September Farm

I am currently spending a few days in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, visiting daughter Lindsay and her family.  I'm especially enjoying watching my granddaughter find ways to insert herself in and under small items:

Hi Ellie!

She is just one tiny package of extraordinary cuteness!  And of course I'm not just saying that because I'm the grandma.

Lindsay,  Ellie and I decided to go looking for an adventure, and so we packed up our mountains of baby gear and food and headed towards the area that has towns by the names of Bird-in-Hand, Blue Ball, Intercourse, and Paradise.  With names like those it must be an interesting area, don't you think?

On a whim we decided to follow signs we were seeing to a cheese manufacturing company, September Farm.  Signs led us way out into the farmlands to a very nicely manicured farm.  The entrance road bordered grazing fields with horses and miniature ponies.  We were met in the parking area by the farm greeters - the friendly family dog and an affectionate cat missing its right front paw.  

A view of the entrance from the parking area.

Whimsical "logo" on the pony barn

                                 

Sign at the entrance 

According to the owners, "September Farm is a family farm with a dairy herd of over fifty Holsteins, where we take cheese making very seriously.  We are unique because we control every aspect of cheese making.  From the fields to the cows, from the milk to the vat, our family's personal commitment to producing the highest quality dairy products is evident."

And it was.  This cheese shop is nicely set up for visitors to learn about and view the process of making cheese, taste samples of the various cheeses, and shop for cheese and accompaniments.  All of the cheeses are all-natural, hormone free, and have no preservatives.  I like that.  

We made our way through the shop, looking at the educational video of cheese making, and taste testing samples of their many cheese varieties, including several unique flavors like Pepperoni Augusto, Chives & Dill, Jumpin' Jack Jalapeno.  In addition, we were able to taste fresh cheddar cheese curds in several flavors.

A wall display of photos showed various scenes in the cheese making process.  

A viewing window allowed us to watch cheese being made.

Through another viewing area, we were able to see the row of crockpots where the cheese blocks are sealed in wax.

The pots on the counter heat the wax for sealing the cheese blocks.

Stopping at September Farm was not on our itinerary, but was such a pleasant surprise.  Of course, we made a purchase, a sort of "Dutch Picnic Lunch" for the road.  

A variety of cheeses, beef sticks, and candied pecans

I learned a good lesson on our meaderings today - always be willing to change your plans and get off the beaten path.  You may find a treasure!