|
|
“Banishment of the corporeal, or sexual, into pure biology, all the talk about the 'merely biological', is consequently the exact antithesis of what faith intends. For faith tells us of the spirituality of the biological as well as the corporeality of the spiritual and divine. On this point the choice is between all or nothing.”
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Daughter Zion)
|
DAIRY PRODUCTS FROM OUR HERD FOR SALE AT THE ART SHOP 
1st TIME EVER—PLAIN CREAM TOP YOGURTThis creamy yogurt is made with pasteurized whole milk and live active yogurt cultures: L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus which give it a delicious cultured milky flavor. Since the milk is not homogenized, there is a rich natural layer of cream on top. 1st PRIZE RICOTTA Our ricotta won a First Premium Blue Ribbon at the renowned Bethlehem Fair held on September 8, 2023. The Ricotta is made from the pasteurized milk of our heritage breed Dutch Belted cows and is now available in our Art Shop most weekends. RAW MILK FROM OUR HERD Starting in February 2023 our state licensed dairy began taking orders for raw milk from our heritage breed Dutch Belted cows. The cows of this breed are known to be excellent grazers and well suited for grass based dairying. Their milk contains first-rate milk components, high protein, butterfat and milk solids. The Abbey Dairy has been designated as a Dairy of Distinction since 1976. We are among the few dairies in Connecticut to hold licenses for raw milk production and retail sales. Our milk is tested and our dairy is inspected regularly. We have found that production on a small scale, as in our monastic dairy, allows us to keep close track of our herd's health and to maintain a spotless barn, both of which contribute to the quality and safety of our milk for which we are known. These products are sold at our Art Shop and New Morning Market in Woodbury. Please call ahead to check for availability at (203) 266-7637 or email the Abbey Dairy for more information. Read more about the Monastic Art Shop. Please note that we are unable to ship cheese. NEW CALF BORN—SEPTEMBER 2023 Our cow Caeli gave birth to her second calf on September 13, 2023. The beautiful heifer, only 10 hours old in this video, is named Neve, which is a diminutive of Genevieve, the name given to our new novice on her Clothing Day on September 16th. Sister Genevieve, who loves the cows, is a milker and cheesemaker.
SPRINGTIME AT THE ABBEY DAIRY 2023 Enjoy a gallery of springtime at our dairy.
HISTORY OF THE ABBEY DAIRY  The Abbey of Regina Laudis dairy began in 1975 when our first dairy cow Sheba was given to us by a local farmer Sherwood Wright. That same year we became a Connecticut State Licensed Dairy and have been designated as a Dairy of Distinction since 1976. We are among the few dairies in Connecticut to hold licenses for raw milk production and retail sales. Through our monastic obligation to wise land stewardship and preservation of traditional techniques, we have been at the forefront of the local foods and environmental movements long before they were popular issues. We focus on sustainable practices including rotational grazing, and composting of all manure. We grow and harvest our own hay. Our small herd of hand-milked cows provides milk, cheese, butter and ice cream for our community and guests. Aged raw milk cheeses, including our Bethlehem and farmstead cheddar-type, and fresh pasteurized cheeses are available seasonally at our Art Shop. HERITAGE BREEDS  Since 1991 we have been devoted to the preservation and conservation of heritage breeds of cattle, particularly the Dutch Belted and now the Milking Shorthorn. We began raising Dutch Belts when we received our first pair of oxen. As we moved toward a more sustainable grass based system, we realized that the Dutch Belts' qualities were just right for our small-scale, hand milking operation. Both Dutch Belts and Milking Shorthorns are well-rounded breeds, of medium build with good longevity. They are excellent grazers with first-rate milk components, high protein, butterfat and milk solids. These breeds are well suited for grass based dairying and their milk is excellent for the small scale production of dairy products. DAIRY PRODUCTS In 1977 the Abbey began making Bethlehem cheese, a St. Nectaire-type cheese, the technique of which was shared by a third-generation cheese maker from Cézallier in the Auvergne, France.  Bethlehem cheese is a pressed, uncooked, semi-hard, fungal-ripened cheese. The cheese is made from raw milk and commercial cultures of starter bacteria or fungi are never added during production or the 60-day ripening period. In our cheese cellar we observed over time that certain fungi grew naturally on the cheese rinds in a way that was reproducible and predictable and paralleled the course of ripening of traditional St. Nectaire cheese in the Auvergne. Bethlehem cheese thus provided a model for the study of stable microbial succession during ripening in a natural environment and became the basis of graduate research in dairy microbial ecology at the University of Connecticut. There is a growing interest in natural or native strains of microorganisms that contribute to aroma and consistency of cheese as consumers seek products that embody terroir or the “taste of place” where they were made.
