Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival

Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival

/ dkaltenb / Leave a comment

The Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival, held on Saturday, April 7th at the Seattle Design Center (Sixth Ave S) showcased some of Washington finest cheesemakers, but also a number of local cider, beer, wine, and artisan food vendors.  21 and over.  This event is a benefit for the Cascade Harvest Coalition.  http://www.cascadeharvest.org/

There is cheese made from cow, sheep and goat.  There is organic, raw, and farmstead.  Farmstead cheese is a cheese made from milk from the farmer’s own herd or flock, on the farm where the animals are raised.  The types were varied.  Cheesemakers came from Tacoma, Seattle, Adna, Winlock, Bow, Chehalis, Vashon, Dayton, Freeland, Eatonville, Port Townsend, Omak, Fall City, Lynden, Twisp, Tieton, Doty, and Darrington.  Quite the mix!  After tasting many of, but not all, my hands-down favorite is Dinah’s Cheese from Kurtwood Farms on Vashon Island http://www.kurtwoodfarms.com/ – excellent quality! Cow/soft-ripened/bloomy/Aged 30 days/Farmstead.  Others that I enjoyed were Willapa Hills Cheese (Two-Face and Big Boy Blue), Beechers Handmade Cheese (Flagship), and Backcountry Creamery’s Trailblazer and Camp Chego.  Also, Mountain Lodge Farm’s table/display was nicely done as well as their selections…Chevre and Paradise.

For tips on choosing a cheese, you may want to consider the following:  kind/texture, rind, and age.  And for tips on how to serve and store cheese, check out these sites:  http://www.newpi.coop/Products/Cheese/HowtoEnjoyCheese.aspx;  http://www.artisanalcheese.com/products.asp?dept=1013

After tasting the 20+ Cheesemakers selections, most can be purchased at the festival cheese shop. Additional drink tickets could be purchased here as well. To try these tasty bites, be prepared to stand in line.  A suggestion…”light” live music would be nice as well as maybe to incorporate the artisan cheeses in specialty dishes made by local restaurants.  To view the full list of Cheesemakers, Sponsors, Artisan Food, Wine, Beer, and Cider vendors, check out:  http://washingtonartisancheese.com/

Hello April!

/ dkaltenb / Leave a comment

It is April 1st and it is a time to think ahead to sunnier days and the upcoming festival season.  Have you started getting tickets to the plethora of summer concerts?  Did you know that this March was the 3rd wettest on record for March in Seattle history?  Why am I thinking Summer when it is Spring?  It’s the time of year to Spring ahead, right?

Looking for something to do this month?  Here is a sampling of ideas:

  • Head to Mount Vernon (and surrounding towns) to see the tulip fields – the largest display in the great US of A
  • It’s National Park Week – admission to the National Park’s is free all week April 21 – April 29th
  • Enjoy a new restaurant during Seattle Restaurant Week – April 8 – 12th and 15 – 19th
  • Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival – April 7th at the Seattle Design Center
  • The Space Needle starts their 50-year celebration this month (a separate post coming soon)
  • Pike Place Market – April 20th Arcade Lights: a celebration of artisan food, beer, and wine
  • Support a cause – how about the MS Walk on April 15th? Alaska Airlines Arena/UW
  • Go shopping for a pop of color
  • April 21st – World Class Crab Races and Feed, Westport, WA
  • Moooove on over to the Spring Fair in Puyallup – April 19th – 22nd
  • See the Pacific Northwest Ballet perform Carmina Burana and Apollo at McCaw Hall
  • Check out the 3rd annual Mt. Rainier Spring Wine Festival in Ashford, WA on April 28th (2-8 pm)
  • Astoria, OR hosts the 30th annual Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival – April 27, 28, 29th
  • Take a walk on a trail closest to you…or maybe within four hours reach?
  • It’s baseball season – get in to the swing of things with a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field
  • Check your listings for an Earth Day event
  • Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival 2012 at the Seattle Center