Screen shot from the cheddar video of Breanne and Brooklyn wrapping their cheeses.
The Biegel family (of 11) in Grovedale, Alberta, Canada live and work on their large, self-sustaining farm. Among their MANY other farmsteading activities, they raise goats and make cheese. They are well known in Canada for their musical performances where they sing and play instruments together.
The Biegel Family
Amberlin Biegel has been sharing her cheesemaking videos with us since 2017 when she was 19 years old.* She does a great job with her videos, as you will see when you watch them.
Amberlin
We asked her to update us about her life and work:
I’m 23 and I live with my family on a self-sustaining farm in Northern Alberta. I saved up and bought my first digital camera when I was ten, and began teaching myself photography and filming using books, online articles and videos, talking with experienced people, and just figuring things out. I’ve done some filming and photography jobs and Yes, I look forward to doing more!
A number of things I especially love to do are: spending time with my family working, playing, and doing music together; walking in nature and spending time with my Heavenly Father; working with my honey bees; raising puppies; learning about health, traditional living and natural food preservation; making healthy and creative dishes for my family as well as all-natural skin care products; singing; teaching music; learning new instruments and composing; making people laugh; supporting my siblings’ businesses and running our family website, online store and youtube channels, thebiegelfamily.com; The Biegel Family channel, and The Biegel Family Music channel. I’m one blessed girl and have a most stimulating life – Hallelujah!
New Videos
Now, Amberlin has completed 3 new videos about making Traditional Cloth Wrapped Cheddar, Bleu and Belper Knolle. If you are making any of these cheeses, we recommend you watch these videos first.
Toggenberg/Alpines
How to Make Traditional Cheddar Cheese: A Complete Guide
(September 5, 2020)
This one hour video takes you all the whey through the process, from the milking of the goats to the cave. Amberlin’s older sister, Breanne demonstrates and explains every detail, so it’s hard to imagine how you could be left with any questions at all. The wrapping of the cheese (as in cloth-bound cheddar) is particularly interesting.
A few pictures from the video:
The youngest Biegel, Simon, showing his milking skills.
Breanne talking about the relationship between what the goats eat and the milk they produce.
Breanne and Brooklyn draining the curds.
Salting the milled curds.
Using the press.
Wrapping the cheese with cloth.
Milk to Cheese: How to Make Bleu Cheese
(January 11, 2020)
12.28 minutes. This short video shows everything you need to know about making bleu cheese.
Linnae demonstrating the process.
Draining the curds into the covered sink.
Poking holes in the cheese.
A finished Bleu.
How to Make Belper Knolle Cheese
(August 31, 2019)
12 minutes. Belper Knolle comes originally from Belp, Switzerland. It is infused with garlic and rolled in black pepper.
Breanne hanging the curds to drain.
Their mother, Linette showing how to dig up the garlic and prepare it.
Adding garlic paste to the curds.
Breaking open a Belper Knolle.
They make a LOT of this cheese!
*Previous articles about the Biegels at our blog:
Milk to Cheese – A Fun Video (2017)
How to Host a Cheese Party by the Biegel Family (2018)
Training a Goat to Pull by Julia Biegel (2018)
