Over the past year our family has fallen in love with upstate New York.
When you have young children it is a wonderful escape, that doesn’t break the bank, and is simple to get to!
On many of our trips to the Catskills we have stopped at beautiful roadside farm stands. Each time bringing home fresh vegetables, syrups, jams, pickles and cheeses.
Below are photos from our “field trip” to the Brovetto family Dairy in Harpersfield NY. (Schoharie County). We couldn’t get enough of their cheese….so we went to visit the cheese house to see how its made and for some additional tasting! What fun! It didn’t take much convincing for the butcher to agree to carry Harpersfield Farmstead Cheese at R&S Meat Market. It’s simply delicious!
What’s even more wonderful than the taste of the cheese itself, is the story of how it began.
Corinne and Ron Brovetto were originally from Long Island, NY where they were raising their four children. While searching for a better way to spend more time as a family they were drawn to the Catskill mountains. With the help of family and friends they slowly built their barns and cheese house which includes a cheese cave built into the side of a mountain. Over the years their business has grown to include a herd of 68 dairy cows (30 of those are milkers).
Every Wednesday is cheese making day. Ron wakes up at 3am to start the process of cutting the curd. The cheese making process is a family affair and will last until 11pm. It takes 4000 lbs. of milk to make 400 lbs. of cheese. Wow!
Click on each photo below to see the cheese making process:
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- Have you ever heard of Harpersfield cheese?
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- This is the cave where the Brovetto family age their artisinal cheeses for 3-4 months.
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- The family helped them build this cave into the side of a mountain
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- The cheese making process starts at 3am on Wednesdays
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- Freshly made Jalapeño Farmstead Cheese
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- These cheese rounds will age in the cave for 3-4 months
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- AJ vacuum seals the portioned cheese wedges
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- A Cheese wheel is removed from the cave
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- Each wheel is then scrubbed clean under running water
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- Rasberry Tea Farmstead Cheese….so yummy!
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- The Cheese wheel is sliced using a metal wire
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- I couldn’t resist a taste of this Rasberry Tea Cheese
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- Rasberry tea leaves used in the Rasberry Herbal Tea cheese
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- A family works together
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- Packed and ready for the Farmers Market
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- Harpersfield cheese is sold at many of the local pop up farm stands. It is also sold at Pakatakan Farmers’ Market
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- The butcher agrees that we need to carry this cheese at R&S Meat Market on Long Island!
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- We had to take a peak at one of the newest additions to the dairy family
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- Such a beautiful place
Painted Hills grass fed half pound burgers, rubbed with olive oil and sea salt. Heat your grill to 400 degrees. Turn all burners to medium heat just before you place your burgers on the grates. cook 5 minutes per side until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees fahrenheit. (10-12minutes)
Chowfancy 
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