Being a something of a foodie, I always like to check out the local specialty foods whenever I travel. Having taken on the keto lifestyle, I find it harder to do this, as the vast majority of specialty foods tend are carb-based. But if you’re visiting dairy farm country, there’s always cheese.
Even before I took on the keto lifestyle, I loved cheese. In my explorations of various areas of the Fraser Valley, I’ve discovered a number of different, amazing small cheese farms, all with their own specialties.
Farmhouse Natural Cheeses (Agassiz)
If you’re taking a trip to Harrison for a picnic or a weekend of camping, stop in at Farmhouse Natural Cheeses and pick up some artisan varieties of goat and cow milk cheeses to add to your fatty food selections. It’s an upscale cheese experience that’s just a few minutes off the main road toward Harrison, so it doesn’t take you far out of your way. And it’s so worth it! They always have a tasting platter and if you want to try one that’s not on it, they’re more than happy to cut you a piece.
Cow’s Milk Cheese Varieties at Farmhouse
When it comes to the cow milk varieties, the Lady Jane is my favourite. It has a dense, creamy texture with a delicate mould-ripened crust. It’s no wonder it has found its way onto the menus of some high-end Vancouver restaurants. The Heidi is my second favourite, made from fresh milk produced on their summer pasture, with a rich deep flavour and smooth golden paste. It is similar to a gruyere but smoother and creamier. It works great table cheese, but can also be used for fondue, melting on French onion soup, and in baking and cooking. The Country Morning, a traditional Welsh-style variety, is my number three with its crumbly, creamy texture with a slight, nutty sharpness.
Either of the blue cheeses are distinctly different and delicious The castle blue with its semi-soft texture and a sweet undertone is a good place to start if you’re not a die-hard blue cheese fan. But if you want something with a bit more punch, go for the country blue, which has a more traditional stilton recipe.
Any of the fromage frais rounds, wrapped in various herbs and spices make a welcome spreadable addition to any appy table. The spicy garlic is my personal fave.
Goat Milk Cheese Varieties at Farmouse
If you only try one of the goat cheeses at Farmhouse, the Kabritt is the one to go for. It’s French mountain style cheese, aged between 6 months and a year, giving it a firm, compact consistency, a buttery texture and a well-developed flavour that I’ve never experienced in any other cheese. Highly recommended! The St. George is definitely worth checking out, a soft, mould-ripened goats’ milk cheese with a rich, smooth, texture and a flavour that lingers for your enjoyment. La Pyramide looks so pretty but I opted for other things the only time I saw it and it wasn’t available the other times I went. Literally shaped like a pyramid, it’s described as an exquisite, French-style goats’ milk cheese, ash-ripened to a complex, lingering flavour. I’m dying to give this one a try!
The goat cheddar and brie, both with the twangy flavour I’ve come to expect from goat cheese, are a refreshing change from the standard cow’s milk versions. \
Smit & Co.w Farm Cheese (Chilliwack)
Smit & Co.w Farm Cheese is a small, family-owned and operated farm and cheese-making business. It’s all about gouda in all sorts of varieties. They also have a number of local artisan foods, handicrafts and packaged Dutch foods. They always have a cheese tasting tray, and they usually have brewed coffee and some sort of pastry (not low-carb though) complimentary for visitors.
Smit & Co.w has so many different flavours of gouda, it’s hard for me to pin down my favourites. their aged gouda is one of my usual faves. They even usually have aged flavoured varieties, which are just as good. Some of the flavoured ones I’ve enjoyed include truffle, cracked black pepper, tzatziki, and garlic on the savoury side. Last time I went, I tried the pumpkin seed nutmeg, a slightly sweet gouda that is slightly reminiscent of pumpkin spice but in cheese form. It was refreshingly different and will definitely be one I go back to. They usually have a taster packs of 3 different varieties at a discounted price making it cheaper to try a few different ones, as well as a discount bin with specific varieties marked down.
They also have a few hard goat cheeses, plain and flavoured. I always lean toward anything of theirs that’s aged, but their basil & black pepper and curry mustard flavours are also both awesome. Their goat emmenthal is also a nice change from the usually cow’s milk version.
One last thing I almost always get at Smit & Co.w is a container of quark, which is a creamy cheese that lies somewhere on the spectrum between cream cheese and sour cream. It’s amazing with a few berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom. A drizzle of low-carb chocolate sauce works too if you want to make it a bit more dessert-like. They also have a number of frozen pork products in their freezer that are worth trying. I’ve tried their farmer’s sausage, pepperoni, and their bacon, all of which were fantastic.
Mt. Lehman Cheese Company (Abbotsford)
Mt. Lehman Cheese Company is on the smaller side of small business, making it that much more charming to visit. You basically have to walk through their family farm to get to their small, on-site store. Jason Dykstra is the company‘s sole cheese-maker. When I paid the store a visit, he had to ding their bell but was greeted by Jason himself after he finished off whatever cheese-making activities he was working on when I arrived. They didn't really have a sampling tray set up, but it's such a small store and I don't think they get much in the way of walk-ins. Rest assured, their cheese is good.
All of the cheese is goat cheese and pretty much all they sell is cheese. You could say they are your “goat-to” for goat cheese... if you didn’t want to get lynched for terrible puns. Most notable to me were their unpressed cheeses. I particularly enjoyed their blue capri, a salty, almost fudgy blue with a sweetness that lingers. Their Frisky is also delicious, with its cooked-curd bloomy-rind that has been ripened a minimum of 21 days.
Of their unpressed cheeses, the Mt. Lehman Tomme, a hard, brined and aged alpine variety is quite enjoyable. I also appreciated their gozzarella, which made for a nice change of pace melted onto a pizza.
Just Add Cheese
So the next time you’re heading out to the valley to enjoy the farm country, check our one of all of these places to make your trip that much better. There are few things in life that aren’t made better by adding cheese. ;)
Have you tried any of these cheese-makers’ cheeses? If so, which ones would you recommend? Please share your thoughts in the comments. :)
