Specialty Cheeses

From the rolling hills and lush pastures near Weston, MO, northwest of Kansas City, Green Dirt Farm has been producing acclaimed sheep’s and mixed milk cheeses for over a decade now, with a diverse lineup that runs from creamy, tangy fresh cheeses to Alpine-style offerings.  Their cheeses are beloved, with every variety of their sheep’s milk cheese having won an American Cheese Society award.  They are also proud to be Animal Welfare Approved, as they believe that how their animals are raised is connected to the quality of the cheese they sell. Green Dirt Farm started in 2002, when Mary Hoffman and her husband John bought a farm to grow organic vegetables near Weston, Missouri.  Since the soil proved a poor fit for produce, Mary began to transition towards raising sheep, and then towards making producing sheep milk cheeses.  Luckily, she had an ideal background for becoming a cheesemaker—she grew up on a series of small farms, studied microbiology in college and even had an aunt who owned a cheese shop.

Modeled after Italian Stracchino, Ruby is a washed-rind cheese with a slight red hue on the rind.  The flavor is mild and pleasantly salty.  Try it as a substitute for Reblochon on a cheese board, or serve it paired with fine charcuterie.