 Other cheeses being produced at our dairy are: mozzarella, ricotta, Montasio, and an Alpine cheese. Our bloomy rind cheese, in the style of Camembert, is called Etoile after the star of Bethlehem. It will be available for sale in the future in a pasteurized version.Starting in early July 2020 our Bethlehem Cheese is available for purchase in limited quantities at the New Morning Market and Vitality Center in Woodbury CT. We are grateful to John Pittari, long-time Abbey friend and founder of New Morning, for making our cheese available to his customers during this time when our Art Shop is closed due to the New Horizons renovation project. We hope to include other Abbey cheeses foe sale at New Morning in the future. EDUCATION I first came to the Abbey dairy in 2009 as a monastic intern who did not know the difference between Kraft Singles and Gruyère. In the Abbey dairy I learned a great deal not only about cheese but also about the life of the Benedictine Community in which these cheeses were made, a life vowed to obedience, stability and conversion of heart. Oblate Brother David Aeschliman  Our dairy plays an important role in education. Our monastic interns regularly participate in the "high touch" work of the dairy such as hand milking and cheese making. We regard these skills as precious and feel it as an important mission to maintain them in the current world. Some interns have fallen in love with artisanal cheesemaking and the process of fermentation critical to the transformation of milk into cheese; and after their internship have pursued further education and/or certification in these areas. After his monastic internship David Aeschliman completed the Cheesemaker Certification Program at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese (VIAC) and a 6 month internship at Jasper Hill in Greensboro VT. Now in residence as an Oblate Brother of Regina Laudis he brings his care and gift for standardization, experimentation, and teaching to the Abbey dairy. He has brought our Etoile, which is one of the most difficult classes of cheeses to make, to its creamy, buttery perfection. Brother David has also implemented the Old English technique for cloth-bound cheddar, wrapping our young green cheddar-type cheeses in cotton cloth and coating them with lard. Since these cheeses are aged over 60 days they are available for sale in our Art Shop on a regular basis.
ABBEY DAIRY—SUMMER 2022 Spring and summer have been busy seasons at our Abbey dairy. Our postulants, novices and interns milk and care for our cows and calves. They eagerly await the birth of each calf, a wondrous and joyful event every time, even for someone like Mother Telchilde who has been midwife to our dairy herd for many years. In our milk processing room new cheeses such as Feta and Alpine-type continue to be developed. Using our beautiful Emery Thompson ice cream machine and blast freezer, purchased with the aid of a generous grant, our dairy maids are experimenting with ice cream, frozen yogurt and Italian ice. Enjoy a gallery of new life at our Abbey dairy.
