Dexter Cows and Kefir Cheese
12 days ago
- #Dexter-cattle
- #artisanal-cheese
- #sustainable-farming
- Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery is a small-scale Dexter dairy farm in New York, focusing on sustainable agriculture and high-quality Dexter milk.
- Dexter cattle are rare in the U.S., with the farm aiming to promote their benefits for small-scale, humane dairying.
- Dexter milk is rich, with 4.1% butterfat, making it ideal for homemade butter, buttermilk, and other dairy products.
- The farm practices pasture-based, drug-free farming, emphasizing clean, fresh milk and humane treatment of cows.
- The dairy facility was built from scratch, focusing on cheese production, with strict sanitation and regulatory compliance.
- The farm uses a mix of hand-milking and vintage milking equipment, planning to milk a maximum of six cows.
- Aged raw milk Kefir cheese is a unique product, made using authentic Kefir grains, promoting probiotic health benefits.
- The farm received a SARE grant to standardize Kefir cheese production, emphasizing sustainability and farmer outreach.
- Marketing the new Wild Man Kefir cheese has been challenging, with patience and consistency key to success.