, boned, spiced, smoked and air-tried for a year. Hold tight, this one is right up your alley!

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:59:34 GMT

Parshu, you can visit or buy and eat, but not at the same time as these cheeses are then transported to a remote location for long term maturing, which takes up to a year. The little shack is only the week"s production!

parshu.narayanan

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:11:15 GMT

Lovely! Cant wait to visit, buy & EAT!

donsiranni

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:42:23 GMT

Great stuff,always hoping for more Swissy-don"t forget my dried/cured alpine meats request.History was never this much fun.

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:58:14 GMT

Cilla, thanks and hold on for more Slow Food articles!

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:57:16 GMT

Alfred, the cheese is quite creamy in the first 6 months, then gradually becomes more pungent.

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:56:01 GMT

Ben, that"s a thousand cheeses in 90 days - can your liver survive?

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:55:35 GMT

TonyK, they use a machine for milking.

Laura C

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:18:40 GMT

All I can say is AMAZING!!

Tony K.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:38:17 GMT

Great article and great pictures. Is all the milking for this cheese done by hand?

Ben McDougal

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:26:53 GMT

I would eat all that cheese, I wouldn"t move anything for a month... But I would eat it all!

Alfred Estakis

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:59:16 GMT

This people seem to have a lot of fun. I wonder if, their cheese is salty of creamy or perhaps they ad some natural mints to it.

cilla ehly

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:58:41 GMT

Oh....So Wonderful! I am mezmerized by the cows and imagining their bells echoing and blending with the winds as they slowly and deliberately eat through their lovely alpine meadows. Viva Slow Food! Viva the beautiful cheese makers and their 90 day zen devotion. May you travel well and thrive.

fx

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:31:57 GMT

Cynthia, would you consider doing the same and showing us how fishermen catch fish in Barbados and roast it on the beach? That would make for a terrific read!

fx

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:30:53 GMT

Jim, I think the charm of the place would fade off as the rain starts pouring and then converts to snow! There have been real cases of cabin fever in Switzerland in centuries past, much like Mr Nicholson in the movie Shining, they get crazy and whack everybody. It"s much safer to go up in the summer and safely come down to the valley in the fall.

fx

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:29:30 GMT

Aaron, they just don"t sell any hiking gear to rodents in Switzerland and that does the trick! At this altitude the only rodents are marmots, and the door is too tightly locked for them to get in.

fx

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:27:54 GMT

Paul, thanks for your sincerity!

fx

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:23:49 GMT

Jeff, thanks for visiting! You can see more of my 360 panoramas by clicking on the "360 panorama" keyword at the top of the article. Basically I put a 10.5mm Nikkor fisheye lens on a Nikon D300, then screw this to a 360Precision Adjuste head, which is then screwed to a Manfrotto tripod. That"s already a good 30 pounds of gear to carry. Then 6 pictures across, one up and one down. Back home, Lightroom to extract the Raw files, then I stitch in PTGUI, then split in 6 images with QTVR converter, and finally publish with Flash Panorama Viewer. Once you know how to do it, it"s not too hard provided there is enough light and people are not moving. Hope this helps!

Jeff

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:03:48 GMT

That was great, thank you! I hate to ask a geeky question in the face of this centuries-old practice, but with what did you compile that 360 panorama - it"s one of the best implementations I"ve seen.

Thanks!

Cow

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:35:53 GMT

Blessed are the cheese makers...

Paul S

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:55:02 GMT

How awesome. It makes me miss Switzerland. I visited Bellinzona and Lacarno in the canton of Ticino last year and I"ve been dreaming about it since. I tell everyone "I hated Switzerland" when they ask. Then, when they wonder why, I reply, "Because it"s one of the most beautiful places on earth and I can"t go back for a long time."

Thanks for the reminisce.

Aaron

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:53:09 GMT

I"m really a sucker for landscape, so your pics are great! However, I"m also a huge cheese addict, so I"m in danger of the drool shorting out my keyboard... :)~

One question though.....how do they keep the rodents out of the maturing hut?

JIm McDish

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:46:27 GMT

What an absolutely beautiful place. I would love to go hang out there for a lifetime!

JT
www.FireMe.To/udi

Cynthia

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:52:52 GMT

You take me on journeys and show me places and things I would never be able to see from my corner of the world. Thank you.

fx

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:48:28 GMT

Ouroboros, thanks for the kind words. Yes I"m trying to develop my reportage skills with off-camera flashes, available light is just not enough when none is available!

fx

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:47:39 GMT

Traci, when I reached my car after hours of walk and being smoked in the alpine hut, I longed for a vacation ... in the city!

fx

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:41:33 GMT

Marie-Louise, I am glad my little article brought back cherished memories of your drinking cold milk in a Alpenh�tte!

fx

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:39:47 GMT

Alex, there are cheesemaking chalets all over the Alps, however in September the cows go down until next June!

Ouroboros

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:47:28 GMT

Absolutely beautiful.

I"ve been following your site for quite a while, FX, as you know.

I propose a change of title from "blogger/chef" to "photojournalist/chef"! Great work!

O

Traci ~ Soup of The Day

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:18:43 GMT

Your posts always remind me I need a vacation from this big city. :)

Marie-Louise

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:06:06 GMT

Loved your cheese-making article - grew up in Switzerland until I was a teenager, then migrated to Australia with my parents in the early 70"s - Your article brought back childhood memories of Alpenkase and that ice-cold milk you could drink from the large bowls in the Alpenhutten. Wish I was there to taste the cheese next year - will look forward to that article.

ML