A Day On The Farm: Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

What do you get when you have a gorgeous sunshiny day, a van full of food bloggers, some local food truck owners, a few cows, an obscene amount of cheese, and a very cool group of people that run a dairy farm? An incredibly PERFECT Saturday, that’s what!

This weekend myself and several other food bloggers took a field trip up to Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese in Barren County, Kentucky.

Jennifer, Kenny’s cousin and the Nashville rep for Kenny’s Cheese, is the one that is responsible for this little adventure and I must say, she did a smashing job!

She knew the crowd she was working with, so smartly planned ahead and had Foxy Baking Co. make up some yummy quiches and almond coffee cakes for us to dig into upon arrival at the farm.

After gobbling up our goodies, it was time to meet Kenny himself and watch some cheese making magic.

Kenny hard at work stirring as he explains to us the process of cheese making

Though I listened with rapt attention, I’ll admit, I didn’t take any notes, so I can’t share all the little details with you. Kenny’s story is fascinating though, so you really should take some time to read more about the family business and what makes their cheese unique.

What I can happily share with you today is a visual journey through our day at the farm, starting with the cooler (aka Cheese Heaven!)

Wheel after wheel of  Asiago and Gouda…..

Shelves filled with multiple kinds of Colby, Cheddar, Havarti, Blue, Swiss……

There’s smoked, cranberry, sorghum, cracked pepper, cumin seed, aged, horseradish, tomato basil, garden herb, chipotle – so many flavors, how’s a girl to choose!?

Then then it was time to meet the cows. The happy cows….

I think that’s a smile, don’t you?

And baby calves! They even have their own little houses :-)

After a couple of hours spent touring the facility and meeting the cows, we wound our way back to the front lawn of the house Kenny grew up in, and under a towering tree, sampled cheeses to our hearts’ content!

This is when I fell hard for the Norwood, their version of Gruyere. With a nutty, slightly sweet taste, and delightful little crystals, I knew there was no way I’d be leaving there without some of it in my possession. Oh, but that wasn’t all. The Blue Gouda captivated me. The Awe Brie did just that – awed me. So many truly incredible cheeses that it was hard to pull myself away from the table, but I had to, because there was still  a very special lunch awaiting us.

And of course I will tell you all about that very special lunch, but not today. Nope. It deserves a post all its own, so come back tomorrow to see!

After lunch we made our way back over to the “laboratory” where the cheese-making was still in full progress. Remember that big vat of liquid Kenny was stirring when we arrived?

Well this is what it looked like a few hours later. Crazy, huh?

And even though they still had some work to do, our day at the farm was done. It was time to load into the van for the drive back home, but not, of course, before we secured a few packages of cheese for the road!

Here in Nashville we can purchase Kenny’s Cheese at Produce Place, Whole, Foods, and Turnip Truck, as well as various farmers’ markets around town. If you don’t live in the area, you can always order online or check their store locator for a retail outlet near you!

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

2033 Thomerson Park Rd
Austin, KY 42123
(888) 571-4029