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Thursday, April 24, 2014 Freddy & Linda Marks
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Pretty in pink
STRIKE ACTION Teachers began threestage strike plan this week as talks continue
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JESSICA PETERS / OBSERVER
Thousands of visitors flocked to the Tulips of the Valley Tulip Festival on Seabird Island over the weekend. The festival runs until at least Sunday, April 27, depending on weather. For more photos, see page 2.
Agassiz cheesemaker earns national award
BIRD COUNT Biologist seeking reports of barn swallows
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INSIDE news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 mailbag . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 community . . . . . . . . . 8 classiÄeds . . . . . . . . . 13
Jessica Peters THE OBSERVER
Debra Amrein-Boyes has earned plenty of awards over the years for the artisan cheeses she's created at Farm House Natural Cheeses. And most local cheese lovers would drool at the mere thought of a herb and garlic encrusted fromage frais, a smooth goat brie, or a perfectly crumbly feta. Now the Agassiz cheesemaker has done it again, winning two awards at the 2014 Canadian Cheese Awards. But it was not an overly exotic type of cheese that won the hearts of the judges. Instead, it was something that many people use every day – cheddar cheese.
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Amrein-Boyes's clothbound cheddar won the Best Aged Cheddar category (national), and Best B.C. Cheese. The awards were conducted by industry professionals, and were the first of what's expected to be a biennial event. It's a huge honour, she said, and "confirmation that the way we make cheese and the way we raise milk is good." Almost every cheese producer makes a cheddar, meaning Farm House's offering was competing against a large pool of contenders. But their cheddar is far from what you'll find in a supermarket. Farm House prides itself on creating entirely handmade cheeses, going so far as to raise the goats and
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cows directly on their own farm. "Over-handling degrades the milk quality," she said, breaking down the cheese and losing quality (and taste) every step of the way. Instead of leaving the delicate job to machines, AmreinBoyes and her staff use gentle handling techniques to preserve quality. And while processed cheeses are aged in vacuum-sealed bags, their cheddar is bandaged with cheesecloth, sealed with lard, and aged for a minimum of 20 months. It's that combination of tenderness, skill and knowledge that have earned Amrein-Boyes accolades throughout her 11 years at the helm of Farm
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House Natural Cheese, located at 5634 McCallum Road in Agassiz. But there is something else to the magic of good cheese – the environment. "People like quality, and the quality of the grass, the earth and the air all come into play," she said. Amrein-Boyes attended the 2014 Canadian Cheese Awards in Toronto on April 7, and the accompanying gala featuring cheeses from every corner of the country. After sampling everything from sheep and goat cheese to water buffalo cheese, she still believes Agassiz produces the best cheese in the country. To learn more about the Canadian Cheese Awards, visit cheeseawards.ca.
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