NEW STAINLESS STEEL CABINETS, COUNTERS, AND BURNERS FOR OUR DAIRY ROOM 
The cabinets for the production room in the Abbey dairy were built in 1977 and have served us well for over forty years. Now in 2020, the generosity of an anonymous donor has made it possible for us to purchase and install new stainless steel cabinets and counters. The stainless steel countertops are durable, rust and stain-resistant, heat-tolerant and meet food safety standards. And their clean shiny surfaces give our small dairy room, where cheese, yogurt, kefir and ice cream are produced, a sleek bright new look. The donation also made it possible for us to replace our old stove top unit with a new Volrath Induction Burner and a Waring Professional Burner. We are extremely grateful for these furnishings and equipment which will help us bring the work of our dairy into the future.Gallery of Installation of Stainless Steel Cabinets and Counters
ABBEY DAIRY CALVES—SUMMER 2020
ABBEY CHEESE FEATURED ON THE CBS SUNDAY MORNING SHOW NOVEMBER 20th 
Every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving the CBS Sunday Morning Show broadcasts a show centered on food. This year our cheese was featured on a segment of their “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” program on Sunday, November 20th.The CBS segment begins with the Monastic Community singing Gregorian Chant in our church Jesu Fili Mariae and then correspondent Mo Rocca visits our dairy where he interviewed an Abbey herdswoman and cheesemakers. Watch Sister Jeanne Paul feed the cows and introduce her beloved Milking Shorthorn Red Wing Lily who is certainly not camera shy. Sister Teresa Benedicta and Monastic Intern Regina show Mo the final steps of the Bethlehem cheesemaking process as they salt and wrap the cheese in cheesecloth. Mother Noella introduced Mo to the ripening process in the cheese cellar and through a microscope. They spoke about Benedictine Spirituality and how the work of each nun with an element of creation, opens to the comprehensive vision of St. Benedict. And of course Mo had his first taste of our Bethlehem cheese! Mother Noella on the Science and Spirituality of Cheesemaking
In this web exclusive, Mother Noella, a Benedictine Nun of the Abbey of Regina Laudis, talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about enzymes—the catalyst in the traditional cheesemaking process—and how they relate to the spiritual. You can, she says, find the universe in a microbe. From the CBS Sunday Morning Website, November 20, 2016
Watch the video Mo Rocca Pays a Visit to the Abbey Dairy Farm.Watch the Interview with Mo Rocca on the Science and Spirituality of Cheesemaking from the CBS Sunday Morning broadcast. NETFLIX PREMIERE OF COOKED DIRECTED BY ALEX GIBNEY IN COLLABORATION WITH MICHAEL POLLAN, February 2016  Explored through the lenses of the four natural elements—fire, water, air and earth—COOKED is an enlightening and compelling look at the evolution of what food means to us through the history of food preparation and its universal ability to connect us. Highlighting our primal human need to cook, the series urges a return to the kitchen to reclaim our lost traditions and to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection to the ingredients and cooking techniques that we use to nourish ourselves.
Synopsis of the documentary film Cooked from Michael Pollan's Website On February 19, 2016, Netflix began streaming an original 4-part documentary series based on journalist and author Michael Pollan's book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. Regina Laudis, in particular the Abbey Dairy, is featured in episode #4: Earth—Fermentation's Cold Fire. Watch the Official Trailer for Cooked and read more. July 2014—LONG-AWAITED IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW EQUIPMENT AT THE ABBEY DAIRY:  OUR DAIRY HAS A NEW SHINY ROOF!During the severe weather of early 2013 the roof of our dairy barn and facility suffered extensive damage. In the spring of 2014 replacement of the roof was made possible through funds from the 2013 PLANT (Production Loss Assistance Needed Today) Grant offered through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. These agencies assist farmers with losses and we are extremely grateful to their representatives who evaluated our situation and facilitated our reception of the grant. Thanks to the good work of Joe Pisani and his team from Pisani Steel Fabrication in Waterbury, the roof was installed just in time for the barn to be filled with hay bales from the first cutting of hay this season! Gallery of Roof Installation
 WE HAVE A NEW PASTEURIZER!The pasteurizer we purchased in 1987 stopped functioning in the spring of 2012 and could not be repaired. As a result we could not sell our fresh cheeses such as crème fraîche, herb cheese spread, cream cheese and our pâte molle cheese Etoile which require pasteurization in order to be legally sold. We were also unable to make ice cream. After months of searching for a pasteurizer that could fit into our tiny dairy room, Frank Kipe of Microdairy Designs in Maryland was recommended to us. We knew we had found our man when we read the philosophy of his company, committed to “small dairies with big dreams”. His equipment, though small in size, meets dairy regulatory requirements, receiving 3-A approval for use in any state. On his web site he states the two missions behind his business:
On June 29th, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, we had a reception in our dairy and the adjoining craft studios for our community, interns and special guests. It was an occasion for all to see the improvements in our facility and departments made possible by our benefactors. The new pasteurizer was named by Mother Abbess and blessed by Father Iain Highet, and of course everyone was able to taste the dairy products offered by the Abbey cheesemakers. NAMING OF PASTEURIZER We name the pasteurizer Francis in honor of Frank Kipe, who in his dedication to the small and the poor embodies the spirit of his patron St. Francis, and made this miracle possible in the Portiuncula or 'little portion' of our dairy.
