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the tribune stouffville ont thursday december 29 1950 historic farm on 10th con of markham township produces natural cheese by lyn and richard harrington nearly 150 years ago christian reesor and his family moved from pennsylvania to the fertile forest ed lands around stouffville in linencovered conestoga wagons they brought their household goods their children livestock and bibles to the new country christian reesor pastor and leader of the community did not live to see the rich farmlands yield their harvest killed by a falling tree while clearing land his was the first grave in the tiny burial plot on the home farm his log cabin was replaced by the massive stone house built by his son christian that stone house still overlooks the little reesor cemetery but the historic property has opened its heart to a new migration p fam ilies from germany and switzer land they call it homey farm partly in compliment to christian reesor also we think the name fits it said herman saner never have we experienced such friendliness such cooperation and kindliness as amongst our neighbors in mark- ham township when hitlers warclouds were gathering a group of friends de cided to leave germany to her man sauer and his family it was no longer the country they loved elisabeth david her husband and daughter his sister mrs kayser- ling were equally anxious to put the unhappy country behind them they had something to offer a new land mr sauer had taken advanced degrees in agriculture mrs david had studied cheese- making in switzerlands experi mental stations the group moved first to italy in 193g but we soon saw that was a mistake said mr salter so we applied to come to canada in an amusing aside he ad mitted that he had not then grasped the size of canada he read in an italian paper that someone in smithers bc had a farm to sell so he wrote a friend in montreal suggesting that he take a look at it some time when he was out driving horrified the friend wrote back to explain that smithers was as far west of mon treal as italy was east to montreal then in the raw early spring of 1939 came the group of 13 people friends in montreal made them welcome helped them with their faltering english showed them farms roundabout but somehow the toronto area seemed a better choice for them and they looked around in that locality we saw so many beautiful farms said mrs david each one better than the last according to the agents we didnt know what to think mr sauer solved it when lie went to ottawa to ask guidance of the minister of agriculture him self he was directed to the vla administrators in toronto they gave us absolutely price less cooperation and valuable advice he declared we learned more about farmland around tor onto in two days than we had in three weeks before why in two days we decided that this 200acre farm was just what we wanted the huge house that once held so many family gatherings of ree sors now housed a large group held together by the bonds of friendship at first they did only farming with mr sauer as farm manager but after the war homey farm expanded its activi ties and began to develop the pro ject that had been lying fallow for ten years they still wanted to make cheese in europe cheese comes to the table at breakfast and the cheese tray follows luncheon and dinner automatically mrs david ex plained canadian cheddar cheeses are unexcelled but there seemed so little variety on the whole so in 1916 they borrowed the services of mr frauenknecht a swiss outstanding in making soft cheese his advice and arrange ments at homey farm cost a healthy sum but it was worth it to get a good start later they secured the expert services x two skilled swiss cheese makers walter joss and erich bruhin mr david was salesman we wanted to launch our cheese slowly because the market was not yet ready for any great quantity said mrs david when my husband became ill i helped him with the sales and took over the selling after his death last year the project was meant to use up the milk supply of the 6070 registered holsteins on the farm but it has gradually grown beyond that point now homey farm buys milk of the same quality from the neighbours whole milk with a butterfat content of 39 goes into making delicate camem bert bland alpine more odourous old vienna and eyelettcd emmen- taler cheeses at first they sent to switzerland for their bacterial cultures and still do from time to time but their chief supply conies from a canadian bacteriologist who keeps the imported culture alive the entire oagration is carredi on in the generous basement of the big house the cheese kit chen the curing rooms each with its own thermostatically controll ed temperature the packing rooms are there different cheeses are packaged in separate rooms which are carefully sprayed with disin fectant each time to make sure that alien bacteria does not get in to spoil the batch in this matter of checking against undesirable mould scient ists from the ontario research foundation did jeoman service they spent two days taking near ly 10 samples of air workmens clothing walls and what not they improved the situation consider ably but the clieesernakers an still extremely careful but as for mould on cheese it doesnt make any difference to the cheese itself mrs david pointed out a natural cheese is alive it goes on working the mould can easily be cut off although euro peans would eat it what is the difference between eating the mould which is the importan part of a blue cheese and eating a mould which grows on the outside of some other cheese cheese is controlled by the bacter ial culture used and by the temp erature in making and especially in curing mrs david explains fairsized holes indicate the best quality of cheese we make it in wheels up to 50 pounds in weight and in loaves and bricks of various sizes the chain stores like to cut it up and wrap it themselves each typs of cheese has differ ent requirements throughout the culture used size of curd type of piling handling the temperature humidity and ripening all vary you might think it would discour age cheesemaking but instead stockyards setting new business records temperamental cheese nonetheless cheese can get paat its prime progressive cheese which ripens to a perfect state can become unpalatable past that point camambert is the most temperamental at its prime it is creamy to the point of spreading one who has bought some aged camembert is timid about repeat ing the experience that in fact is the main reason why camembert is rare in this country such cheeses are quite fresh when delivered to the grocery store in fact too young for the table but they can be ripened by being kept at room temperature for about a day but you cant do it backward said mr sauer with a smile so we stamp the date of packing on the carton then every couple off weeks when we make new deliv eries to the stores we check on any left overs outdated cheese comes back to the farm unfortunately outdated soft cheese has little or no use and is a complete loss to the manufac turer but homey farm would rather take that loss than lose a reputation for topquality cheese the camembert made at the farm has another distinctive fea ture in that each pat is made individually not part of a larger round cut into segments there is a