Pure Luck Farm and Dairy

This week will forever go down in Antonelli's Cheese history officially as "Everything Pure

Luck" week.... Why? Because we kicked off the week with a team visit to the farm and dairy on Monday and then hosted Amelia and Ben on our turf for our Cheese 201: Meet the Cheesemaker class on Wednesday. (Throw in Ben's delivery on Tuesday and we hope they're not tired of us!) In any case, these friends deserve our attention and praise and for the few of you who aren't familiar with them, let us introduce you to Pure Luck Farm and Dairy!

With her two daughters Gitana and Amelia in tow, Sarah Sweester bought the land near Dripping Springs, Texas in 1979 that would later become Pure Luck Farm. Getting her hands in the dirt as quickly as possible, Sarah planted and harvested a vegetable garden. Somewhere along the way, she cared for a friend's goats and fell in love and decided to purchase her own and goat milk was added to the repertoire of goods that came from the farm. Sarah further shared her love with her soon to become husband Denny and later two more daughters, Claire and Hope. Together, the family worked diligently to become the first Texas Department of Agriculture "certified organic farm" in Texas; produce, wildflowers, and herbs flourished and graced farmers' market stalls as well as the shelves of local grocers. In 1995, Sarah upped her cheesemaking game by becoming a Grade A Goat Dairy. Although Sarah later passed in 2005, her love of animals and the fruits of their land continue through the work of her daughters, their partners, and her grandchildren. Today, Amelia Sweethardt manages the herd of over 100 Nubian, Alpine, and Nubian-Alpine cross goats, as well as heads up the cheesemaking operations. Ben, her husband, is responsible for getting that goodness into your hands; you'll often see him delivering to our Shop or working the farmers' market stands. From cheesemaking to animal husbandry to produce harvesting to visioning, each family member still maintains some connection to the farm. It's truly a family affair! And although I never got the opportunity to meet Sarah, from what I've learned of her, I can only imagine how proud and honored she is that her spirit shines through the work of everyone at Pure Luck Farm and Dairy.

I asked our cheesemongers to share a few words about their favorite Pure Luck cheeses, what they loved about our tour and getting our hands in the curd, and what inspires them most about Amelia and her family's work. Without further ado....

Favorite Pure Luck cheese?

Victoria loves the Feta: "This Feta is unlike any other; I never realized how much I liked Feta in general until I had Pure Luck's Feta. Salt, dense and cream.... Drool..." Dan's favorite is the soft-ripened, bloomy-rinded Ste. Maure "because it's nuanced and delicate like a Lady." John loves their Hopelessly Bleu because it honestly fulfills a cheese craving anytime of the year... well, except for right now since it's seasonal, they've just started producing it again, and it will have to age a couple of months before being ready.... Just makes us want it that much more!

Memorable moments from our tour?

Frolicking with the baby goats! Mini hands on cheesemaking experience--tasting the milk, curds, whey and then the final product really gives you a sense of the process and how the freshness and quality of the milk shines through all ... Also---BABY GOATS! Having a picnic with the cheesemakers and just geeking out about cheese. (We brought them some cheese, they of course brought their own!) Trying Ben's first batch of Peary (pear cider). 'Lil June's tap dancing shoes. Also Lucy the dog! She keeps the girls safe and happy, and is a big goober.

Just getting a greater sense of how much thought and dedication is involved in every aspect of what they do through getting new feeder that prevents the older goats from picking on the small ones as they eat so they can grow healthy, to raising the level of the milking parlor floor to make the process less back breaking to what type of hay makes the girls happy to new cheesemaking equipment, they're constantly trying to improve and do better, for the cheese, goats and land.

Cheese & Goodies

Now is the time to get your hands (and mouths) back on some Pure Luck cheese! After a couple month hiatus (when the goats were getting ready to have babies), the milk is now flowing again and we can selfishly claim it for ourselves for cheesemaking! In our class this week, we came up with some awesome pairings (if we may say so ourselves). Come try their Anaheim Red Chili Pepper Basket Chevre alongside a dollop of Confituras Orange and Chile de Arbol Marmalade. Both have a nice spice that complements each other, which is accentuated by the acidity of the goat's milk and orange zest but muted by the creaminess of the cheese and the sweetness of the marmalade. It's a sophisticated spicy and sweet bite of yumminess! A no brainer pairing is their Feta with our Katz Rock Hill Ranch EVOO or Texas Hill Country Olive Company's Terre Verde. We also teamed up their Mixed Herb Chevre with the similarly herbaceous La Quercia Borsellino Salami. And we completed the tasting with a bite of June's Joy, their fresh chevre seasoned with Round Rock Honey, fresh thyme, and black pepper, alongside a bite of Marou Tien Giang 70% Single Origin Dark Chocolate, which recently won a silver ribbon by the Academy of Chocolate world awards. These are just a handful of ways to utilize their cheeses. Granted, most of us in the shop just eat them straight! But do come by to taste and play with us and let us tell you more about our time on the farm. Look forward to seeing you!

Cheese-y Events & News

Stay tuned for more info on our team visit to Argus Cidery; thanks Wes!

This seems the appropriate place to share some personal news regarding another couple I know well who are similarly committed to their land, their animals, and the sustainability of both alongside their ranch: my parents Deborah Clark and Emry Birdwell of Birdwell Clark Ranch in Henrietta, Texas. Like many folks in the dairy and cheesemaking industry, I know fewer people who work so diligently and whose life really is their work. Congrats mom and staddy (ie my step-dad) for your recent write-up in Progressive Farmer Magazine.

Stay Cheese-y!

John & Kendall

Kelly, Brad, Courtney, Paul, Victoria, Dan, Traci, & Kara
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