If you are new to the story, go back in the previous blog posts to find out about Evelyn & Williams's story.
Evelyn loved the little cabin. She enjoyed walking around the barn yard and woods to find pretty little flowers to brighten up her home. She helped Dorothy in the garden, weeding, picking, perserving the summer days away.
After lunch, she often would explore the acerage. She could hear the cow bell off in the distance as the big ol gals would lazily graze on the sweet clover. It was a wonder to her how those cows could produce so much milk. William would bring home a pail of sweet cream that Evelyn would whip it into butter. Oh, she had no idea, how much she would enjoy her farm life. Evelyn took on the chore of taking care of the calves and heifers. "So, a heifer is a 'girl cow' that hasn't had a baby? Is that right?" Evelyn was full of questions. "Well, I guess you could say that..." William would laugh. Evelyn had a whole new vocabulary of terms that were true for all kinds of species.
She had a daily routine and she worked hard at it. With an abundance of fresh eggs, milk, cream, butter, she could bake William something sweet every day. She really wanted to do more to contribute to their income. "What could I do?" she thought. "Do you suppose I could try my hand at making some cheese?" Evelyn asked. "Well, you surely could try" William said. "Our cows give us plenty and their fat content is perfect for cheese making." Evelyn studied the process and even visted the little cheese factory in the Town of Easton. The cheese maker was more than happy to share some of his knowledge with Evelyn. "Now, don't you go and make better cheese than me. You'll put me out of business" he chuckled.
Evelyn tried several batches, some of which ended up going to the hogs. However, she didn't quit, she wanted "this" for herself. William would often see her slipping in the barn, bucket in hand, dipping into the milk cans sitting in the cold water of the cement cistern. He hoped for her success and even ate his fair share of bad samples.
"Well, what about this one?" Evelyn asked. William took a bite. As he chewed his face grew into a huge smile "this one is it!" "Eveyln, this is really good!" Evelyn's cheese was a white block of creamy but sharp cheese. "Hey, dad come over here and taste Evelyn's cheese." Evelyn was so excited as the family tasted the slivers of her hand made cheese. They all agreed it was a perfect representation of their product. "Oh, I'm so proud of you," William said.
Evelyn's cheese was soon known all around the area. It was hard to keep up with the demand. "Farmer's Wife Cheese" she called it. She had created a little bit of the farm life for herself and she loved it!
Join us tomorrow as we host "It's a Farm Life - VIRTUAL Vintage Pop Up Sale 'Barn Yard'" Link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/210863716551890/
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
That is one thing we did NOT do on the farm...make cheese. I seem to recall asking why we didn't and my father saying it was because we didn't have the right kind of cows.... Could have been true...or he could have told me that to deter me from another hare brained idea LOL. ~Robin~
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