The Cheese Insider

Sheep at Hidden Springs Creamery.

When asked, most people are not familiar with the many good sheep’s milk cheeses being produced in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a leader in the production of sheep’s milk, led by the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative (WSDC). The WSDC, one of the largest sheep organizations in the United States, is also the largest producer of high-quality sheep’s milk. There are fifteen co-op members milking between 100 and 400 sheep.

In 2006 the co-op won the top prize for its Dante cheese at the annual American Cheese Society competition. Dante is a wonderful aged sheep’s milk cheese, somewhat reminiscent of Manchego cheese from Spain. The cheese is made at the Cedar Grove Cheese plant in Plain, Wis., then sent for aging for up to two years. The cheese is only made in the summer when the cows are eating pasture grass and wildflowers. It has a firm, dry texture and a rich nutty flavor.

Dante took five years to develop, beginning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which has the only dairy sheep research program in North America. The researchers produced a new crossbreed of East Friesian and Lacaune sheep, which is now the state’s primary sheep dairy stock. The university also worked to improve the milk composition and yield of the dairy sheep, as well as designing new production methods. Cedar Grove Cheese then improved other aspects of the milk, including milk storage and handling.

Mona, another wonderful cheese made by Cedar Grove, is a blend of sheep’s and cow’s milk. This cheese tends to be a bit milder than Dante because of the addition of the cow’s milk.

Many experts agree that sheep milk is ideal for cheesemaking. The milk is flavorful, with high butterfat content. Sheep’s milk also contains nearly twice the percentage of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc as cow’s milk; it also has more of vitamins A, E, C, and B complex than cow’s milk. Sheep’s milk contains 5.5 percent protein compared with 3.7 percent in cow’s milk. Most medical experts will tell you that sheep’s milk cheeses are much easier to digest than cow’s milk cheeses.

Brenda Jensen.

Wisconsin is also lucky to have one of America’s best sheep’s milk cheesemakers in Brenda Jensen, of Hidden Springs Dairy, in Westby, Wis. Brenda, and her husband Dean, quit their big corporate jobs several years ago and bought a beautiful piece of land in the driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin. They became interested in sheep, which led them to cheesemaking. Brenda is the cheesemaker at Hidden Springs, and she has created a number of award-winning cheeses, including both fresh, as well as cave-aged, harder cheeses. I have visited the farm the Jensen’s operate and seen firsthand all the work that goes into producing so many award-winning cheeses. In this year’s American Cheese Society competition held two weeks ago in Sacramento, Brenda won nine ribbons, virtually one for every sheep’s milk cheese she entered.

Next time you are buying good artisan cheese, ask your cheesemonger to introduce you to a good sheep’s or mixed milk cheese, you will be a happier person for it.

Source: Wisconsin Cheese by Martin Hintz and Pam Percy