Welcome to
CowsOutside.com
CowsOutside.com
 |
 |
 |
|
||
|
|
||
 |
|
 |
|
||
In
addition to the farming and cheesemaking, we have built a large
wood-fired hearth oven, to bake breads to go with our cheeses. The
oven, designed by Alan Scott,
measures 42X48 inches (about 1.0 X 1.2 metres), is a single-chamber
retained-heat oven, the sort that has been in use since ancient times.
As
of March 2007, we are firing the oven seven times each week, and
baking breads and other goodies daily from Wednesday to
Sunday.
The breads are available at the farm on Wed-Sun, and at several
farmer's
markets in and around New York City.
Cows, Bread and Autism
Two
matters that definitely engage Jake: cows and baking. Our kids have
spent a lot of time in and around dairy farms, and Jake seems to have a
particular affinity with cows, and cows seem to respond well to
him--hey, they don't even know that he has a speech handicap! As for
baking, those who know Jacob know well his passion for mixing,
kneading, baking and, most importantly, eating baked goods.
So, among the many reasons for our family's move, is that we hope to make a bright future for Jacob. In my extensive collection of old dairy and farm books, there are many photos of people working on farms and in cheese factories, who appear to have one learning disability or another.
One
photo that particularly comes to mind is of a young man in perhaps the
1950s, with biceps like Popeye's, operating a manual cheese press. His
bright-eyed, proud and smiling face belies the markers of Down
syndrome, although there is no mention of it in the text. This young
man had a good job and was proud of it. Nowadays, a Down kid or someone
like Jacob is more likely to have a job raking leaves or putting parts
in a bag on an assembly line.
Agriculture
and food production, in simpler times, had more room for people with
disabilities. As modernity has taken its toll of the quality and
flavorfulness of food, it has also eroded the opportunities for those
of us who are different. So, wish us well as we set out to set it right!
We
offer internships in cheesemaking, grass-based dairy farming and bread
baking.
Internships can take the following forms:
Agritourism: one, two or three-day, with off-farm housing available (there are several bed-and-breakfasts and motels in the area, at a range of prices). Tuition: $100/day. Farmers, craftspeople and others are invited to make barter proposals.Individuals interested in Bobolink Internships should write a brief letter describing their goals, education or prior experience, and send it along with three references via email by clicking here .
Short internship: two month minimum, (room and board may be available on-farm).
Academic Internship: We may be able to develop an internship to meet your school's academic requirements. (some schools call them "externships"). Typical culinary internships of, say, 18 weeks, will be offered in conjunction with recognized culinary arts programs.
Seasonal appenticeships: For the serious would-be cheese and/or bread artisan, a full-season (10-12 month) apprenticeship is available, including all aspects of grass-based milk production, cheesemaking, ripening room operations, baking, and direct marketing.
Power of Real
Cheese--essay
Cooking with children Whence
Jonathan
& Nina?
Jonathan's Bread Notes
Churning Cultured Butter at Home
Jonathan's Assorted
Recipes
Speaking engagements
Press Info
- Everyone should be able to enjoy full-flavor, well-made natural cheese, at reasonable cost: artisanal cheeses that are designed to nourish the body as well as the spirit, as opposed to industrial cheeses which are merely convenient to make.
- Dairy farmers should be well rewarded for making the most healthful, natural milk possible, while improving their land for the next generation. To accomplish this, we believe that it is necessary to break the cycle of overproduction, where lower margins force farmers to "squeeze the cows" to produce more milk, thereby driving margins even lower.
- Cows and other dairy animals should also live well: producing only as much milk as ishealthful for them. This means that dairy animals should live out of doors, eating grass and being milked seasonally, and not indoors, being fed grain, animal by-products and hormones, and being milked to death.
- We want to raise our children in a world where farming, and indeed all other human activity, is done thoughtfully and sustainably, with long-term well-being taking priority over immediate gain. This requires thoughtful cooperation between producers and consumers.
- Read & print Jonathan's Bread Notes
- Sponsor a speaking engagement in your area
- Support your local artisan: baker, cheesemaker, soapmaker, glassblower, etc. Would you want to live in a world without them?
Ok, let's cut to the chase: Can I buy some cheese already?
YES!!!
Join our mailing list
Stay up to date on happenings at Bobolink:
new releases, special events, articles, etc.
We promise not to share your name or eamil address with anyone, ever!
NOTE: If you have a spam filter, you may not receive the confirmation, so please be sure to add "jonathan@cowsoutside.com" to your address book. Thanks!
Problems with joining the mailing list? Please click here to send me an email.
Press Enquiries:
Please contact Jonathan White via email
Speaking engagements:
We offer several programs, ranging from short presentations to full day, hands-on cheesemaking classes.
For details, click here
Who we are, and how to reach us:
Grassland Cheese Consortium was founded by Jonathan White, Cheesemaker and Nina Stein White, Dancemaker , who established Egg Farm Dairy in 1994. They left Egg Farm in June 2000, and started the Grasslands Cheese Consortium, in order to share their cheesemaking experiences with others. Now, at Bobolink Dairy, they are continuing the work of the GCC through professional internships and workshops for the general public.
Jonathan and Nina can be reached via email.
Links to our friends:
- www.applevalleyinn.com , a local bed-and-breakfast here in Vernon, New Jersey
- Sleepy Valley Inn, Warwiick, NY, recently opened B&B
- David Amram , the man whose cows and goats got me started....
- Rosner Soap--if you love our cheeses, we know that you'll love Kiki's soaps, too.
Alan Scott, our wood-fired oven Guru - Ricki Carroll, the Patron Saint of American Cheesemakers
..please sign our guest book... Want to leave your mark on this page?
Be our guest, but, please,
no spam with that cheese....
Read my guestbook!
Sign my guestbook!
Text Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Jonathan S. White - all rights reserved
Bobolink Photos by Nina White
Nina, Jonathan & Beulah photo copyright 1998 - Miki Duisterhof - all rights reserved
Please send comments and questions to our webmaster