‘Tis the season for Farmers Markets and you can find Zingerman’s Creamery cheeses at several great ones around Southeast Michigan. It’s hard to beat a beautiful summer’s day spent wading through bountiful tables of produce, honeys, meats, and, cheese! So far it has been a great season and we are eagerly anticipating the bounty yet to come.

From us, you will find a great selection of our cheeses – fresh and smoked mozzarella, City Goats so fresh you could slap ‘em, cows milk Sharon Hollows, and a rotating offering of our soft-ripened cheeses.

Find us at:

Ann Arbor Downtown Farmers’ Market (Kerrytown) – Saturdays in April through December, Wednesdays in May through September

Ann Arbor Westside Farmers’ Market (Jackson and Maple Rds.) – Thursdays in June through September

Eastern Market in Detroit – Saturdays in April through December

And you can find our cheese at the Downtown Ypsilanti Market on Tuesdays and the Canton Farmers Market on Sundays!

July Cheese of the Month – Fresh Goat Cheese!

The calendar has turned so that must mean a new Creamery cheese is taking top honors, and this month the spotlight is shining on our Fresh Goat Cheese. This is one of the purest expressions of the fabulous goat’s milk we get in every week from the MacDonald family. This cheese has a wonderfully light and fluffy texture with a cool creamy flavor. Made from pasteurized milk and traditional rennet, we have a new batch waiting for you every Friday at the Cheese Shop. Spread it on toasted bagels or caraway rye, serve it with celery sticks, use it to stuff Piquillo peppers, mix with honey and eat by the spoonful. It’s ideal for stuffing pasta with, or as a topping for already sauced pasta. Bake it into a goat cheese and tomato tart. Any way you eat it, enjoy!

All month long, get yourself a pound for $3-off the regular price! Only $10.99 for a full or $5.50 for a 1/2-pound tub!

Proud to be an American Cheese!

Join us at Zingerman’s Southside for a late-afternoon of cheese tasting, focused on the lactic lovelies of the good ol’ USA. Not too long ago, US cheese was merely a blip on the map but the past decade or 2 has seen a veritable explosion of amazing cheeses here in the States. We will take you on a journey through the history of American cheeses, from its humble roots to the world-class goat, cow, and sheep’s milk cheeses you can find in specialty shops all around the country.

The tasting begins at 4pm on Sunday, July 18th and will be held in the teaching kitchen at Bake!, right next door to the Creamery. Registration is $25. You can call us at 734.929.0500 to reserve a spot!

The Word on Cheese…

The most recent issue of Culture Magazine has a wonderfully wordsmithed piece about us that we just had to mention. Written by our friend Matt Rubiner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongors & Grocers in Great Barrington, MA, and entitled Not Business as Usual, the article delves into the unique opportunities creating cheese in the middle of an industrial park on the south side of Ann Arbor present. Surely not the first site or building anyone would probably choose to start up a cheesemaking business, our unique situation has afforded us the necessity to adapt to our environment in some pretty clever ways, both as producers and retailers. And we really wouldn’t have it any other way.

Matt is a great writer and his voice really shines through in this piece. There are some great photos of Cheshire-making and drool-worthy shots of cheese that can really get that cheese itch itchy. Hope you enjoy!

Camp Bacon is a long weekend of bacon events at Zingerman’s Southside in Ann Arbor, MI on June 17-20, 2010.

This weekend brings the biggest event to hit the Southside yet, Zingerman’s Camp Bacon.  A celebration of all things bacon, starting Friday night when legendary R&B man Andre Williams threatens to tear the Roadhouse down with a live performance for the ages.  Fresh off of a European tour, Williams is stopping in town just long enough to throw down at the corner of Jackson and Maple, so don’t miss this opportunity to pair great American food with great American music.  And if you didn’t know, Andre Williams has a brand new album and a book.

Saturday brings Camp Bacon’s Main Event.  We’re bringing some of the biggest names in the bacon business to Ann Arbor to dive into our favorite subject.  Highlights of the Main Event include:

• Bacon tasting with Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig
• Hands-on pancetta-making class with Herb Eckhouse
  from La Quercia in Iowa
• Bacon cooking demo with James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef Molly Stevens
• My life as a Bacon curer with Allan Benton from East Tennessee
  and Nick Spencer from Chicago
• A Reading from Sarah Katherine Lewis, author of Sex and Bacon: Why I Love Things that are Very, Very Bad for Me
• How Bacon Changed My Life: Presentations from curers and bacon professionals around the country
• Plus breakfast and lunch from Zingerman’s, a free copy of Ari’s Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon, a free t-shirt and more!

That’s just the first half of the day.  When 3 o’clock hits, the Camp Bacon becomes a street fair that includes tastes ofbacon from some of America’s best—Nueske’s, Benton’s, La Quercia, Ozark Mountain Trails and more.  We’ll be set up farmer’s market-style with some Creamery cheese paired with bacon, Maple Bacon Gelato and other goodies.  There’s no charge but participants are encouraged to make a $5 donation for the Washtenaw County 4-H program.

