story by Tenaya DarlingtonWord of a new cheesemaker travels fast at Headhouse Square Farmers Market. There, amid the flowers and fresh vegetables, you’ll find muffins of beautifully-crafted fresh goat cheese by Mary-Jean Bendorf and Jeff Henry. Bendorf and Henry travel from their Pocono farmstead to offer raw goat’s milk and an assortment of raw and pasteurized cheeses, including a tart little natural-rinded goat cheddar. They’re also experimenting with an Appenzeller twinged with blue, for a crazy jackalope of a cheese.
Bendorf and Henry are in their second season of cheesemaking. “We started with one cow, but then we discovered goats!” Bendorf beams. Her affection for her animals is evident—she enjoys walking her goats in the forest—and you can taste that joy in her cheese. The plain chevre is herbaceous and delicate without much tang—similar to the Loire Valley goat cheeses that are so famously balanced. The batch I tried had a hint of wild onion.
Try crumbling Cranberry Creek Chevre on a lightly dressed salad of fresh herbs and greens, or spread it on thickly cut toast with some rhubarb jam. With a wheat beer or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, this chevre is summer incarnate. –Tenaya Darlington, madamefromage.com
Cranberry Creek Farm, 112 Henry’s Crossing Rd.,
Cresco, Pa. 570-595-7748; cranberrycreekfarm.com
I LOVE their cheese! Not only are they at Headhouse, they are also at Rittenhouse on Saturdays!
I LOVE their cheese! Not only are they at Headhouse, they are also at Rittenhouse on Saturdays!