Cherry Grove Farm — Attraction in Lawrence Township

I was recently to a cheese class at Cherry Grove Farm. I guess one should never assume anything . I was excited about the class and even bought one to give as a gift for Christmas.

The Farm Road was a bit rough with several large potholes. No big deal , but in a car one might bottom out. The farm store was quite pricy and very small. I was there to attend cheese class so we headed to a small house that was on the property .

The entrance to the house was quite shabby with about 5 cats on a porch in various boxes . Entering the house the kitchen area was full of " stuff" . AS mentioned , I bought a class for my Mom as a gift and I was thinking it wasn't a good idea. The sink was old and looked dirty. We headed to what was once a living room ( I guess) and there was a large table and several chairs in the room with a black board and various things that were needed for the class. The instructors did a good job explaining about the process of cheese making and gave a hand out with various cheese making recipes and also other recipes to utilize the cheese in the future while making at home. . Unfortunately it was a large class( That certainly didn't benefit the students) and they only had 3 burners, so some of us had to wait about 20 minutes to get a burner to heat the milk. Sorry but at $85 a head for this class there should not have been anyone standing around waiting. No one washed their hands before the process of making cheese and honestly the area should have been immaculate with sanitary conditions and access to a clean sink. Everyone was handling cheese cloth to strain and some cheese was held after it was finished by the instructor ( hands not washed before handling). At the end the cheese needed to be refrigerated for several hours to complete the process and harden . So we ate some cheese that the instructors had made the day before. We left without our cheese or any cheese for that matter. So for $85 ,we did follow a recipe and have some help but overall, not worth the money. . If you are interested in making cheese I suggest you get a book on Amazon( you can buy the rennet tablets on there too) , go to Wegmans and buy the goat milk ( or whatever milk you need) and lemon juice and experiment at home. Lets face it, for $85.oo you could make lots of cheese!!! This farm is 400 acres, but the area you see is poorly maintained and very disappointing.. I would not go back. By the way, I have a small farm so I know what work is involved on a very small scale. there is constant maintenance and picking up involved. Its' a must if you are running a business , to open your eyes, take a look around and clean up. First impressions are lasting impressions and my first impression was not good , anyone can make something look...

Cherry Grove Farms allows unconfined cats to infest their farms. They produce raw dairy products and eggs, consumption of which is one of the primary means of transmission of the deleterious pathogen Toxoplasma gondii when such products are processed from dairy and poultry stock infected with said pathogen. It infects ALL mammals and birds.

The SOLE source of this pathogen is feline digestive tracts, and infected cats shed hundreds of millions of the pathogen's infectious agents (oocysts) when they defecate. The oocysts persist and remain infectious in the environment for 1.5 years (on land) and 4.5 years (in water). Unconfined cats defecate in pastures and feed pens where dairy animals graze ahd poultry forage.

The CDC identifies toxoplasmosis as the leading cause of pathogenic blindness in the US--1.3 million Americans are losing their eyesight to toxoplasmosis-induced ocular lesions. Toxoplasmosis causes 5,000 stillborn, cerebral palsied, epileptic, hydrocephalic, microcephalic, blind and severely mentally debilitated infants each year. Symptoms may manifest at birth, months or even years later.

Toxoplasmosis also causes an unquantifiable but medically significant number of chronic miscarriages in childbearing age women. Also, nearly 500 people a year die from toxoplasmosis-induced foodborne illness--infants/young children (toxoplasmosis can be transmitted through breast milk), the elderly and the immunocompomised are particularly vulnerable.

People who proliferate unconfined cats on the grounds of their food processing operation are too incompetent to produce, handle or sell human food. Ask them if they test their livestock or their products for toxoplasmosis contamination. If they say "yes", ask to see documentation from an independent laboratory. If they say "no", shop elsewhere. Never mind--shop elsewhere no matter WHAT they say. Such irresponsible people can NOT be trusted with your or your...

The best cheese ever. No tastings, and kinda pricey, but I was not disappointed. The Herdsman is their Grana Padano style, rich and flavorful. The Buttercup Brie is out of this world, not even the same cheese as the regular commercial brie you see in stores. The real winner here, for me, was their new Ricotta, because I don't like ricotta, and really, who does? When you make a lasagna you go to the supermarket and you get the ricotta because that's what you need but if you ever try it cold straight from the container, well it's just gross isn't it and that's what I though ricotta was. Until yesterday. This is the creamiest, cheesiest ricotta I've ever had and it's a stark reminder about what real food is. There is a large window so you can the cheesemakers in action, and they have cheesemaking classes. It is a 230 acre farm and what they do not have on the property are cherry trees, and during cherry harvesting season (mid to late June) the phone line is constantly ringing, comically, with people seeking to know there are no cherry trees there, since there are only a very few places in the state where people can pick their own cherries, and "Cherry Grove Farm" is NOT such a place. Also check out their alpaca yarn and...