Cheese making class instructor, Mary Rosenblum, shows others how to make cheese during the most recent class last spring.
Cheese aficionados had the chance to learn the art of cheesemaking while also sampling prime examples of the delicacy in Hockinson over the weekend as the Clark County Goat Association (CCGA) hosted a cheese making class at Fire District 3.
The CCGA typically hosts two of these classes each year and mixes up the type of cheese that will be featured each time. On Saturday, blue cheese was the selected style that attendees learned to make, with its tangy, smooth, blue inside and powdery outside as highlights of the particular variant.
Once the class began the students then mostly listened and followed along with handouts as Yarnell says “this is an observational class” and attendees will not be making cheese themselves.
“At any time throughout the class, people are free to ask questions,” says Yarnell. “At different stages during the process, Mary (the instructor) will invite the class to come forward to look at the milk/cheese to see how it appears at each step. This includes, as the rennet causes the milk to set, as the curd is cut, and during pressing.”
The instructor, Mary Rosenblum is an Oregon native and talented cheese maker, but people who came to the class did not need to be professionals.
“There is no need to be an advanced cook or cheese maker,” said Yarnell. “Anyone with basic skills will be able to follow the instructions.”
Midway through the class there was a lunch break, during which attendees sampled a variety of different types of cheeses provided by the CCGA.
“This is an opportunity for people to experience the wide variety of cheeses made with goat milk,” says Yarnell.
After the course completed the CCGA also offered a selection of cheese making supplies for sale. In all, organizers described the event as cheese-lovers dream that shouldn’t be missed.
“This club (CCGA) has been sponsoring the cheese classes for over thirty years. For many years, we were the only cheese classes offered in the area,” said Yarnell. “Feedback has always been positive.”
