A lot can be told from the taste of the cheddar cheese that comes from a tiny corner of Montana. That’s because no other farm in the world makes cheese exactly the way they do on the Lifeline Farm, one of a growing number of biodynamic farms in the U.S. and around the world. Unlike cows on big farms which are pumped full of hormones and fed a protein cocktail to ensure maximum milk production, farms like Lifeline grow 80 percent of their animal feed organically and only use homeopathic remedies when their animals are sick. Farmers pay attention to astrology and cosmic rhythms, which they use to guide their farming cycle. Ernie Harvey spreads a special yarrow, chamomile and nettle compost over the grazing fields of his farm, which helps give the cows’ milk the desired flavor. Big label cheese is made from the milk of many farms, making it impossible to taste any point of origin, but Lifeline’s milk is brought to a small plant where the cheese is made by hand in small batches. The result is a cheese with a taste that is specific to the region and farm it comes from, and if you’re Harvey you can even taste the “life-force.”
–Nick Garafola
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