Holiday Gift Guide: Tumalo Farms Cheese: $$-$$$$$
What: Locally produced "farmstead" goats milk cheeses from Tumalo Farms. They have seven different cheese varieties which you can order singly, and gift packages available too. These are definitely gourmet cheeses; check out the Pondhopper, a cheese made with a "local microbrew" (I’m guessing Mirror Pond Pale Ale) with "a faint hint of hops."
For: Foodies and turophiles.
Price: Ranges from $18 for a single cheese all the way up to $180 for the "Ultimate Gift": a 10 lb. personalized cheese wheel – $$-$$$$$
Where: Order online directly, or call them at 541-350-3718 to find out if you can order and pick up in person.
Trivia: "Farmstead" cheeses are the highest classification of cheese production: the milk is produced on the farm along with the cheese.
Sounds good but I’d only buy it if it does NOT contain rennet – the inner scrapings of the stomachs of dead calfs.
Most cheese uses rennet to coagulate the cheese. There are alternatives like Tillamook Cheese.
True. Tillamook Cheese uses microbial rennet grown from molds. There are vegetable-based rennets, as well. I’d recommend anyone who’s concerned about this to give Tumalo Farms a call… I’m sure they’d be happy to answer any questions.