Who Sliced the Cheese

You know the back country roads are filled with more than just winding turns and sudden stops at turns with a buggy in front of you as you try to play dodge with, well, whatever was left behind. You might ask at that point who has sliced the cheese. Well, here in New Holland, we have the makers of the little triangle boxes of goat cheese. They have been making this cheese for quite some time here. On a commercial note, not bad, but for the good stuff, you have to do a little digging.

Well with the help of the state we found all kinds of great things right at our fingertips. What a surprise. Theses cheeses are hand crafted using only the freshest of ingredients. Non pasteurized milk lends to the unique taste of many of the cheeses that are produced. The local Amish Farmers are still making cheese the old fashioned way, and it shows. We have discovered some cheese that is actually caved-ripened right here in Lancaster county. Who would have thought? We have not been to all of the ones the state offers, but we are doing our best. We do offer a cheese and wine tour at the Bed and Breakfast that takes guests on tours of the country side to do nothing but eat cheese and drink wine. Eat more wine and drink more cheese; tas mor win and drik mor che.. I forget; what are we doing? Well in any case I think you get the point, what a day it always is.

What about trying out Shady Maple. They may not make their own cheese, but they sure know how to smoke what they have. I often get the smoked swiss up there and go to town with it. I may just have some tonight before I go to bed, "that won't keep me up all night."

Well the cheese is being sliced all over the place around here in Lancaster; in a good way. Come try it out, you won't be disappointed.

The State of the County

The state of the county. Wow! that sounds official. Sounds like the president is coming through again. Well maybe not the president, but a new wave of culinary excellence has made it's way all the way here to our little home town of New Holland. In our neck of the woods, where shoofly pie and corn pudding is on everyones dinner table, the best of the best is starting to get some play.

I decided after packing up the knives a few years back, (pie and pudding are not the answers) that I would do some research. Well I knew what that meant, exhausting hours riding on horseback through the back country roads on bitter cold days. Beautiful landscape, but OMG do the horses stink or what. ( You like that OMG? Got it from my daughter). Well after giving up the horse and hitchhiking across the county and through the city, I discovered that Lancaster is changing. What? Could this be? A renaissance of sorts? Well in the beginning the changes were small, you know, such as Dirt Pudding and maybe some wild greens for salad. But the winds of change were taking place and brought with them the aroma of Lancaster's culinary future, (as well as the horses !#$% ) here in Lancaster County.

Now here for over six years, I can honestly say that my knives have been found. After several glasses of wine, lost neighbors, disgruntled family members, a few more glasses of wine and some soul searching, I have them in hand. Now with my apron on, I am ready to conquer the world with them, one Turducken at a time.

So this is in part a welcome letter to all, join in on the conversations. Have some fun and enjoy the culinary side of Lancaster. Really it is not just about the dumplings and soft bread, you can find the good stuff. I have. Over the course of this blog I will put out there what I have discovered. Have some comments on things? know something I don't? (doubt it); jot it down. Just have some fun; a good friend of mine says a little wine always helps. I am beginning to understand.

The state of the county is by far in better shape than a few years ago. Or should I say I just had to go and find the state of the county. Well, whatever it is, the state is.. in good shape. Let's discover it all together.