Imagine rolling meadows, the sweet scent of fresh cut hay and pearly white goats of all ages happily frolicking through the fields. This is the life of goats at Sweet Pea Cheese. Dorothy and Stanley Hayes are not new to farming or dairy production, but this endeavor is new in the evolution of their generations old farm . To know your farmer is to know dairy products that are full of flavor, nutrition and love.
The Hayes family has long had goats and enjoyed the milk for their own consumption. Dorothy began dabbling with making cheese on her own, gleaning tips from Ashfield's Rikki Carrols' book Home Cheese Making and attending seminars. After years of trial and error and much encouragement from friends and family who fell in love with her cheese the decision was made to make a business of Dorothy's artistry. A new building was put up on the farm and a state of the art cheese making facility installed.
Today naturally raised, grass fed and pastured goats contribute to some of the finest goats milk, chevre, feta and Greek style yogurt in our area. Fresh whole cows milk & yogurt and free range eggs conclude the offerings from the other residents of the House of Hayes. The animals are fed farm grown hay and corn, which is supplemented by a protein feed to give them a balanced diet.
Goats milk is full of calcium and the amino acid tryptophan. It is a good source of protein, phosphorus, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and potassium. It is a great alternative for people with allergies and lactose intolerance. Saanens Goats, like those at Sweet Pea traditionally have a lower butterfat content of
Unless you possess your own milking cow or goat and choose to drink their milk raw, it is unlikely you can find a fresher dairy product. The process at Sweet Pea is to milk the animals and pasteurize it, this takes a couple hours. Whole milk is bottled for sale. Cultures are added to fermenting yogurt, a process that takes one day. Feta is drained and chevre hung in cheese cloths for another half day. Products are available at their store or a farmer’s market immediately after. What you purchase in a grocery store is likely to spend more time simply traveling to it's destination than the entire production period at Sweet Pea Cheese.
Cheese curds and yogurt were introduced to their product mix over the past year. In addition to enjoying the traditional way. the yogurt makes a healthy alternative to sour cream. Cheese curds melt like a cheddar, for anyone with lactose intolerance this option is ideal for casseroles, pizza and any recipe you are looking for a creamy consistency to your cheese when it cooks. When the frenetic pace of daily farmer's markets dies down the Hayes are looking at creating a Brie Cave. Dorothy has been playing with recipes for this style of cheese to rave reviews. To make it properly they will need a controlled environment, much like a wine cellar. Unlike their feta and chevre, brie is an aged cheese. At least two weeks in in a set temperature yields that famous creamy center and distinctive taste. Hopefully it won't be too long before this is on their list of offerings.
Goats Milk is as delicious as it is versatile. The cheese is delicious spread on a baguette and it along with the milk add flavor and freshness to a dish, here are some links to ingenious ideas;
- Plain Chevre
- Garlic Oregano Chevre
- Black Pepper Chevre
- Cranberry Chevre
- Orange Honey Chevre
- Apricot Maple Chevre
- Traditional Feta
- Greek Herb Feta
- Milk
- Yogurt
Find it Locally:
The Hayes family is busy every day of the week bringing their product to the consumer. The cheese shop on their farm is open daily, in addition to the Farmer's Markets they attend Monday - Sunday in Season.
Sweet Pea Cheese Farm Store
- 151 East Street, North Granby, CT 06060
- Open year round from 10am to 7pm
860-653-4157
Farmers' Market Schedule and Location:
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Photo Credt: Sweet Pea Cheese
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Comments
Wow, great information... I'll be sure to visit the next time I am in CT.
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