little more work to this but every edge is coated with the camembert mould whose flavor farm plans to go into bluemould cheese event- homey makin ually they also have a byproduct in butter made from the whey it has a very low butterfat con tent about 27 so that it takes a lot of separating to make any quantity said mr sauer we like our butter lightly salted and sell to excess to some bakeries and to a few special restaurants we make it up in 1pound pats for this trade the rest of the whey goes to the calves pigs and chickens at first toronto was their only market dealing through agents is not too satisfactory so mrs david makes the rounds herself her beat covers from ottawa to wind sor but she hopes before long to get men to take over that job the american market is a tempting one and homey farms has had very favorable comments from south of the border but the duty of this cheese higher than for cheddar going into the united states is 25 of the value which makes export out of the question oddly enough the canadian duty on american cheese is only about 1 it hardly seems fair do you find much variety in ontario cheeseeating habits we wondered a great deal mrs david answered and we often try to sort out the reasons behind the differences kitchener uses a lot of cheese perhaps because many there are of german descent ott awa too perhaps because of the mixed background of people at the capital and we find too that french clerks in stores dont need instructions about handling cheese they just seem to know the right techniques enthiisasism fays off iike a busmans holiday wher ever mr sauer or mrs david go they order cheese for dessert and when the cheese comes to the table in perfect condition they know the chef is a master of his craft for instance one large toronto hotel canadas stockyards are expected to set a record in value of livestock handled this year prices are the highest on asuj record and experts predkt there will be no diminishing in demand permeates each morsel this typehas a chef who understands that of mould remains white and the cheese must come out of the refrigerator at least half an hour before it is eaten cold cheese is practically tasteless what is more he cuts cheese thick enough so you can taste it canadians and americans are likely to have two slices of bread obliterating a thin sliver of cheese whereas the european is more apt to ignore the bread altogether to get the full flavor of the cheese cheese is not a luxury says mrs david earnestly so many people feel that it is and of course where the public insists upon buying in small quantity it does cost more than buying a whole wheel for instance but cheese with a little fresh fruit say grapes or an apple can be a most satisfying and inexpen sive dessert spread soft cheese on crackers with maybe a touch of jelly and youve a mouthwatering dessert which takes no time to prepare and it does give a sophis ticated finale to a meal mr sauer and mrs david laugh ingly agree that farming is a peace ful occupation compared with launching a new cheese but they have found that their enthusiasm pays off in spite of some head aches our cheese making is partly a hobby partly an obsession mrs david admits with a cheerful velvety crust should not be cut off the second cheese brought out by homey farm is the alpine the belswiss cheese switzerland be gan to produce this about 40 years ago 20 years after it bad been developed in italy as the bel paese cheese it has a bland mild flavor and is made in wheels about jo across these are soaked in brine for 12 hours then set to ripen in the shallow shelves of the curing room they are then cut into wedges weighing 7 ounces sealed in cellophane and labelled if you like limburger cheese youll also enjoy romadour which is a more noble member of the same family and is marketed by homey farm utlder the name nippy old vienna it is a soft cheese with its own penetrating aroma this is shaped in aluminum slots then set to cure for the required time it is wrapped in foil and sold in little 46unce blocks in september of 1950 homey farm brought another kind of cheese to market this is the cheese that made switzerland famous since the name emmen- taler is patented homey farm simply labels its product swiss cheese you may have heard the glib saying the bigger the holes the better the cheese but dont believe it for farmers planning to construct farm ponds many farmers in southern ontario are planning construction of farm ponds not only for the purpose of watering cattle but also to provide recreation and good fishing according to officials of the ontario department of lands and forests such ponds will also serve to irrigate land during dry weather improve the appearance and value of the property and pro vide a source of water in case of fire basic requirements for a good fish pond the officials say are ample size at least one acre pure and abundant water shallows for spawning fish and deeper portions for hiding and wintering food in plenty and variety shade and shelter from the glaring sun and a means of draining the pond completely a new pond should be allowed to lie fallow for three or four months in the spring until the newness has worn off and insect and min- no wlife have become established these may be introduced originally by procuring a tubful of water and aquatic weeds from some other farm pond which has already be come established with a known insect and minnow population question of proper food is all important the officials say many people believe this require ment will take care of itself such is not the case food must be present in volume enough to raise the fish an acre of water will pro duce just so many pounds of fish each year according to the food supply another mistake is that of planting too many fish in the beginning small numbers of fish planted result in less competition for food this provides a faster rate of growth and much larger fish district foresters if was statetl will glady supply neighborhood farmers with information on the creatgion of farm ponds siitiviititit be prepared for hospitalitywitth mm may this friendly greeting express sincere thanks for your patronage during the past year with best wishes for a new year of success and happiness w f riches molasses a good supply of feeding molasses now availafe get your requirements now and avoid disappointment bulk or in drums reesors marmill limited markham ont phone 9s09 tmm white eggs wanted a 2c premium is being paid by p hutton for grade a large white eggs cases supplied free pickup and prompt return 40 kenworthy ave toronto gr8970 javllllltlllttw the size of the holes in the smile once again we consider it a privilege and a pleasure to extend to you and yours our best wishes for the new year central feed store important notice the hydro changeover from 25 to 60 i cycle markham areas is now underway in the stouffville and agincourt if you are moving into this with electrical appliances area if you are resident of the area ad ding electrical appliances after the inventory of your equipment has been taken if you require general information on the coming changeover please telephone or write your hydro area office fsd orange hall box 169 church st markham telephone days 10 nights 82- j the hydroelectric power commission of ontario frequency standardization division t l l y