Redwood Hill Visit- Mother's Day and Goat Kisses

If because of the lack of new words on this blog, anyone was worried that I decided to stay in Jura, France to take the 140,000 or so eighty-pound Comté cheeses hostage at the Fort Sainte Antoine caves, never fear, I am not in trouble with the French government. I considered staying in the Jura, or Alsace, where I could eat pounds and pounds of Alpine style cheese or Morbier for the rest of my life, but alas, I came back to Oakland. I mean..... I can buy kale here. Which is... yah, it was a tough decision.

Anyhow, I have landed. I'm back! Busy making up for the time I missed while traveling- writing, writing pitches (I love this blog, but a girl's gotta pay for her cheese somehow), and attempting to be a good maid-of-honor to my best friend who's getting married in five days (by the way, did every girl but me know how hard it is to find a pair of black strappy sandals that are under five inches high these days? Oh, bridesmaid dress. I'm hoping I don't need to grow up and learn how to walk in high heels.).

Now that the cheese whee is rolling again, I wanted to share pics with you of a creamery visit.

If any readers are Bay Area folks who grew up driving the windy backroads of Sonoma, you're likely familiar with Redwood Hill. Of course, if you're a cheese lover, you are probably also just as familiar with this spot. They make good dairy. Owned by the Bice family, this company is as in love with their goats, if not more, as they are with cheese. 4-H-ers unite! These photos are from this mother's day at Redwood Hill. The creamery always opens its gates to farm visits on this day, and it always rocks. A cool celebration right?

My parents, funnily enough though, forgot that the day they were planning to visit Redwood Hill was Mother's Day. They instead told me what they were doing that weekend, I reminded them of the importance of that particular Sunday, then I asked to be invited along. Luckily, they let me join.

Achadinha's Capricious- A Photo Tour

Let's start off with some straight talk- goat cheese haters can be found anywhere. Except for the slightly less satisfied look on their face that comes from consuming the shorter amino acid chains that are in goat cheese, they look like you and I. They walk like you and I. They even sound like you and I.

Yet they deny the goat its true dairy glory. Some say no to goat cheese all together. Some say no to certain styles, like fresh chevre, gouda, or very aged versions. But, dear readers, there is hope. All it takes is one goat cheese to open the door.

There are entire realms to be explored. And just maybe, maybe, if you're unsure what style of goat cheese you might like, Achadinha's Capricious is your door.

Today's post focuses on Capricious made by Achadinha Creamery. It is aged, crumbly, hard, peppery, herbal, and, a little fierce. Imagine a ripped, tattooed Parmesan in a boxing ring. Capricious takes no prisoners, and it makes no apologies. It's a goat cheese, and it's damn proud. And you, my cheesy friend (hater or not) should try it. It's a goat cheese that some chevre-haters love and a cheese that makes goats proud.

Below is a photo tour of a visit to Achadinha. My amazing photographer friend Molly DeCoudreaux took all these photos (she rocks). Achadinha is a family company run by the third generation dairy family, the Pachecos, in Sonoma.

Available in farmer's markets all over the California Bay Area, via Cowgirl Creamery shipping, and possibly at a cheese store near you. Have you tried Capricious? What did you think?