September Farm in Honey Brook is now making a new September Farm Dutch Style Gouda, using their own milk and processed on equipment custom designed and built for September Farm in the Netherlands. A consultant from Holland trained their cheesemakers to make Gouda the traditional way it is in Holland.
“Our goal is to develop a faithful following and customer base for our Gouda cheese that could one day equal our cheddar cheese production,” said owner Dave Rotelle about the new September Farm Dutch Style Gouda. “With Honey Brook being on the edge of one of the largest PA Dutch communities in the world it just may be time to start producing a delicious authentic Dutch style Gouda cheese.”
Rotelle said September Farm has been a cheddar cheese producer for close to 10 years.
“Cheddar is the number two cheese in the U.S. next to mozzarella cheese, mozzarella being the number one cheese because it is used primarily for pizza topping,” he said.
He said Gouda is the oldest cheese in the world and possibly one of the most flavorful and sophisticated.
“We believe what makes Gouda so exciting is because as the Dutch say, ‘It’s moreish.’ After you have eaten a piece of Gouda and the flavor is still lingering on your taste buds, you can’t go very long before you want another piece. ‘It’s moreish.'”
September Farm hired a consultant from Holland.
“Who has a strong desire (passion) for introducing what he calls Authentic Dutch Style Gouda to the U.S. He feels much of the American Gouda is not made the traditional way it is in Holland,” said Rotelle.
Cheesemakers from September Farm have been traveling to New York to observe and make Gouda cheese with a friend who was trained by the same consultant the September Farm hired.
“Our consultant would like to say we are producing a “Heel Lekker Gouda”. Very Delicious Gouda,” he said.
Rotelle talked about some of the things that make September Farm’s Gouda unique.
“We use all of our own Grade A fresh milk from our own dairy herd. All of the milk we use to make our cheese is the milk from that day’s morning milking,” he said.
Also, the process and the techniques they use require several extra steps.
“For instance, after the cheese is placed in special molds (Hoops) to be pressed, it is taken out of the hoops two times within the first several hours to rotate and redress which insures proper knitting of the cheese,” said Rotelle. “After the cheese comes out of the press, it is soaked in a special brine solution for two days before receiving two coats of a special cheese coating imported from Holland.”
Then, the cheese is placed in a climate controlled and humidified room for up to one year for aged Gouda.
“The cheese is aged on special wooden boards imported from Holland. These special boards play a critical role in the overall flavor development of the cheese,” he said.
Rotelle also noted that all of their equipment for processing and aging Gouda was custom designed and built for September Farm in the Netherlands. The cheese vat is a circular vat with electronic mechanical stirrers, paddles and curd knives for cutting and stirring the curd.
“The round hoops that we press our ten pound wheels in as well as our mechanical press were also manufactured in Holland,” he said.
September Farm is using 10-pound wheels and cutting the wheels into half-pound wedges for retail sale.
“Even the cheese knives we use to hand cut each wedge of cheese are imported from Holland,” he said. “Eventually, within the next few months, we plan to begin pressing smaller five pound wheels to age in time for the 2016 Christmas season.”
September Farm is located at 5287 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook. Hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sundays.
For more information about September Farm, visit www.septemberfarmcheese.com or call 610-273-3552.
