Update on Vermont producer of Buffalo's Milk Products

You may recall a recent post, in which I recommended yogurt produced by Woodstock Water Buffalo Company under the Spoondance Creamery label.  On a shopping trip a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Whole Foods was nearly sold out of the yogurt.  "Wow," I thought,"a ton of people in western Massachusetts read my blog and rushed out to find buffalo's milk yogurt!  Eat your heart out, Clotilde Dusoulier!"

Unfortunately, I learned that the shortage was not caused by a sudden explosion of Savor Culture fanaticism.  Days after I published the post, Woodstock Water Buffalo closed its doors.  It seems that the company had been sold by its founder, David Muller, to a private investment group in 2006.  In February, those investors declined to provide the capital needed for national distribution of WWB's products.  Production ceased, and the company was put up for sale.  

The new owner is an Italian-born businessman currently residing in Toronto, Canada.  According to the Burlington Free Press, he is committed to keeping the company in Vermont, and he plans to expand the product line to include grass-fed buffalo meat and aged cheese, in addition to yogurt and mozzarella.  In a telephone conversation, an employee of the company told me that aged cheeses will be developed with several Vermont small-scale cheesemakers: Plymouth Cheese, Crowley Cheese Company, and Jasper Hill Farm.

The company is now known as Vermont Water Buffalo Inc, and its products are expected to be available beginning in April, though distribution will be limited to Vermont for some time.  The name "Spoondance Creamery" will not be used for at least six months, as a condition of the business deal.

I was relieved to learn that this unique operation, with its herd of 680 water buffalo, is back in business.  By all accounts, the new owner seems to have the passion (and the deep pockets) needed to make this project successful again.  I'm looking forward to trying the new products from Vermont Water Buffalo, and will provide updates about product distribution.

Little Buggies, Good and Bad

It got me again.

The flu, that is, some New England strain that my Southern immune system is powerless to resist.  I spent the weekend in various reclining positions, in my bed and on the couch, watching such classic films as "The Princess Bride," "The Big Chill," and "Joe Vs. The Volcano."  Wonderful Husband Charles assures me that "A Few Good Men" is the ultimate get-well-soon movie, so maybe I'll give that one a try this evening.

Before I lost the use of my nose, I jotted down some notes about something tasty, and today I feel well enough to write about it.  The wonderful stuff in question is maple-vanilla yogurt from Hawthorne Valley Farm, a biodynamic and organic operation in the Hudson River Valley of New York.

The farm comprises a market garden and community-supported agriculture program; a dairy with a closed, sixty-cow herd; a bakery; a processing facility for lacto-fermenting vegetables; and a farm store, the highlight of which is a comprehensive organic dairy section, including the farm's own raw milk.  Did I mention that their products are organic*?  Everything grown on the farm, including dairy and meat products, are also biodynamic.  Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that focuses on improving the health of the soil.  There are specific practices involved in biodynamic farming, such as using homeopathic fertilizers and planting by celestial signs, that may cause skepticism amongst consumers.  However, I figure that farmers are busy folks, and that they wouldn't invest time and energy a methodology unless it produced desirable results.  Besides, given a choice between eating food that's been sprinkled with compost tea, or that's been sprayed with pesticides, I choose the former.

The fabulous yogurt produced by Hawthorne Valley Farm also suggests that they're doing something right.  Because the unhomogenized whole milk is used to make it, you might scoop up a few globules of cream in your serving.  The yogurt contains no stabilizers, so it has a loose texture, like lightly-whipped cream.  Unfortunately, this makes it all the more tempting to take a second helping, and a third... my appetite grows by feeding on this yogurt!

It has a delicate, well-balanced flavor: neither the tanginess nor the sweetness comes across as aggressive.  Sometimes, I find the flavor of maple syrup to be overwhelming, but this flavor proves that, in moderation, it can be a very mellow sweetener.  The yogurt itself must be mild, as one cup is sweetened with only 24 grams of sugar.  Further investigation: I was surprised that other organic yogurts contained 29 grams of sugar per cup in lowfat and 33 grams in nonfat versions.  I expected them to contain drastically more sugar than HVF whole-milk yogurt; the explanation for HVF's superior flavor must not be that simple!

HVF products are sold at two NYC Green Markets, at the farm store, and through the CSA.  Plain and maple-vanilla yogurts can be found at Whole Foods and various grocery co-ops in New England.  Some products, such as cheese and lacto-fermented vegetables, can be ordered through the website.

*Due to high demand, HVF purchases some ingredients for its lacto-fermented vegetables from neighboring farms.  Though all of the vegetables are grown organically, some may not be certified organic.

Everybody's Got a Water Buffalo...

UPDATE:  The company producing this product has been sold and is now known as Vermont Water Buffalo Inc.  Use of the name, "Spoondance Creamery," is suspended, and product availability is limited.  Read the full story here.

Since our last topic of discussion was traditional Cheddar, I thought we might focus on something exotic today.  To set the tone, please visit my friend, Larry, for a bit of song and dance (warning: check your computer's volume if you're reading this in your cubicle).

And now, I present to you: yogurt made from water buffalo's milk!  This yogurt is so thick and creamy, you can turn the cup upside-down without any ending up on the carpet.  It's perfectly smooth, not a bit grainy on the tongue.  When I peeled back the foil wrapper to reveal the strawberry yogurt, there was no puddle of whey on top, just a uniform, dense texture that stayed obediently on my spoon.  The natural, berry flavor was just sweet enough to complement the yogurt's tanginess without overpowering it.  I ate this yogurt more slowly than usual, savoring the fresh balance of flavors and the creaminess.  It was so satisfying that one six-ounce cup provided two servings for me.

This unique product is made by Woodstock Water Buffalo Company in Vermont.   Spoondance Creamery is the new line of lowfat yogurt, joining the full-fat yogurts and mozzarella that bear the WWB label.  The website for Spoondance Creamery isn't running at the time of this post, but you can visit WWB's site to learn about the company.  One of their objectives is to support the expansion of water buffalo husbandry in the US.  It seems that water buffalo are highly adaptable to various climates, and they can thrive on less nutrient-dense food than cattle.  A good article about WWB can be found here, a newspaper article that was published sometime in 2007 (no dateline?).

I found their products at my local Whole Foods Market.  The other flavors I recall seeing are raspberry, blueberry, and plain.  I'm planning to buy the plain flavor to replace Greek-style yogurt because I prefer the smoothness and clean flavor of the buffalo milk.  Yum!

February 10 Update: Vanilla flavor is also offered by Spoondance Creamery.  I bought several containers of plain flavor, as well as one of blueberry.  Tried the blueberry this morning, and can report that it's tart.  I mean, biting into purple Sweettarts tart, leaving that faint tingling sensation on your tongue.  Wonderful Husband Charles didn't appear to enjoy it, judging by his expression.  It turns out that Spoondance flavored yogurts contain about two-thirds of the sugar content of the flavored yogurt I usually buy.  I like the tartness, but I think that the strawberry is more approachable than the blueberry flavor.

Feb. 12:  The plain yogurt is mild, but has a sour aftertaste like sour cream.  It was perfectly suited to eating with honey, and also great with blueberry jam stirred in.  I'm really tickled replace imported Fage Greek yogurt with this high-quality product from Vermont!