LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk | Farms Asgaard Goat Cheese, Cream of the Crop by Julie Robards herd. It tasted great, so the couple decided to pursue the prospects of putting the dairy farm back in production. They worked with cheese guru Peter Dixon of Dairy Foods Consulting in Westminster West, VT, and also attended classes and workshops at the UVM. Rhonda I t's some of the best artisanal goat cheese you'll ever eat - and it's made right here in the heart of the Adirondacks by Rhonda Butler and David Brenner of Asgaard Farm and Dairy in rural AuSable Forks, NY. The cheese is so delicious that it's featured on the menus at some of the finest restaurants in the high peaks region. Furthermore, you can get it directly at the Asgaard farmstead store or in season at farmers markets and natural food shops in Plattsburgh, Keene Valley, Lake Placid, and Saranac Lake. When it comes to fresh, handcrafted goat cheese - Asgaard Farm and Dairy is the cream of the crop. It all began back in the mid 1980s when Brenner and Butler, both New York City financial executives, began looking for a farm as a weekend get away from the hustle and bustle of high stress jobs. David had worked on a number of small family farms as a young man growing up in northeastern Ohio and he had an abiding interest in agriculture. Likewise, Rhonda also came from farming country in eastern Tennessee, near the Great Smokey Mountain range. While visiting the Adirondacks, they chanced upon Asgaard - once a thriving dairy farm and home of the famous artist Rockwell Kent. The farm was in a state of disrepair, but the couple embraced the challenge of restoration. They purchased the property in 1988 and after years of hard work, the farm was ready to be put back in operation. Their first crop of certified organic grain was harvested in 2003. It was also around this time that David began to experiment making goat cheese with milk from their small 50 LOCALadk Magazine Spring 2013 went on to complete two certification programs through VIAC - the Vermont Institute for Artisanal Cheese Making. In 2008 Asgaard Farm and Dairy was licensed by the New York State Depart of Agriculture and Markets Milk Control Division as a certified small scale creamery. These days Rhonda oversees the entire cheese making at Asgaard Farm while two hired hands, Shannon Eaton and Kaillyn Ahern, help care for the goats and market the products. The Goats "Everything we do here is for the goats," Rhonda says. "Each goat has their own personality, they are very social and they bond with people. It makes it very rewarding for the owners." Of the 48 dairy goats in the Asgaard herd, there are four different breeds - Toggenburgs, Nubians, Alpines and Saanens. Each goat brings a special quality to the mix: Toggenburgs, the oldest known dairy breed, is named for the Toggenburg Valley in Switzerland where they originated - they are social, have great personalities and are very good milk producers; Nubians, with their long floppy ears, originated in the Middle East and are known for milk with high butterfat content; Saanens

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