The Seattle Traveler

I love being able to support local business owners, buy local products, and do business, whenever I can, in the greater Seattle area.  Sometimes it takes a little more effort, or costs a few cents more, but we have some GREAT companies in the area that deliver quality products and fair prices.

Samish Bay Cheese is one of those businesses.

Samish Bay Cheese is located in Skagit County, just a bit east of Chuckanut Drive (Highway 11), in Bow.  They started producing cheese in 1999, and owned and operated by Suzanne and Roger Wechsler.  The farm, Rootabaga Country Farm, is certified organic, and all the animals, cheese, and produce are grown with organic farming techniques.

The organic dairy, where the cheese is made, is the centerpiece of the farm. The cheese is farmstead, which means that it is made from milk from the herd raised on the farm, and artisan, which means that is is a hands-on, small-scale operation, with attention to quality details.  This means small productions quantities of a very high quality cheese.

It all starts with the cows.  The herd is small, and a mix of Jersey, Milking Shorthorn, Dutch Belted and cross-breeds.  The heifers provide the milk that is used for the cheese.

Samish Bay Cheese produces the following cheeses:

• Gouda – mild when it’s young, sharper as it ages, it is sold between two months and two years in age.  There are flavored Goudas offered, including Herb, Cumin, Nettle, and Caraway.  This is the farm’s best selling cheese.
• Mont Blanchard – part of the cheddar family, it is sold starting at five months in age.  It is available in mild, medium, sharp, and extra sharp.  As it ages, the sharpness of it increases.
• Montasio – traditional Italian cheese that is not commonly found in the U.S.  It is often compared to an Asiago, and is a hard, full-flavored cheese that is easily grated.

If you are interested in buying any of the cheeses, it can be purchased at the farm itself, by mail, at local farmers markets, and at a very few retail stores in the area.

The farm offers cheese making and dairy tours.  Cheese is made every other day, year round.  Depending on the season, a number of other activities are scheduled, including cooking classes and cheese tastings.

Location:  15115 Boy Hill Road, Bow (map it)

Hours:  The farm store is open Noon – 3 pm, Wednesday to Sunday, but has reduced winter hours.  Call for tour information.  (360) 766-8998.

Price:  Tours are $4/person.

There is also a 100-year old farmhouse available for rent, with three rooms available.  Two of the rooms will sleep one or two persons, and the remaining room is large enough to sleep a family of five.  The accommodations include a shared bath and kitchen, sitting room, sun room and wrap-around porch.

Staying at the farmhouse gives you a chance to experience a sort of modified farm life:  watching the twice daily milking, the feeding and caring for the cows, pigs, and cattle, and the cheese making operation. 

And for us city folk, that may be as close to farming as we wish to get.

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