holding out hope and harvesting microbes

in a few short weeks peter and i will pack up a couple hundred pounds of cheese and make our way to pittsburgh.  psyched that we can drive, cause if i can't build a tower i ain't going (to meet the maker anyway...)

i have mixed feeling about the annual acs shindig:  the organization has deep roots, and originated with the intention of supporting the cheesemakers, making a place to share knowledge and learn from one another, and in so doing making american cheese delicious and delightful.   and how i do love to see my friends; tasting what our folks are making is inspiring and humbling; for a small scale producer, it is reallllly expensive (the cost of attending acs determines our annual marketing budget, because attending acs is our annual marketing budget!);  i wish there were more programming geared to small scale, traditional producers, and i thrill whenever there is; we are honored when our cheeses are honored; still confused about categories, and flummoxed that lack of "flaws" = excellence; excited to have those all too brief conversations with likeminded people.

hope to see you there! 

Cheese tower