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Product Review: Ludwig Farmstead Creamery’s Jake’s Wheel Dutch Garden Herb

Becky Oberg
Indianapolis Nutrition Examiner
August 9, 2013

Ludwig Farmstead Creamery’s Jake’s Wheel Dutch Garden Herb cheese

Rating: 4 Stars

Need a cheese that makes a superior pizza? Try Ludwig Farmstead Creamery’s Jake’s Wheel Dutch Garden Herb!

Made with real chives, dill, garlic, parsley, chervill and basil, this cheese reminds me of a fresh, homegrown summer salad. Every bite is bursting with flavor. Based on Havarti, Jake’s Wheel Dutch Garden Herb is a sublime raw milk cheese that is not merely tasted, but experienced. You owe it to yourself to try this if you’re making anything in which cheese is a prominent ingredient. It easily earns four stars.

According to the web site, Ludwig Farmstead Creamery is “a European-style, farmstead creamery”. Located on the fifth-generation Feathercreek Farm, the creamery was inspired by Jacob V. “Jake” Ludwig, for whom the Jake’s Wheel line is named.

The milk used to make the cheese comes from Holstein cows, which are raised and handled in a Certified Humane® facility. “Ludwig cows are bred for health and longevity,” the site explains. “The cows do not receive, or need, any preventative antibiotic treatment or added hormones. Cows would only receive antibiotics if they were sick, or hormones if they miscarried. This is rare, and if cows are treated their milk would not be used in the Creamery.”

The cows also produce better milk than those at commercial dairies, according to the site. “The Ludwig cows’ superior genetics, careful nutrition, and outstanding care result in healthy cows with low somatic cell counts, a pedigree trait which translates into cleaner milk, as well as higher protein and butterfat content than Holsteins raised in commercial dairies,” the site reports.

A batch of cheese is begun with milk from that day’s milking, according to the site. Cheese wheels are soaked in brine to preserve and shape the cheese. A food-grade coating is applied to the cheese wheels to keep them from drying out, and the cheese wheels are aged for three to four months.

Jake’s Wheel Dutch Garden Herb is sold in triangular wedges. Ludwig Farmstead Creamery cheeses are found throughout the Midwest at select supermarkets and farmer’s markets. Indianapolis-area farmer’s markets that feature Ludwig Farmstead Creamery cheeses include the Binford Farmer’s Market, the Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market, the Zionsville Farmer’s Market,the Irvington Farmer’s Market, the Statehouse Farmer’s Market, The Original Farmer’s Market at the Indianapolis City Market and the Farm to Fork Farmer’s Market at Normandy Farms. Prices are $5 for one wedge or two for $9. The cheese is also sold online.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/review/product-review-ludwig-farmstead-creamery-s-jake-s-wheel-dutch-garden-herb