Praire Breeze Cheddar Cheese is made by the Milton Creamery, a family-owned company in Iowa, www.miltoncreamery.com. Milton Creamery obtains their milk from area farms that pasture feed their cows in season and are not treated with RBST (a growth hormone to increase milk production). Prairie Breeze is an award-winning cheddar that is aged over 6 months and has been described as “a dry cheese with pleasant nutty tones.” You’ll love it’s amazing flavor !
Where to find Organic Apple Orchards in Minnesota?
Take a family road trip to visit these beautiful local organic orchards and enjoy some of the beautiful fall colors as well as tasting some just picked fall flavors! The Hoch Orchards have partnered with us in several events, and we love and respect their beautiful and delicious apples. If you don’t have time to visit the orchard, you can find many of the Hoch Orchard Apples, as well as other varieties of organic apples, at many of our local famers markets and in the organic produce area of your neighborhood grocery store or co-op. Just ask your produce specialist! Apples are now ranked #1 on the list of produce with the highest pesticide load according to the Environmental Working Group, www.foodnews.org. Buying organic is better for our health, better for the environment, and supports our organic growers.
Hoch Orchard (LaCrescent, Minnesota) is not difficult to find. Simply take Houston County Highway 6 west out of town. Follow Houston County Hwy 6 seven miles and then turn right onto Forster Road. The orchard is two miles up the road on top of the hill. For those of you unfamiliar with LaCrescent, Houston County Hwy 6 is marked at the traffic lights, so you can just follow the signs through town. Hoch Orchard and Gardens is a small, organic, family farm run by Harry and Jackie Hoch. All of the fruit on their farm is now grown organically. They have many new, high quality varieties and are excited about bringing these new apples to market. They have over fifty apple varieties planted on our farm including Honeycrisp, Zestar, Sweet 16, Fuji, Keepsake, Ginger gold, and Sansa as well as several new varieties — Snow Sweet, SweeTango, and Crimson Crisp.
Breezy Hill Orchards (Maple Lake, Minnesota) is just west of the Twin Cities. Patrick Lynch and Wendy Johnson farm this 60-acre orchard. Farming land that was owned by his parents before him, Patrick has modified the traditional organic practices his parents used to comply with modern organic standards. Now they produce some of the best organically certified apples you will find in Minnesota or anywhere!
Growing exclusively for the Wedge Co-op and local farmer’s markets, Autumn is where Breezy Hill shines. They grow hard-to-find old-fashioned varieties of apples like the Sweet 16, Connel Red, and Regent. Also, look for their super sweet Parker pears, flavorful Spice pears, and Concord grapes. Patrick and Wendy’s commitment to organic agriculture and a high quality product make them a forerunner in the local organic fruit market. Look for their apples by name!
Recipe and Graphics by Pam Powell
Article by Pam Powell and Sarah Baron Sullivan
