Beyond Organic GreenFed Raw Cheese
By Beyond Organic Health & Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH
 Beyond Organic GreenFed Raw Cheese combines artisanal craftsmanship with
meticulously cared for healthy Greenfed cows producing raw milk to
create aged cheeses beyond what is available in today’s markets. Every
small batch begins with milk from Beyond Organic dairy cattle that
forage on their natural diet of lush greens in certified organic
pastures – producing dairy with a unique and impressive nutritional
composition. Allow your self to indulge in the complex flavors that only
come from Beyond Organic’s farmstead, artisanal cheese, that is not only
delicious but loaded with Omega-3’s, conjugated linolenic acid (CLA ),
probiotics and other health promoting nutrients.
 What Makes Beyond Organic GreenFed Raw Cheese So Unique?
- Really Raw—Beyond Organic uses only unpasteurized and untreated true
whole milk that is never heated above cow body temperature (around
101.5° Fahrenheit)
- GreenFed—Beyond Organic’s dairy cattle intensely graze on grasses
and greens such as forbs, herbs and legumes—no grain—while
free-roaming our thousands of acres of organic pasture in the
foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Beyond Organic cows are never given
hormones or antibiotics
- Ancient Breeding—bringing back an ancient genetic profile originating
in India, Africa and the Middle East for dairy cattle that thrive on
greens, and yield wide nutrient diversity and high nutrient density
- Beyond Organic dairy cows are free of “Beta Casein A1” creating
dairy products that are extremely well-tolerated (as well or even
better than goat’s milk and more nutritious and delicious)
- True Whole Milk—no skimming of fat, resulting in a complete, more
natural balance and seasonal variation of fats and proteins providing
key minerals and fat-soluble vitamins
- Farmstead and Artisanal —Beyond Organic’s Olde World Processing
methods - our cheese is processed right on our farm and hand crafted
according to Olde World customs and methods
- Nourishing – Provides a natural source of Omega-3’s and CLA, packed
with protein, calcium, probiotics and enzymes
The Art of Cheese
Americans produce and eat more cheese than any other nation. Its
versatility is undeniable. A simple tray of cheese set out prior to
eating transforms a meal into a party. Melted over vegetables, it turns
picky children into connoisseurs. Served at the end of a meal it can
elicit wonder and awe—a pre-postprandial indulgence. Yet, some cheese
does disappoint.
Once the providence of artisanal craftsman, cheese entered the
mainstream years ago. Bricks and slices inhabit miles of space in
grocery stores around the country. It is a testament to our love of
cheese—any cheese—that such a sight exists. If you’ve ever had a bite of
truly artisanal cheese, you know that it satisfies on a different plane
than the mass produced “wall of cheese” in your local supermarket.
 At Beyond Organic, we don’t love cheese. We love great cheese! Our
decision to craft cheese was a natural one, but it was not an easy one.
A commitment to great cheese is a commitment to travelling back in time.
The two most important ingredients today are the same as they were 2,000
years ago—great milk and lots of time. Mass produced cheese rarely uses
either—and the proof is in the flavor. The Art in Artisanal
A great sculptor can take a simple piece of bronze and shape it into
art. Cheese making is a similarly transformative process. It requires
taking a precious ingredient—raw, whole milk—and using artistic
craftsmanship applied over time, creating a product that is
fundamentally different than the milk that you started with. It is a
process that is best described as art—hence, the term artisanal.
At Beyond Organic, our cheese starts with one of our most precious
resources—our milk. Much like cheese, the startling majority of milk
consumed in the United States is mass produced. It’s hard to create
great art with factory farm milk. Our milk comes from GreenFed cows
allowed to freely roam green pastures, sampling from Nature’s buffet.
The grass, herbs, forbs and legumes they eat are their natural diet—what
cows have been consuming for thousands of years.
