Originally published in the Downtown Journal on May 16, 2017.
Fresh cheese curds are one of the best parts about grocery shopping at farmers markets. The fresh and squeaky bite-sized morsels are products of heating fresh milk and adding rennet (enzymes) that clot the milk. The milk continues to clot as it is cooked, and then it is pressed to produce solid curds and liquid whey. At the Mill City Farmers Market, you can find cheese curds from several vendors, including traditional curds, herbed curds and even goat’s milk curds. Read more about the farms offering cheese curds at the market below!
Cosmic Wheel Creamery is a “micro-dairy” part of Turnip Rock Farm in Clear Lake, Wisconsin. Owners Josh Bryceson and Rama Hoffpauir make aged and fresh cheese from ten grass-fed Jersey cows. They focus on raw-milk aged cheeses made in small batches with a natural rind.
“People really taste the difference that the healthy diet of the cows and the careful handling of the milk makes. We are so proud of our cheese. We love going to farmers market to see the look of surprise and delight that often comes over peoples’ faces when they taste the cheese!” Says Rama.
New to the Mill City Farmers Market in 2017, Kappers’ Big Red Barn is family-run dairy in Chatfield, Minnesota. Bob and Jeanette Kappers, along with their three sons, milk 30 cows and sell cheese curds, heavy cream and whole, skim and chocolate milk at markets and also directly from their farm.
Singing Hills Goat Dairy is a 25-acre farm in Nerstrand, MN. Owner, Lynne Reeck milks 25-30 does of mixed Saanen, Nubian and Alpine goats. With this milk, she makes fresh goat cheeses including feta, chevre and curds, offering a variety of seasonal flavors and even whey-fed pork products!
Find all of these fresh cheese curds, eggs and all the other seasonal ingredients you need to make Scrambled Egg and Cheese Curd Bruschetta at the Mill City Farmers Market (704 S. 2nd Street, Minneapolis 55401) this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Plus, enjoy a free Mill City Cooks cooking demo with professional chefs and seasonal ingredients at 10:30 a.m. in the market’s Train Shed patio.