Der Paschen Hof	Milk, Transport, Cheese	RR3 72680 Bronson Line Zurich ON N0M 2T0 Tel: 519-236-4361 Fax: 519-236-7280 Email: paschen@hay.net

Milk Transport

We transport sheep milk to any location up to 8000 litres per truck in Ontario and Quebec.  The rate is determined by the volume of the shipment and the distance travelled.  The rates vary between a minimum of 6 cents per litre and a maximum of 21 cents per litre.

Analysis of Sheep Milk

The analyis of sheep milk for nutrient value is given by the following two links.

The website of   Nutrition Data gives an overview of nutrient value of many foods.

Specific information for the   nutritional value of sheep milk is available at this link.

Sheep Cheese

ARTISANAL CHEESE MAKERS ARE SINGING THE PRAISES OF SHEEP MILK
By Cynthia David, Special to The Globe and Mail, Saturday, August 23, 2003

The long legged East Friesian sheep grazing calmly in the pasture beside Shepherd Gourmet Dairy certainly don't look like revolutionaries.  To their owners, however, these gentle creatures symbolize a new dairy industry that aficionados expect will rival goat cheese within five years.

Though you may not know it, some of Europe's most famous cheeses are made from sheep's milk, including Roquefort, Manchego, Pecorino Romano and Feta.  Now it's our turn.  In farmer's markets and specialty shops across the country, a band of shepherds is quietly introducing Canadians to the sweet, nutty, creamy taste of our own sheep's milk cheese.

One day, they vow, sheep cheeses such as Madawaska and Honeywood from Ontario, Quebec's Bleu de la Moutonnibre, New Brunswick's Le Sieur de Duplessis and B.C.'s Mountain Meadow Brie will be as famous as Oka and Cheddar.

Stew Cardiff is banking on it.  The sheep farmer, science grad and businessman opened the doors of Shepherd Gourmet Dairy in May south of Stratford, Ontario.  With its stark white walls, concrete floors and gleaming stainless steel vats, the nearly 7,000 square-foot facility receives S,000 litres of sheep milk a week from seven area farmers.  As sales increase, Cardiff aims to process up to 25,000 litres a week, making Shepherd Gourmet the largest sheep dairy in Canada.

Shepherd Dairy's salty feta, thick, luscious yogurt and tangy Liptoi cream cheese, made with nothing more than fresh milk and bacterial culture, are gaining a loyal following across Southern Ontario and in Alberta.

"Ten years ago, the idea of milking a sheep in Canada was unheard of," says Larry Kupecz, president of the Ontario Dairy Sheep Association, which represents about 30 sheep producers."  Now there are lots of people with exciting projects producing some excellent products.  Considering what has been done with goat milk, we have the potential to create a high-value artisanal industry?

Milking sheep does pose some technical difficulties, Kupecz notes.  While a cow can produce 30 litres of milk a day, a ewe produces less than two litres a day and only during spring and summer.  Extending the breeding season year-round requires good nutrition and the use of timers on the lights in the milking barn at key times, says Cardiff.  Fortunately for cheesemakers, sheep milk freezes beautifully for up to a year because of its high solids content.  The rich milk also makes sublime butter and ice cream.

"For people who can't tolerate cow or goat milk, sheep milk is a godsend,"says Elisabeth Bzicot, chairperson of Ewenity, a cooperative of five small Southern Ontario sheep farmers.  Health-conscious consumers also appreciate the fact that the milk is higher in calcium, protein and B vitamins than other milk sources, she adds, and that sheep are raised naturally and allowed to roam outdoors eight months of the year.

European immigrants who grew up on sheep milk cheese are also big fans."Many Greeks have said our feta is just what they remember from their youth," says Bzicot.  Her son Peter also sells the co-op's Ramembert - a small runny round with a snow-white rind - and piquant Eweda to gourmets Saturday at Toronto's St. Lawrence Market under the Best Baa Farm sign.

Ewenity cheesemaker Stephanie Diamant raises sheep on Milky Way Farm near Shelburne, Ontario, with partner Philip Coilman.  A lover of Roquefort who studied her craft in English farmhouses, she "babies" each of her cheeses, carefully hand-ladling the curd into moulds for her smooth, camerabert-like Creemore and individually turning each golden Honeywood as it ages, creating a complex raw milk cheese with a lingering nutty finish. "The demand for our products is expanding exponentially," says the artisan cheesemaker."We've been at the farmer's market in Creemore for two years and we can't make cheese fast enough." Her admirers include star chef Michael Stadtlander. James Keith of Back Forty Cheese Camp in Lanark, Ontario is also finding a growing demand for his raw milk Madawaska and Highland Blue, made during the fall and winter in a tiny commercial kitchen attached to his farmhouse."Customers at the Perth market are addicted to our cheese," he says, not the least bit sheepishly.  "We believe that it stands up to the finest ewe milk cheeses made anywhere in the world."

After years of research, developing recipes and fine-tuning techniques, Keith says the thing he enjoys most about making sheep cheese is the look on someone's face when they first taste a sample.  It's bliss!"

Rev 2005 Dec 24