After it’s grand debut at the Gelato Kickoff, Maple Bacon Gelato will return for the bacon festivities.  Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon is caramelized and spiced with pepper and a touch of heat before being folded into rich Maple gelato.  We do have some in the case now so if you didn’t get a chance to taste it over the weekend, be sure to give it a try when you are in.

June Cheese of the Month  -  Lincoln Log

This style of aged goat cheese was one of the first to catch on here in the States.  And while it is an aged, mold-ripened cheese, the fact that boucherons imported from France would often be several weeks, if not maybe months, old by the time they graced the case of the Deli and other cheese shops was practicaly a travesty.  So few knew what this type of cheese was truly supposed to be!

With that in mind, not too long after the Creamery began, John decided to tackle boucheron and add it to our repertoire and it has been one of our most popular cheeses since.   This dense, log-shaped cheese is about four inches in diameter and is covered with a thin, white mold. It has a very rich texture with hints of citrus, a mild goat flavor and a touch of mushroom finish.

All June long, enjoy some Lincoln Log for $2-off a pound!

Cheese Tasting:  The Beauty of the Bovine

Jersey and brown swiss and holsteins oh my! Dairy cowa provide th emilk for the majority of the world’s cheese, and this tasting is dedicated to their fine work! Learn why so much cheese is made from cow’s milk, he properties of this milk, and the different kinds of cow’s that produce it. Come ready to try some of our very favorites!

Sunday, June 20th *4-6 pm* $25* Call: 734-929-0500 for reservations

Are you an avid Facebooker?   Check out our Event for the Tasting!

Join us at Zingerman’s Creamery on Saturday, June 12th for our annual, start-of-the-summer Gelato Kickoff Event!  Each year we try and start off the summer right by sharing a taste of everyone’s favorite frozen Italian dessert with all who walk through our door.  And this year, not only is it your chance to taste the debut of our summer gelato flavors, Luciano’s Lemon and Coco-Nut, but you will also get the chance to taste our exciting new work-in-progress, MAPLE BACON GELATO!  As you may know, one week after the kickoff is another great Southside event, Zingerman’s Camp Bacon.  We figured there was no time like now to develop one of our most-requested, off-the-beaten path flavors…

But we need your help!

When we develop a new flavor, it goes through quite an extensive process before it actually hits our case.   And this year we are throwing caution to the wind and need the help of your palate.  When you come up with a flavor like Hazelnut, or Lemon, or Mint Chip, you kind of have a context and idea of what it might be like.  Something like Bacon gelato though, is a bit of a wild card.  That being said, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to flip the script and have you all become official gelato taste-testers.  So please let us know what you think!

• Come on by the Cheese Shop anytime between 11am – 4pm for a free scoop of gelato.
• 
  
• Meet our gelato-maker, Josh, and learn the intricacies of gelato-making at either of 2 free demonstrations at Noon or 2pm.
• 
  
• And if our Maple Bacon Gelato has really wet your appetite for all-things cured and porcine, be sure to check us out again on June 19th for Camp Bacon at Zingerman’s Creamery.  Full details available at the Camp Bacon website.
• 
  

June Cheese of the Month  -  Lincoln Log

Ann Arbor’s very own boucheron.  Who says you need to travel to France to get a taste of the L’or Valley?  In fact, it was for that very reason that the Lincoln Log was born!  This style of aged goat cheese was one of the first to catch on here in the States.  And while it is an aged, or even more appropriately, a mold-ripened cheese, the fact that boucherons imported from France would often be several weeks, if not maybe months, old by the time they graced the case of the Deli and other cheese shops was practicaly a travesty.  So few knew what this type of cheese was truly supposed to be!

With that in mind, not too long after the Creamery began, John decided to tackle boucheron and add it to our repertoire and it has been one of our most popular cheeses since.  All June long, enjoy some Lincoln Log for $2-off a pound!

Cheese Tasting:  The Beauty of the Bovine

Jersey and brown swiss and holsteins oh my! Dairy cowa provide th emilk for the majority of the world’s cheese, and this tasting is dedicated to their fine work! Learn why so much cheese is made from cow’s milk, he properties of this milk, and the different kinds of cow’s that produce it. Come ready to try some of our very favorites!

Sunday, June 20^th *4-6 pm* $25* Call: 734-929-0500 for reservations

Are you an avid Facebooker?   Check out our Event for the Tasting!

Named for the brick-paved streets in Ann Arbor where Zingerman’s Delicatessen is nestled at the corner of E. Kingsley and Detroit St., the Brick is a boucheron-inspired, green peppercorn-studded goat cheese with a dense, lemony paste and a snow white mold rind.   Twice an ACS award winner, the Detroit Street Brick has become one of our favorites at the Creamery and is one of our most widely-available cheeses in Michigan and all around the U.S.

