woo hoo! I'm a cheese making apprentice now!

[fiddletree]

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and I feel like this is the place to brag since no one else seems to get it...

Somehow I am now a cheese making apprentice!  I live in Valle d'Aosta, Italy, and friends of a friend own a great dairy farm at the top of the Alps (above 1600 meters!) where they have mostly goats, but a couple of cows, and they make the best goat cheeses in the region. I can come in whatever morning I want and learn to make cheese with them... good for them because they get free help, and good for me because I get to learn to make artisan cheeses! Today we made a lot of goat/cow and goat Tometta, as well as something else (Robiolo?) that I can't quite spell right.  It's a really fantastic opportunity and I am learning a lot

Apparently in the summer when the animals graze a lot, they don't even need to use any cultures since it is all there in the milk.  They also don't need to add extra bacteria to the milk/cheese because the cave (literally a cave, under a giant huge massive boulder) is teaming with the perfect strains for all of the cheeses they make.  They just put the slightly dried out fresh cheeses in the cave and they do their thing.  Cheese making heaven!

[darius]

Whoooeee, what an opportunity!

[zenith1]

sounds like a dream

[Boofer]

Wow, you ARE a lucky girl. Learn well. A lot of us would like to be in your shoes, I'm sure.

Good luck.

-Boofer-

[MrsKK]

Huge congratulations!

[Marta]

Yup, we do get it 
I hope you'll keep us informed of your triumphs and techniques. 

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Italy, Alps, goats, cheesemaking, your time whenever you want

compared to

Me, In Canberra, no fresh milk, stupid weather raining all the time, sitting at my desk job al day infront of a computer with a face like 

Now I have one more reason to get out...

Good luck fiddletree, at least it is good to know that someone out there living this dream...

[iratherfly]

Congrats! Send some photos!  I love Robiola. There are 4 or 5 kinds at my local cheese shop. The cow milk mixed in the goats milk really settles downt he goatiness of the cheese.

[fiddletree]

Congrats! Send some photos!  I love Robiola. There are 4 or 5 kinds at my local cheese shop. The cow milk mixed in the goats milk really settles downt he goatiness of the cheese.

Robiola is super tasty.  I brought home a round of it (fresh) the other day.  Yesterday I helped make an all-goat robiola, and it wasn't goaty at all, though.  But then again, none of their goat cheeses are goaty, especially this time of year.  I'm writing a post about this, with pics, in my blog (www.appalachaintoalpine.blogspot.com) and hopefully will get it published later today. 

Oh, and yesterday after making cheese I got what appeared to be a job offer to work with a Michelin star chef at the best restaurant in the region!  This guy was just sitting there, eating lunch with us at the farm, and then I find out he's not just some dude and that he needs an extra hand in the kitchen!  A budding chef's dream come true!  Today I'm going to call him to find out if I can actually *have* the job, but I seems that I can. 

Something else.... this farm takes on anyone who can work hard.  If you want to travel to Italy for a few weeks/months, they have a WWOOF-type arrangement where they give you a place to sleep and food, and in exchange you work on the farm and help make cheese if that's you thing.  So it can be your dream-come-true as well

[Boofer]

Something else.... this farm takes on anyone who can work hard.  If you want to travel to Italy for a few weeks/months, they have a WWOOF-type arrangement where they give you a place to sleep and food, and in exchange you work on the farm and help make cheese if that's you thing.  So it can be your dream-come-true as well

Hey, now's your chance, Gürkan...a job opening! 

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

Fiddletree, congratulations on your experience!  Robiola is one of my wife's favorite styles (other day, just had a cheese bacchanal with robiola, tallegio - you listenin', Boof? - prefere de fromi, roquefort, camembert, comté). 

Thank you, too, for the WWOOF information.  We keep tabs on the organization's listings, for just such an opportunity as you're taking advantage of, now.  Many congratulations for your experience, and many thanks, again, for posting the information.  Have a blast.

Paul

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Only If I would Boofer, Mortgage, family, a lot of responsibilities.

I will suck it up for now. 

[Boofer]

(other day, just had a cheese bacchanal with robiola, tallegio - you listenin', Boof? - prefere de fromi, roquefort, camembert, comté). 

Drooling, actually. 

Only If I would Boofer, Mortgage, family, a lot of responsibilities.

I will suck it up for now. 

I feel your pain, brother.

At least fiddletree gets to live it. More power to her.

-Boofer-

[fiddletree]

Only problem is that I only rarely have the car (husband and I share one, and he usually uses it) and it's a bit of a drive....but I'm still lucky and it's a great experience when I can get up there!

Just a note... I don't think they are officially 'WWOOF', but it is 'WWOOF-like'.  Same thing, just probably not on the official register.  If anyone is ever interested, put get in touch with me and I'll get y'all connected. 

[fiddletree]

Finally got around to finishing my blog post about this cheese-making apprenticeship, if anyone is interested!  Lots of photos up, too Appalachian to Alpine