Two weeks in the past, I lastly bought to satisfy a five-year-long dream of visiting the Pacific Northwest once I explored the Oregon coast with my companions in Tillamook.
Tillamook graciously invited me and some different meals bloggers (Ashley, Rebecca, Holly & Natalie, Carian and Deborah) to tour considered one of their farms, be a part of their model new (gorgeous I’d add) creamery and feast on a meals competition. They’re a title sponsor. If you wish to skip the story and take a look at the recipe, click on right here (however you will miss the inspiration!).
Arriving in Portland, I met my journey companions on the Portland Outpost in Tillamook and we jumped within the van and headed for the Pacific metropolis on the Oregon coast and our dwelling at Headlands Lodge.
The subsequent morning, we headed to our first farm. We met with Dr. Kate McCarthy Lott, director of farm engagement for the Tillamook County Creamery Affiliation, whose job it’s to coach the co-op’s producer members to make sure steady enchancment in milk high quality and security. As a veterinarian, he emphasizes the precedence in cow well being and care, and he explains the advances in expertise which have helped guarantee their cows are doing properly.
The farm we visited was one of many first on the West Coast to undertake an digital feeding and milking system. Attributable to rising value of labor and lack of labour, our farmer hosts needed to be updated with new applied sciences to make sure their milk manufacturing stays at peak. Automated feeders combine and type feed 24/7/365 offering completely proportioned diet to cows with minimal waste diversion.
A milking system is a self-milking system the place cows are inspired to go to the milking parlor, eat some corn and grain feed, and regulate themselves in order that the cow isn’t uncomfortable or overfed. Cows love their milking time and you’ll typically see them ready to be milked!
Pulling as much as the Tillamook Creamery we had been greeted by a good looking trendy construction with ground to ceiling glass home windows and a full parking zone. We realized that for the reason that Tillamook Creamery was rebuilt this summer season, the ability welcomes greater than 10,000 visitors a day to spend their afternoons right here like a dairy Disney Land the place you may pattern all of Tillamook’s nice merchandise, load up on Tillamook gear, and watch cheese being made. Motion course of.
We caught up with Jill Allen, Tillamook’s director of R&D and an accredited cheddar decide, who shared with us how she judges cheddar, the getting old course of, and instructed us on the best way to pull the cheese plug for high quality testing.
We stayed there lengthy sufficient for dinner the place we had been handled to a formidable line-up of dishes from the Pacific Northwest-inspired menu created by chef Sarah Shaffer downstairs within the restaurant. One of many excellent dishes was the tomato soup with fried cheese curd. UGH I want we might get contemporary cheese curds right here in Atlanta- they had been completely salty with the correct bouncy texture and melted to comfortable perfection while you dipped them into your soup.
That soup and cheese curd combo had me craving tomato soup as quickly as I bought dwelling, no matter the truth that I am dwelling in Atlanta the place the temperature has been dropping to 90+ levels all week. However to me, tomato soup is a type of climate soups while you add some contemporary basil and vibrant paprika to it.
So, I recreated Tillamook Creamery Tomato Soup for you in immediately’s publish (right here) and added the right grilled cheese to go along with it as a result of we can’t be capable of recreate Tillamook’s Grilled Cheese Curd right here.
What I do not wish to spotlight on this recipe is that if I’ve listed a model or ingredient, please don’t substitute. The important thing to getting the right grilled cheese is definitely toasting it in mayonnaise, that manner you get the right crust and it would not get soggy for those who use a pan filled with butter. Go to this publish right here (or click on on the picture under) to take you to the recipe!
If you would like to see the remainder of my Oregon recap, I am going to publish about that tomorrow, in addition to the souvenirs I introduced again with me, and take a look at the journey on my Tillamook Instagram highlights right here.
