I know you are all dying to hear about my goat cheese fantasies.  But, first things first.  Remember my contest from last month?  No?  Well, I had one and I have a winner to announce!  As soon as you see the picture, I am sure you will remember the contest. The winner is…

Tassy Meundier! Her caption:  David’s cloak of many colors covers tattoo sins all done by others!  I got several entries, so had a hard time choosing.  I think you’ll agree that Tassy does capture the photo.  Thank you Tassy!

Like all goat cheese fantasies, it started with a peppered bacon BLT.  In tiny Carlton, OR which is in the farm and wine country.  What Carlton lacks in size, it more than makes up for in charm (and bacon).  We went to the wine country to visit the farms which have their own farm shops.  After lunch, we hightailed it to Carlton Farms where they go from raising the animals all the way through to the freezer cases in their store.  They butcher and process right there and if you doubt that go to their store and you can smell it!  We got peppered bacon, steaks and lamb.  And yes, you can tell the difference!

We then went to Kookoolan Farms which is smaller and happens to have Chrissie the farmer!

Chrissie is a dropout from the Tech Industry.  Aren’t most farmers these days dropouts from the Corporate world?  She raises chickens, vegetables, and makes her own Mead.  She gets her beef. pork and lamb from surrounding dropouts.  Like Carlton farms, the chickens are raised, butchered and sold right there on the farm.  The best part of Kookoolan farms is their little shop where once you get the tour and are told how it works, you can go to 365 days a year.  It’s not staffed!  It’s the honor system.  You go in, get what you want out of the freezers and on the shelves (olive oils, honey, etc), write up your own ticket, then put your money or check in a cardboard box!  Once Chrissie gave us the tour we went in to do some Mead tasting.

Not since the 1950’s, in downtown Blue Earth, MN have I experienced anything like the honor system.  I could pick up what I wanted and tell the shop keeper to charge it (to my parents) or take something home “on approval.”  I am experiencing the 1950’s right here in Carlton, Oregon.

I had never tasted Mead, which is wine made from honey which sounded scary to me.  We tasted sweet and semi sweet and dry meads.  It was an experience!

Meanwhile, back to the fantasy.  After being in the bowels of the farm and wine country, of course we are going to move there, raise goats, make goat cheese and bake bread.  A dream come true!  Dropouts ourselves.  Then we drove back to Portland and came to our senses.

A heads up for my SeneGence customers.  SeneGence is raising prices on July 15th.  My website will reflect this rise in prices.  Prices have only been raised twice in 15 years and as ingredients get more expensive you know who the cost gets passed on to.

However!  I am personally not raising my prices until Sept 1.  Please stock up on what you need at the lower prices!

What I really want to know is how many of you ever fantasized about being a dropout?!  And what was your dropout fantasy?