Milk quality is maintained by carefully monitoring cleanliness and temperature throughout the milk handling and pasteurizing process. Our cheeses are hand crafted using the finest cheese cultures, vegetable rennet and enzymes and traditional artisan cheese-making techniques. The whole herd is milked in just under 2 hours. During the summer season each week we produce 775 pounds of cheese. This year we will have produced 40,000 pounds of goat cheese.
Fresh cheese is made three to four times every week.
The schedule for cheesemaking varies throughout the year with a typical cheese-making day starting early. This process kills any bacteria that may be in the milk. The pasteurized milk is then cooled and around 10 a.m. By 1 to 2 p.m. the acidity is correct for the addition of rennet. Only vegetable rennet is used so that Haystack's cheese will meet both Kosher standards and be acceptable to strict vegetarians.