After the Parade - Strolling of the Heifers 2010

Brattleboro, VT - After the parade was this fair with food and activities.


Ride 'em "Cow Boy".


Smoking is not allowed anywhere neat the fair or parade.


A couple kids showing of their climbing skills.


Young fiddlers.


Here is a unique activity, I don't think they would let me do this, there must be a weight limit.


The plastic bag dragon found a good parking spot.


If you are unable to negotiate the hill or are just lazy, these golf carts would shuttle you up and down the hill.


As I was leaving I looked down and saw this girl starting her trapeze act.


I didn't have the patients to wait in the long line for cheese samples, I waited about ten minutes and after moving about one foot I gave up. I wish they would break it up into smaller multiple lines, there were so many samples that people would spend a long time slowly sampling each and every one.


Smoked Mozzerella, this was from another cheese maker and the line was much smaller.

Crowley Cheese Factory

Healdville, VT - Crowley Cheese started in the Crowley Family kitchen in 1824. In 1882 Winfield Crowley built this factory which makes it the oldest cheese factory in America. The cheese the make is said to be like cheddar "without the bite". The FDA classifies it as Colby, but not yellow like in Wisconsin.


A worker is stirring the curd here.


Another worker is waxing a wheel of cheese, the mount the wheel on this crane and dip it into a vat of melted wax.

I think this is there "cellar" or maybe a drying room.


Samples of the cheese they make, stop in and try some.

Info from their website: Crowley Cheese Factory

Crawford Family Farm's - Vermont Ayr Farmstead Cheese

Whiting, VT - Sherry Crawford was nice enough to let me come to the farm and take some photos. Here is the "cave" where the cheese is aged. These wheels of cheese are Vermont Ayr, an alpine style farmstead cheese made from raw milk. Their website explains the process much better than I can.


This is the cheese room where the milk is turned into cheese. This is done in small batches and the process is started within an hour of milking, can't get fresher then that.


To keep bad things out of the cheese area, I had to put on a hairnet(not that I have that much) and special boots before I could go near the cheese. Is this a Glamor don't?


Here were some of those Ayrshire cows out in the field soaking up the rays and that clean Vermont air.


These two must be buddies, two future cheese makers.


"You Knocked"?

For more information: Crawford Family Farm

Willow Hill Farm Cheese

Milton, VT - Today I visited Willow Hill Farm where they make cheese from Sheep and Cows milk. It was raining so the photos might be a bit dark


This is the sign at the entrance of the property. It is not easy to find but thanks to Mapquest I was able to find my way. The sign is on the road but the cheese house is 0.4 miles from the road.


Two cheeses that I bought to sample. The one on the left is made from Sheep milk, the dark things on the outside are herbs. On the right is a Blue Cheese made from Sheep's and Cows milk; and it is aged in a cave.


Your cheese selection de jour.


Sheep out to pasture. I noticed that they have a Llama in the field with them to gaurd against dogs or coyotes.


Some of the cows.


In addition, they also sell lamb and pork; some of the pigs in the field.

For more information go to their website: Willow Hill Farm