 The milk from these Beyond Organic dairy cows produce is unparalleled in
both health benefits and flavor. It has a healthy ratio of omega-3 to
omega-6 fatty aicds. It has vitamin E and beta carotene. Our GreenFed
dairy also contains conjugated linolenic acid (CLA)— a fatty acid that
has been the subject of a substantial amount of research over the last
several years. Our Beyond Organic cows are never given antibiotics or
growth hormones, and the land they graze is certified organic and is
never sprayed with chemicals. The milk is rich and creamy, and it tastes
unlike any milk found in supermarkets today. If milk can be artisanal,
ours is. It’s also the ideal starting point for a great cheese. From there, our artisanal cheese maker takes over. The milk is allowed
to settle, with the whey rising to the top and the curd remaining on the
bottom. The whey—liquid gold in its own right—is siphoned off, cultures
are added and the curd is pressed into wheel-shaped molds. The cultures
will dominate the aging process and determine the type of cheese
created. The above description is overly simplistic. There are variables that
only God controls and that is the true art of cheese making. Our cows’
diets change throughout the year—different greens grow at different
times of the year. Milk taken from the cows in January may have slight
taste differences than milk taken in August—subtly changing the end
product of the cheese. Additionally, we never pasteurize our milk—it is
never heated above cow body temperature (around 101.5° Fahrenheit). This
is what we refer to as Really Raw. Mass producers of cheese love
pasteurized milk because it delivers a uniform flavor and texture every
time. Finally, how long you age the cheese will also affect the end
result. Our cheese is ready when it’s ready—and that is exactly the way
we want it. These variables are an abhorrence to the factories that mass produce
cheese. They want their cheese to taste exactly the same every day of
the year. That is why they ultra-heat pasteurize the milk and age the
cheese the exact same way every time. At Beyond Organic, that will never
be our goal. If our cheese tastes different from batch to batch, then we
know we are practicing the art of cheese making. Taste is subjective,
and you may prefer one batch to another, but the cheese will always be
great. Art You Can Eat
 Cheddar cheese is perhaps the most ubiquitous of cheeses. It is the most
populous inhabitant of the aforementioned “wall of cheese.”
Unfortunately, the insipid flavor and texture of mass-produced cheddar
cheese comically undervalues the true greatness of cheddar. This is a
particular shame. True cheddar cheese (the name is derived from
cheddar’s origin, the English village of Cheddar in Somerset) was once
described by the “father of Cheddar cheese,” Joseph Harding, as “close
and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with
a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine. . .” That
hardly seems like the description one would use to describe
run-of-the-mill mass-produced cheddar cheese.
Click here to shop for Beyond Organic GreenFed Dairy products
including
the GreenFed Raw Cheddar Cheese.
Beyond Organic Raw Cheddar is what artisanal cheese is supposed to be.
It is pleasingly sharp, with a crumbly texture, and a richness and
complexity of flavor that can be found only in a raw milk, aged cheese.
Once you taste the flavor and experience the health benefits, you’ll
find it hard to go back to the processed cheddar so prevalent in stores
today.
 Havarti cheese is an altogether different cheese. Havarti is a Danish
cheese that first came to be in the mid-1800s. Much like cheddar cheese,
what once started out as a uniquely artisanal tradition has been
forsaken in the name of commerce. Originally, havarti cheese was made
from raw milk. Today, much of the havarti that you find is known as
“cream havarti.” It uses highly pasteurized milk and is barely aged. It
doesn’t compare in craftsmanship, texture or flavor to the original.
Click here to shop for Beyond Organic GreenFed Dairy products
including
the GreenFed Raw Havarti Cheese. Our
Beyond Organic Raw Havarti
is aged to create a pliable, semi-soft texture. It has a rich, almost
buttery flavor with just a hint of tanginess. It is also
versatile—great sliced and wonderful toasted or melted, where the buttery flavor becomes even more pronounced. It is the
mildest of our cheeses and a great entry into the world of artisanal
cheese making.
Click here for more information or to purchase
the Beyond Organic GreenFed Raw Cheeses. Beyond Organic GreenFed Raw Cheese
Video
Video with Jordan Rubin: View in window below by clicking arrow.
Return to our Beyond Organic Introduction Page, click here.
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