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“We’ve learned that specialty cheeses can save a farm. Helping others save
their farms is one of our top priorities.”
The Brovetto's Story:
When Ron and Corinne Brovetto moved to rural Harpersfield, NY from Long
Island thirty years ago,they knew they wanted to live a life more connected
to the land. So they purchased a 300 acre dairy farm and immersed
themselves and their four children into the life of a dairy farming
family.“We knew we would have no money,” recalls Corinne. “But we
wanted to save this 200 year old dairy farm. Our neighbors told
us after we’d been here 5 years that they gave us 3 years to make a go of
this…so we must have made it! There used to be 24 farms on this road, and
now we are down to three.”
The Brovetto's Farm:
After years of careful breeding, using nearly organic practices – their
Holsteins are not given artificial hormones and are fed pesticide-free hay
from the farm – Ron decided it was time to try making cheese from their
milk.
The Brovetto's Cheese:
“Ron’s always wanted to see if our milk would make good cheese,” says
Corinne. “So at age 65, we learned how to become cheese makers!
We decided on a Tilsit-style cheese, which is a cheese Ron remembers
fondly from his childhood.” Their first cheeses were made in the winter of
1999, and were well received by family, friends and neighbors. Next season
the cheeses were introduced to the public at local markets.
Harpersfield cheese is a creamy yellow color with a slightly sour flavor. The
cheeses are aged in the farm’s cave, and washed and brushed regularly for
two months to form a crusty rind. This protects the smooth interior, and
preserves the buttery flavor of the cheese. The firm-textured cheese
is fruity with a spicy tinge. Its firmness makes it well suited for slicing, and
it’s an excellent complement to robust beer and wine.
The Brovetto’s make a number of flavored Tilsits in addition to a very
popular aged Tilsit. There’s dill, caraway, sundried tomato and basil, and
two flavors that are making a splash in the brewing community: a beer-
soaked wheel, bathed in award-winning Brewery Ommegang
Belgian-style ale, and a hops cheese, speckled throughout with spicy,
fragrant hops. Passion, authenticity and taste – essential qualities of a
farmstead cheese.
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Holsteins are not given
artificial hormones and are fed
pesticide-free hay
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Ron Brovetto in the cheese cave
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Introduced to the public at local
markets in 2000
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