Camellia Cheese (in place of Bucheret)

Producer: Redwood Hill Farm 
Website: http://www.redwoodhill.com
Country of Origin: United States
Region of Origin: California
Milk Type: Goat
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Classification: Soft
Rennet: Vegetable
Rind: Mold Ripened
Shape: Disc
Size: 2.5 ins diameter, 1 in high Weight: 5oz

Located in Northern California’s Sonoma County, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery is both a goat dairy and a creamery producing specialty dairy products owned and operated by Jennifer Lynn Bice along with fifty-five dedicated employees.

Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery was started by Jennifer’s parents in 1968 while she and her brothers and sisters were raising dairy goats in 4-H. Jennifer and her late husband, Steven Schack took over in 1978.

In addition to a passionate interest in raising and milking dairy goats, Jennifer also continues to develop and maintain an excellent genetics program. The herd has won many National Champions and Top Ten milking awards and produces seed stock for breeders across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Redwood Hill Farm was the first goat dairy in the US to be Certified Humane®, which is considered to be the gold standard in third-party certification for humane animal treatment. Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery is committed to sustainability. They have recently installed solar energy systems, which offset 100% of the projected energy needs of the creamery and the farm.

Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery’s primary focus is on making natural artisanal cheeses, yogurts, kefir, and other specialty dairy products. Milk for production is sourced from their own dairy along with a number of other carefully selected local goat dairies. The milk is produced from Alpine, Nubian, La Mancha and Saanen dairy goats.

Made in the style of a Camembert, from pasteurized goat’s milk, Camellia is named after one of Redwood Hill Farm’s favorite does. During production, the curd is handled very gently to allow for the retention of as much moisture as possible. The cheese is allowed to drain naturally before being unmolded.

After production, the young Camellia are placed in a drying room before being transferred to maturing rooms where they will remain for two or three weeks.
Just after aging, Camellia has a mild, buttery flavor and a slight tang. It also has a bone-white color and a firm texture. Let it age longer (five weeks), the cheese develops more intense, complex flavors with notes of earth, mushrooms and truffles. At about six to eight weeks of age, the texture softens, becoming yielding and unctuous.

Pairings: Camellia pairs well with Hard Cider, dry Rose, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir wines.

Vodka: General Knowledge

Vodka

This article is about the liquor. For other uses, see Vodka (disambiguation).

Vodka (Polish: wódka, Russian: водка) is a distilled beverage composed primarily of water and ethanol, sometimes with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits or sugar.

Vodka is a spirit that was virtually unknown in the United States prior to the 1940s.^[1] Traditionally prepared vodkas had an alcoholic content of 40% by volume.^{[citation needed]}Today, the standard Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Latvian and Lithuanian vodkas are 40% alcohol by volume (ABV) or 80 proof. The European Union has established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for any “European vodka” to be named as such.^[2][3] Products sold as vodka in the United States must have an alcoholic content of 30% or more.^[4] For homemade vodkas and distilled beverages referred to as “moonshine”, see moonshine by country.

Vodka is traditionally drunk neat in the vodka belt countries of Eastern Europe and around the Baltic Sea. It is also commonly used in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as theBloody Mary, Screwdriver, Sex on the Beach, Moscow Mule, White Russian, Black Russian, vodka tonic, and in a vodka martini.