Our Icelandic Farm / Cheesemaking Adventure

[kstaley]

Hi All - 
In my introduction to this forum a couple of months ago, I mentioned that my husband and I were looking forward to an apprenticeship opportunity I had arranged in Iceland ... cheesemaking for me and farm work / learning Icelandic for him.  Below is my summary of our experience along with a link to some of our photos.  We're going to gear up to do another similar apprenticeship in the Azores next summer!
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We have returned from our working farm holiday in Iceland feeling clear-headed, physically refreshed and spiritually renewed!  This adventure proved, once again, that it is the people we meet and the experiences we share that make our lives richer.  We had the chance to participate in just about every part of daily life on this hardworking farm in this beautiful place with a lovely and lively family.  The parents and their five children are thoroughly grounded, with clear priorities and values ... truly connected to one another and their land.  It is not an exaggeration to say that this experience was transformational.  We completely disconnected from our usual routines by focusing on new activities and in the process, learned a lot about ourselves and about running a farm and creamery.  Coincidentally, I read this passage in Everyday in Tuscany by F. Mayes on our way home.  It perfectly summarizes the lingering feeling that Scott and I have about our experience:

"It is paradoxical but true that something that takes you out of yourself also restores you to yourself with a greater freedom.  A passionate interest also has a true-north needle that keeps you focused.  The excitement of exploration sprang me from a life I knew how to live into a challenging space where I was forced -- and overjoyed -- to invent each day." (p.

Some of the particular highlights from our trip include:

    * long talks with the creative, energetic and flexible-thinking farmer about family, farming, history and life ....
    * gazing at the seemingly endless green fields under a white-cloud-filled blue sky
    * listening to Scott practice speaking Icelandic with any willing participant!
    * staying up late to look at the midnight sun and getting up early to make cheese (Karen) and move hay bales (Scott)
    * blissfully restorative sleep .... aaahhhh ....
    * watching the laser-guided, robotic milking machine at work ... unbelievable!
    * being interviewed by the Icelandic Farmer's Newspaper about our experience (check out the article & translation under "Files" on our web page)
    * a visit to the Háafell goat farm and adopting a new baby goat for a year ... we named her Fliksa

Many of our photos are on this page:
http://ouricelandicfarmadventure.shutterfly.com/  .

We hope they give you a sense of what we experienced.

Karen & Scott

[Sailor Con Queso]

Very cool. Do they make any cheeses besides Grikki? Can you give us some details & a recipe for how it's made?

[BigCheese]

Sounds great. Did you arrange this through the WWOOF program or something similar?

[kstaley]

Very cool. Do they make any cheeses besides Grikki? Can you give us some details & a recipe for how it's made?

Grikki and Skyr are the only two cheeses they make for now ... their cheesemaker just joined in January 2010.  We may return in December/January to collaborate on some pressed cheeses that they'll be able to sell next summer.  The Grikki is essentially a feta.  To sell it, they cube the cheese and mix with various herbs and red onion/garlic.  I didn't get the specific recipe.  You may be familiar with skyr, although this one is made in the traditional manner ... extremely thick and scooped into 400g containers.  To use it, they thin it with milk, cream or a mixture, add sugar and sometimes, fruit.

[kstaley]

Sounds great. Did you arrange this through the WWOOF program or something similar?

Hi - I looked at the WWOOF program, but there weren't any farms in Iceland that are making cheese and who are members.  There are actually only about 3 farmstead cheesemakers in Iceland.  So, after a lot of investigation, I found this farm through Icelandic Farm Holidays and only because someone who works there is distantly related to the farmer's wife!  The farmers at Erpsstadir haven't hosted any volunteer workers in the past, so this was new for all of us!

[DeejayDebi]

The pictures are wonderful and it looks and sounds as though this was an experience to be cherished. Congrats!