Get out the Lactaid, it's time for a road trip! This article by Sarah Stierch originally appeared on North Bay Voyager.
The friendly ladies at Fresno's Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery. (Courtesy photo)
California is one of the cheese capitals of the world. Our fair state has 80 creameries producing every type of cheese under the sun from every corner of the state. From Crescent City's Rumiano Cheese Co. which produces Dry Jack, to Silverdale Cheese, which produces butter and cheese from its El Centro headquarters, California's cheese is as diverse as our population.
To help guide one through the overwhelming amount of producer, we turn to the California Cheese Trail map, which is now in its eighth printing. The map, which is available online and at visitors bureaus and welcome centers across the state, was launched in 2010 by Vivien Straus. (You might recognize her last name, her family founded Straus Family Creamery.) Straus is a self-proclaimed "woman with a slight addiction to cows" who loves cheese and advocates for producers and sustainable farming.
Thankfully for cheese lovers, the new map means new cheeses to try! Here's five of the newest additions to the map to check out.
Bivalve Dairy, Point Reyes Station
Located on the site of the scenic Bianchini Ranch in Point Reyes, Bivalve is the brainchild of Karen Bianchini and John Taylor. In 2006, Bianchini and Taylor decided to return to the farm of Bianchini's youth, where the couple would continue sustainable ranching practices and raise their three children. Today, they operate Bivalve Dairy onsite. The dairy is 100% organic and pasture-based with over 400 cows on property, including 200 milking cows. In March 2019, Bivalve released their first cheeses, debuting them at the California Artisan Cheese Festival: Mendonça, a semi-hard Portuguese island cheese, and Foundry Fresh, an organic cream cheese. Currently, Bivalve is open by appointment for farm tours which are $25 per person. bivalvedairy.com
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