HONESDALE, PA — Did you know that about 10 pounds of milk is used to make a pound of cheese?

On November 1, Small Town Country 4-H members gathered at Calkins Creamery in Honesdale, PA to learn about the process of making cheese.

Upon arrival, our tour guide, Emily Montgomery, provided the group with disposable slippers and hair nets. Then she brought us into a room and taught us about the process of making their artisan cheese. 

First, the cheese is carried in pipes underground to large stainless steel vats. There are two vats. One vat is for raw milk cheese that needs to be aged on the property for 60 days before it can be sold. The other one is for making pasteurized cheese that can be sold right away.

Different cultures are added to the cheese to make different varieties of cheese. Rennet helps the milk form into cheese curds. 

The curds are stirred and heated and then are separated from the whey.

Then the next step is to add salt and seasonings. The last step is to shape, press and package the cheese. 

After that introduction, Emily brought us into the cooling room, where the cheese sits until they can sell it. She also told us that she has a cave off the property where some more cheese sits to cool. 

We were also told that all the milk they use to make the cheese comes from their own Holstein cows, which are milked by Emily’s dad and brother.

Then at the end of the tour, she gave us some cheese to try.

“My favorite part was the cheese tasting, because it was delicious,” said participant Emma Diehl.

“My favorite part was watching them cut and flip the cheese and then carry it into the molds,” said 4-H member Nathen Diehl.

If you are interested in learning more about Calkins Creamery or ordering some of the specialty cheeses, check out their website at www.calkinscreamery.com.

Small Town Country 4-H is a dynamic group of youth who are interested in the outdoors, nature, agriculture and the arts, and in discovering the benefits of a rural lifestyle. Club projects focus on community service and healthy living. We meet every other week at the Presbyterian Church in Hortonville. The current club leaders are Jenny Hillriegel Phelps and Kara McElroy. This group is part of and overseen by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County 4-H program.    

Any Sullivan County youth aged five-18 can enroll in 4-H for free. Learn more about this and other Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County programs by calling 845/292-6180, emailing sullivan@cornell.edu or visiting www.sullivancce.org  

Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program employment opportunities. The public can contact the office to request accommodations.