BLESSING OF PASTEURIZER Bless O Lord, we pray, this pasteurizer, that it will through its heat destroy harmful bacteria, while with its gentle action, maintain the integrity and structure of the protein and fat molecules in the milk of our cows. Protect all who use this tool and bless those who eat the cheese, ice cream, yogurt, kefir and other as-yet undiscovered fermented delights, made from our pasteurized milk and cream. Bless our benefactors whose generosity will allow us to develop, sell, and distribute our pasteurized products so that others may taste the goodness of the land that is Regina Laudis: transformed through the work of the hayers, cows, milkers, and cheesemakers. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gallery of Pasteurizer Installation and Blessing
 CHEESE AND MICROBES COLLOQUIUM AND NEWLY-PUBLISHED BOOKOn June 11th, 2014 at the invitation of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Mother Noella, a microbiologist specializing in cheese-ripening fungi, participated in a colloquium on Cheese and Microbes in Washington, D.C. The colloquium was part of the AAM series called FAQ's in which “frequently asked questions” about microbes and how they affect our lives are addressed. The Cheese and Microbes colloquium proceedings will be published in a “FAQ's” booklet written in language that is accessible to cheese-lovers and cheesemakers who may not be scientists, and will available free to the public at the American Society for Microbiology web site. For Mother Noella it was an occasion to re-connect with colleagues from Europe and the United States who share a like passion for the process of fermentation and the microorganisms that create the flavor and diversity of cheeses. Mother Noella is also a contributing author to the American Society of Microbiology book Cheese and Microbes released on April 30th, 2014. Her chapter entitled: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Tales of Fungal-Ripened Cheese was written in collaboration with her doctoral adviser from the University of Connecticut, Professor David Benson. An excerpt from the introduction to their chapter follows: The history of cheese manufacture is a 'natural
history' in which animals, microorganisms, and the environment interact to yield human food. Part of the fascination with cheese, both scientifically and culturally, stems from its ability to assume
amazingly diverse flavors as a result of seemingly small details in preparation. In this review, we trace the roots of cheesemaking and its development by a variety of human cultures over centuries. Traditional cheesemakers observed empirically that certain environments and processes produced the best cheeses, unwittingly selecting for microorganisms with the best biochemical properties for developing desirable aromas and textures. The focus of this review is on the role of fungi in cheese ripening... For those who are interested, this chapter and others from the book are available for reading/downloading at the ASM Microbiology Spectrum web site. (Microbiology Spectrum Volume 1, Issue 1) Fall 2013—NEW CHEESE PRESS AT THE ABBEY DAIRY Through the generosity and expertise of Neville McNaughton, President of CheezSorce in St. Louis Missouri, the Abbey dairy has a new cheese press. When Neville visited our dairy in 2012 he saw that the old wine press we had been using for 32 years to press our cheese could no longer meet the needs of our growing dairy, especially during Connecticut summer humidity. On our behalf he presented our need to American artisanal cheesemakers who generously contributed to the fabrication of a custom-made press, designed by Neville to fit into our tiny dairy. Neville (accompanied by his Irish Setter Bella) drove the press from St. Louis to Bethlehem and instructed our cheesemakers on its operation. Our cheesemakers are thrilled to be able to press two types of cheese simultaneously. As the press was blessed by Mother Abbess, it was named Neville (derived from Old French Néville ("Néel's estate") or Neuville, ("new village" or "new town") because it allows our cheesemakers to bring their craft into the future. Special thanks to: Brenda and Neville McNaughton and Tim Woods of CheezSorce Tiffany and Skeet Repsher of LaRaysville Cheese Factory Willi Lehner of Bleu Mont Dairy Vince Galluccio of Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company Terry Beckman of Dairy Fab LLC Michael Pollan and Judith Belzer CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE CHEESE PRESS IN ACTION! GALLERY New Cheese Press
Postulant Gwyneth and Monastic Intern Theresa make Mozzarella
Brother David leads Monastic Intern Janice through the steps of cheddar-making
Abbey Dairy
Our Dairy Cows
Work of the Dairy
Cheese
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2013 Abbey of Regina Laudis. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