We have been lucky to work closely with local goat farmer Todd MacDonald whose tireless efforts have continually raised the bar of quality in the milk we receive each week.  This is some of the best milk we have ever received and it really shows through in the flavor and texture of the cheeses.  I really like swapping out the customary cheddar on a cheeseburger for a nice slice of Brick and letting it melt up just a little bit before condiments and a bun are applied.  It’s great crumbled on salads, sliced on cheese plates, drizzled with olive oil and broiled, stacked on pizza, or just by itself.

All May long, the Detroit St. Brick is $3-off the regular pound price at the Creamery!  Only $22.99/lb.

Learn to Make Fresh Mozzarella!

EVERY Saturday through May you can get your cheese-learning on at the Creamery.  Come be a cheesemaker for a day as this 2-hour class is held right in the production department of the Creamery.  We will teach you how to make your own mozzarella from either fresh milk or finished curd and you will leave with the confidence and courage to make mozzarella in your own kitchen!

Registration is $45 per person and the class is held from 12-2 pm every Saturday.  Space is limited so reservations are required.  Give us a call at 734-929-0500 and we will get you all signed up!

Rinds of all Kinds

In this cheese tasting we will tackle the age old question, “Can I really eat that rind?”  Quite often, the answer is an emphatic yes!  We’ll talk about the various types of rinds, their functions, and the many ways cheesemakers encourage rind growth on their cheeses, and most importantly, we’ll taste ‘em!  Discover how the rind is cheese’s most amazing and often delicious, built-in accompaniment.

Sunday, May 16th  *  4 pm  *  $25 per person  *  Call (734) 929-0500 for reservations

There are few joys in life that can compete with the pure decadent delight of a rich and creamy fresh cheese.  And what better way to celebrate the start of Spring than a fabulous special on one of those tempting fresh cheeses…

The Sharon Hollow is a very fresh, flavored cow’s milk cheese. Cow’s milk is gently pasteurized, then slowly cultured and set over twelve hours.  The curd is then ladled into molds with alternating layers of garlic and chopped chives or garlic and fresh cracked telicherry black pepper.  The cheese are then drained for six to eight hours, brined for thirty three minutes and allowed to drain overnight.  They are then unmolded, topped with either chives or pepper and wrapped in paper.  The paper allows the cheese to breathe and slowly expel more moisture.

This cheese is great just on a cracker or for the ambitious as a filling for ravioli.  The Sharon Hollow is superb in mashed potatoes, pasta sauces, or broken up over freshly-drained pasta and drizzled with olive oil.    And since this is our favorite Spring cheese, we’ve decided to give top honors to the Sharon Hollow this month.

Pick one up for only $4.99 at the Creamery and the Eastern or Kerrytown Farmer’s Markets all April long!

Pashkas have arrived – Христос воскресе

You definitely don’t have to celebrate Easter to enjoy this traditional Russian Orthodox dessert.  Very much like an un-baked cheesecake, we start with our fresh cream cheese for this decadent dessert.  Fresh eggs and farm butter are mixed in, as are candied orange peels, raisins, and lemon zest.  After setting overnight, we hand-pack cheese molds with the mixture and press it for one more night until they are ready to eat.  Proving once and for all that cheese is meant to be eaten for dessert!  We do want you to know that Pashka contains raw eggs and it is frighteningly delicious.  Good thing it’s only available for a week!  They are in the shop today, April 1st, and will be available until next Wednesday or we sell out.

You can find them at the Creamery, the Deli and the Roadhouse, as well as the Eastern or Kerrytown Markets for only $9.99.  They easily serve 4.

Learn to Make Cheese: Fresh Mozzarella!

EVERY Saturday through May you can get your cheese-learning on at the Creamery.  Come be a cheesemaker for a day as this 2-hour class is held right in the production department of the Creamery.  We will teach you how to make your own mozzarella from either fresh milk or finished curd and you will leave with the confidence and courage to make mozz in your own kitchen!

Registration is $45 per person and the class is held from 12-2 pm every Saturday.  Space is limited so reservations are required.  Give us a call at 734-929-0500 and we will get you all signed up!

Get Your Goat!

Sunday, April 18 * 4-6pm * $25/foodie

Join us on Sunday, April 18 at 4pm for an all-goat festivus of cheese.  We’ll taste goat cheeses soft and hard, tangy and smooth, and talk about all things goaty- from the rambunctious animal itself, to it’s delicious milk, all the way to finished cheese.  Whether you are a goat cheese veteran or new to the cheese world, we guarantee you’ll leave with a new appreciation for this feisty beast!  We’ll be tasting cheese made right here at the Creamery from local milk as well as some of our favorites from around the US and the world.

If you are a Facebook-inclined foodie, click the link above to be taken directly to the Event.