Mountain Milk Maids

I had the incredible privilege of shadowing goat cheese-maker Cynthia Sharpe last Thursday at her Bakersville, NC creamery Oak Moon Creamery & Farm. For those of you who've been with me for some time, you might recall this is the same creamery where I took a cheese-making class last March. 

Cynthia speaks cheese fluently and that was precisely why I elected to solicit her advice, opinions, suggestions, and the like. I'm actively writing the third book in my "Homemade Living" series, this one on "Home Dairy." From butter to yogurt, from cheese to buttermilk baths, I cover all the dairy news that's fit to print. Cynthia allowed me to pepper her with questions and queries, answering each with seasoned dairy knowledge. She's my regional "Cheese Queen" (no offense to Ricky Carroll intended). 

For those of you who live in the area, if you've ever had a cheese-making itch you can't scratch, Cynthia's your Lady. She teaches several cheese-making workshops annually that are a treasure trove of information. Plus, you leave with cheese-and is there really anything better than making new friends and leaving with cheese? No. There isn't. 

*The last photo is of a creek that runs directly behind Cynthia's creamery. Bakersville is actually that quaint. If you're in the mountains of Western N.C., I highly recommend a Bakersville jaunt.  To see more photos from my day of shadowing, go here.