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Farm Highlight: Ferndale Market

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Farm Highlight: Ferndale Market

For 85 years and across three generations, Ferndale Market has been committed to raising turkeys free-range and without the use of antibiotics. Located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, this family-owned and operated farm has expanded their business beyond turkeys in recent years, to include an on-farm store that offers a wide array of foods from other small, local farmers. 

France 44 has been using Ferndale turkey in our sandwiches and salads for many years, and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to get to know the people behind the birds. I spoke with John Peterson about his family’s business, the food industry at large, and what it’s like to be a turkey farmer in the lead up to Thanksgiving.

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The Return of Abbaye de Belloc

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The Return of Abbaye de Belloc

Long, long ago, in a prelapsarian time some cheese lovers call “the Before Times,” a certain cheese graced our case. Ask any of our senior staff (we’re talking 7+ years) about this cheese and they’ll turn misty eyed and sentimental. “Abbaye de Belloc,” they’ll mutter wistfully, like the memory of some forgotten dream. But now, Abbaye de Belloc is back!

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Farm Highlight: Pork & Plants

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Farm Highlight: Pork & Plants

 Located in Southeastern Minnesota, Pork and Plants has been a family owned and operated business since 1967. Since taking the reins from Eric’s parents, Eric and Ann Kreidermacher have continued to expand and evolve their family’s business; they operate an organic hog, cattle, and poultry farm alongside a commercial greenhouse (hence ‘pork’ and ‘plants’).

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‘Chedtember’ at the Cheese Shop

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‘Chedtember’ at the Cheese Shop

As summer winds down and the leaves begin to turn, autumn's food and beverage traditions begin to take center stage at France 44. In our Wine & Spirits shop, customers grab seasonal cider pressings, richly spiced beers, and more robust white and red wines. In our Cheese Shop, our customers begin to crave the most iconic cheese of the autumn season: cheddar! This year, to ease our way back into the autumnal state of mind, we dedicate the entire month of September to cheddar cheese, its accompaniments, and the traditions surrounding it… Welcome to Chedtember!

Cook Like a Cheesemonger: Weeknight Chicken Parm in 10 Minutes

Cook Like a Cheesemonger: Weeknight Chicken Parm in 10 Minutes

Among the incredible new offerings in our deli case, the first to be immediately loved (and devoured en masse) by the staff was the chicken cutlet. There are few pleasures greater than a really good, well-seasoned, crispy cutlet, especially when they’re right there and ready to eat. I often find myself craving them but not having it in me on a weeknight to butterfly chicken breasts, pound them out into cutlets, set up a three step dredging station, fry the cutlets, and then deal the mountain of dishes and leftover oil in the aftermath. But now I can live out my chicken cutlet fantasy anytime–chicken parmesan in the time it takes to boil pasta.

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Farm Highlight: Peterson Craft Meats

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Farm Highlight: Peterson Craft Meats

France 44 Cheese & Meat has been working with Peterson Craft Meats (currently our source of Beef and Lamb) for over a decade. So, it only seems right to highlight the exceptional quality of Peterson’s products, as well as their commitment to land stewardship and animal welfare. I spoke briefly with Andy Peterson of Peterson Craft Meats about his family’s multi-generational business, the year-round work of raising livestock, and the challenges (and rewards) of running an independent, sustainable farm. 

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From Cheese Counter to Countryside: A Journey in Dutch Cheesemaking

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From Cheese Counter to Countryside: A Journey in Dutch Cheesemaking

Working at Wilde Weide was immersive, romantic, and hard work. There was always something to do, and always a generous cheesemaker to show us how to do it. The farm looked magically lush and vibrant. The grasses in the field were dense and wild, full of biological diversity. The farm buzzed with life: chickens laying eggs in the hay, mooing cows, three stoic farm cats watching everything. Wilde Weide had always been a place on a sticker, but now I knew it was real. And I knew that every part of the island went into making the gouda taste so good.

Cook Like a Cheesemonger: 30 Second Pasta Sauce

Cook Like a Cheesemonger: 30 Second Pasta Sauce

Here’s what a cheese monger actually cooks on a busy weekday after being on their feet and slinging cheese all day—a super simple, extremely flavorful sauce that comes together in 30 seconds and gives you a finished dish in the time it takes for a pot of water to boil. The sauce revolves around two exceptional ingredients: incredible canned tomatoes and Nduja. 

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