In April 2017, we posted an article about the Biegel family in Alberta, Canada (click here). The Biegels have a farm where they raise goats (and all kinds of other animals) and make cheese (and all kinds of other delectables). The couple and their 9 children are all musicians and performers, well-known in the Alberta area of Canada. There are many great videos on their two YouTube channels: The Biegel Family YouTube channel, and Biegel Family Music YouTube channel.
The Biegel Family
Their farm in Alberta
Recently, Amberlin sent us the video below. I asked her to give us some tips for hosting a cheese party and she took my request to the family. They came up with this fabulous essay and pictures to go along with it. We are very grateful!
How We Hosted A Cheese And Honey Party
By The Biegel Family in Alberta, Canada
We are a family of eleven living on our homestead in Northern Alberta, Canada. On our homestead we raise donkeys, alpacas, cows, yaks, horses, turkeys, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, honeybees and goats. One thing our Dad always reminds us of is to respect the dirt, because everything comes from it. When winter leaves, we begin preparing for it to return again. One way we do this is to transform most of our milk into cheese! This year at the peak of our goat milk production we were getting about 19 gallons of milk per day. By the end of summer we will have enough cheese stocked up to last us through the long cold winter months. We also have hundreds of thousands of busy honeybees that work hard all summer long to turn Dad’s blooming alfalfa fields into gallons of golden honey that both the honeybees and ourselves stash away and feast on during the winter. But we always have extra to share… that’s why we had a Cheese and Honey Party! Here’s how we did it…
LOCATION
We hosted our first Cheese and Honey Party on Sunday, August 12th, 2018. Our guests began arriving at 2pm and continued coming all afternoon. We originally had planned to have the party outside, but because it rained that day we had it inside. This turned out to be a good thing because we didn’t have to worry about bugs, flies, dust and other undesirable things that might contaminate our cheeses and get stuck in the honey. Plus, being in closer quarters created a warmer and more personal atmosphere for our guests. We may want to do an outside Cheese and Honey party sometime, but maybe later in the season when the bugs are not as troublesome.
INVITATIONS
It’s important to send exciting invitations that are short and sweet! We’ve found that it really impacts people to follow up the text or email with a good old-fashioned phone call. Our Dad was great with that, and it really improved the turnout. Something else that would be very effective would be to send out personal invitations by snail mail. It shows that someone took extra thought, time and energy to invite you to something that is special and meaningful.
MUSIC
Background music adds a lovely relaxing touch to any special event. One could even hire a local musician for this. It sure beats a recording!
STYLE
Know what style, and overall feeling you want to create for your guests. We had a country-harvest style with all sorts of colours and textures, and this created a warm, rounded, pleasing atmosphere. Always remember, if it doesn’t quite look or feel right, try adding some red!
DECORATE WITH DETAIL
Take time and pride in decorating and making your presentation look spectacular! Not only does it make the spread of dainties more satisfying and give your guests a deeper appreciation for the food – but it’s fun! We had a great time looking at photos and grazing though books gathering ideas of what we could actually do with decorating a cheese spread. Candles, honey frames, oddly shaped cutting boards, (some that we made by cutting rounds from a log!) homemade knives, unique serving dishes, (including a tiered plate for height) and flowers all add beauty and depth. In addition to the 27 varieties of cheeses in their various forms, we had infused herb honey and fresh honey to dip the cheese into. Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, olives, lacto-fermented carrots from last year’s harvest, fresh apples from our apple trees, crackers and homemade sourdough flatbread all helped finish it off with a real homemade touch. Other options might include things such as dried fruits, chocolates, breads, nuts, meats, fish, mustards, and a spread of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Having at least six varieties of cheese that are contrasting to one another (some hard and others soft, some goat and others cow) might be a good place to start. Allow the cheese and fruit to sit out at room temperature for 1 – 3 hours before serving. That way all of their flavours will be full and robust.
A wonderful way to organize your cheeses would be to have separate cheese boards that showcase the varieties of that individual cheese. For example, a cheddar-type cheese board could include Fresh Cheddar, Aged Cheddar, Cheshire and Red Leicester. The Washed Rinds board (aka the stinky board!) might include Limberger, Port Salute and Monte D Ore.
We also had a corner with homemade honey toffee and caramel popcorn all made with our fresh honey. On a separate table we had drinks: homemade double-fermented Saskatoon Kombucha, fresh milk, lemon water with fresh garden mint, and Whey Lemonade made with whey, lemons and fresh honey. There was also fresh hot coffee perking on our AGA stove, all ready to be served in warm mugs and topped off with more honey!
LABELS
Make beautiful handwritten labels for all the specialty foods. And (especially with the cheeses) maybe briefly describe where the cheese originates and what makes it unique. The labels we made are so sturdy that we can reuse them. Nothing can surpass the charm and uniqueness of anything handwritten.
BOOKS
Have some cheese books open for your guests to look through. Two books that we’re really enjoying are The Book of Cheese, the essential guide to discovering cheeses you’ll love by Liz Thorpe, and, The Art of Natural Cheesemaking Using Traditional, Non-Industrial Methods and Raw Ingredients to Make the World’s Best Cheeses by David Asher. These books include history relating to the different cheeses, and also cover fascinating facts regarding their processes and where they originate. Awareness of what you’re eating and what it takes to make it, truly does create a deeper appreciation for what you’re enjoying!
OTHER ENTERTAINMENT
After Dad blessed the food and thanked the LORD for it, everyone was welcome to feast to their hearts content! After eating, we played music together, did some dancing and then went outside to play games. All the while, the food still remained for our guests to nibble on.
IN CONCLUSION
The goal of having a party is to socialize with neighbours, family, friends, create new acquaintances and have a fun and fulfilling time. It’s possible to get so concerned and overwhelmed with making everything “perfect” that one looses the fun of the party and the enjoyment of the people. Don’t think that you have to get too elaborate. Remember that small and simple, if done with love and care, often gives more impact than the most extravagant spread.
Parties and celebrations are as old as dirt – almost. They’re a part of every culture (no pun intended!). We can’t let those times of celebrating and fellowship be lost in this new age of technology. We encourage you to celebrate the labour of your hands and put on a party! Invite your friends and family. Sing songs, share stories and get to know each other more. As a society we need to take the time to set our phones and devices aside and enjoy face-to-face conversation.
Always remember, everything comes from the dirt… even cheese and honey!
And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. Proverbs 27:27 KJV
He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. Isaiah 7:15 NIV
The Biegel Family
