Franklin Island Feta

Why do you call it Franklin Island Feta?  We get this question frequently.  With the exception of Walloon, we have named our cheeses after cultural, geographical or historical places of interest near our farm.  Our cheeses are unique to this part of Missouri--reflecting its soils, vegetation and climate.  We believe that it is appropriate that the name of the cheese originates near the farm as well.

So Franklin Island?  This is a beautiful area at the confluence of the Missouri River and Bonne Femme Creek.  It is in Howard County, about two miles north of Booneville and 20 minutes from our farm.  Now a state Conservation Area, it was once surrounded by water, and because of its bottomland timber and permanent grasses is home to a wide variety of wildlife.  

New Franklin Island Feta label.

The Missouri River conveyed French trappers and American explorers, many by canoe, and its shores provided campgrounds along the way.  The new Franklin Island Feta label reminds us of this history.

Try our Franklin Island Feta if you haven't.  It won a Silver Medal at the 2014 American Cheese Society competition.  It's made in the Greek style, and is held in a slightly salty brine.  It is perfect on a Greek salad, or any salad for that matter!

Omelets at Market

We have been at the Saturday Columbia Farmers' Market for two busy weeks now, and we're told attendance is up so far this year--a good omen for hard-working farmers and for the community, as its members discover the pleasures of fresh, local food.

One of the biggest special market events of the season occurs tomorrow (Sat., April 18) as the Columbia Area Career Center's Culinary Arts Program hosts one of its omelet making fundraisers.  Money raised will help send SkillsUSA Missouri State Champions Jacob Knerr (Baking) and Jerry Jo (Culinary) to the National Contest in Louisville, KY in June.

If you miss tomorrow's fundraiser, there will be a second round of omelet making on Sunday at the North Village Farmers and Artisans Market behind the Wabash bus station.

Goatsbeard Farm is proud to be providing the cheese used in the omelets; Stanton Brothers is providing the eggs.  Many other ingredients have been sourced at the Farmers' Market.  Omelets are prepared on site by Culinary Arts students, and we can say from personal experience---they are DELICIOUS!!!

http://www.caccculinary.com/p/omelet-fundraisers-for-nationals.html

New Labels

We're excited about new labels for three of our cheeses--Franklin Island Feta, Moniteau Blue and Walloon.  This has been a fun project, and wouldn't have been possible without the help of graphic designer Eleanor Tiefenbrun (ellietstudio.com).  Ellie and her husband also live on a mid-Missouri farm, producing pasture raised poultry.  Obviously, we hit it off with Ellie right away!  Over time we'll be adding more new labels to the collection.  We're hoping the great design and bright colors will draw the attention of new customers as well as appeal to our existing loyal following.

Usually, our labels incorporate geographical or cultural features unique to Missouri.  The Walloon label is an exception and portrays an abstract rendition of a stained glass window from the church in Mellier, located about 30km from Muno, Belgium.  Why Mellier, you may ask?  Turns out our cheesemaker, Ken Muno, traces his family to this small town in Belgium, and chose to honor his ancestors with this image.  Try the Walloon if you haven't--it's a raw-milk cheese, somewhat like cheddar, with a nutty flavor.

Look for this label on our aged Walloon cheese.