by Austin Coe Butler
Sheep’s milk is uncommon. To start, sheep are notoriously stubborn. They only produce milk for three to four months after lambing in the winter or spring. It isn’t possible to milk them most of the year like goats or year round like cows. They also produce a small amount of milk. Proportional to their size, sheep produce less milk than cows, water buffalo, and even goats. But what sheep’s milk lacks in volume it makes up for in fat. The “fat globules” (that’s a technical term) are larger than the fat globules of cow's or goat’s milk, which give sheep cheeses their buttery characteristics. As these fatty acids break down, they produce the characteristic tangy, spicy notes of Roquefort, Pecorino, and Manchego. There’s another reason why sheep’s milk cheeses are uncommon in the US–sheep are uncommon!
Notice that those last three cheeses (Roquefort, Pecorino, and Manchego) are all European. In the US, we don’t have the tradition of sheep’s milk or meat. I mentioned briefly in my piece on Vermont Shepherd’s Verano, the first artisanal sheep cheese in the US, that sheep’s milk cheeses just aren’t a thing in the US. And that has to do with something that goes to heart of cheesemaking: genetics.
American sheep have been bred for one purpose: fiber. Wool was placed on the Pentagon’s list of strategic materials in 1954 because military uniforms were made from wool. As a result, massive government subsidies compelled shepherds to breed for wool, and even though the military declassified wool as a strategic material in the 60s, many states still subsidize the production of wool. Additionally, American sheep genetics were limited because of outbreaks of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease). In our intra-Covid world, we are anxiously attuned to the microscopic, the microbial, but prior to this, many of us were enjoying the gentle comforts of a “post-Pasteurian world." The BSE outbreaks of the 80s and 90s shook animal agriculture. Especially in the UK, hundreds of people fell violently ill from Mad Cow Disease and 178 died, leading to the immediate restrictions on animal products like meat, dairy, and genetic material. British beef was banned in some countries as late as 2019.
Enter the Annas of Landmark Creamery.
Anna Landmark and Anna Thomas Bates met at a potluck over a decade ago and before they knew it they were conspiring a creamery under the influence of some Old Fashions. Landmark is the cheesemaker while Bates manages sales, marketing, and everything in between. Landmark Creamery’s milk comes from a herd of sheep that are a mixed breed of Lacaune and East Friesian sheep crossed with Assaf, an Israeli hybrid. Only a few years ago new Lacaune genetics (the sheep used to make Roquefort) we imported into the US. The arrival of new sheep genetics to the US market really is a game changer, and we are in the midst of an exciting and dynamic period of sheep’s milk cheesemaking.
Running a small creamery is hazardous, to say the least. ATB has joked that starting a small creamery has been like the pictures of Obama before and after his presidency, referring to the grey hairs they’ve gained along the way. In addition to all the investment and fundraising that go into starting a new business and the time and effort that go into making cheeses that almost all take six months to age, there was an incident when their cold storage facility threw away their cheese, valued at over $20,000! Such things can shutter a small company, but the cheese community rallied behind them. Landmark Creamery is the product of family, friendships, and community support.
Landmark Creamy now has a provisions shop in Belleville, WI, where you can shop all their delightful cheeses. They make a number of sheep's milk cheeses, and this week we’re thrilled to carry three: Anabasque, Rebel Miel, and their sheep’s milk Taleggio (so new it doesn’t have a name yet). Anabasque is an homage to the cheeses of the Basque Country, like Ossau-Iraty. It has a walnut nuttiness to it and a bright, espellete fruitiness. The Taleggio we have now is remarkably gooey and luxurious. You can taste and feel the extra fat sheep’s milk has (remember those large “fat globules” I mentioned?). Rebel Miel is washed in a Paint It Black beer that gives the rind a flinty, chocolaty flavor and leaves the paste spring, bright, and complex.
Come see how this uncommon milk makes beautiful cheese!