We headed north to Thurman this month to chat with Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan of Nettle Meadow Farm about their delicious cheese and their commitment to caring for their goats well after they’ve retired from production. Cheese just tastes better when it’s made with kindness, don’t you think?!
FROM LEGAL TO FARMING
We got involved in farming and bought Nettle Meadow as a bit of a mid-life major change in direction. We had both worked in the legal field for several years and did not find it fulfilling. We made cheese as a hobby and saw an ad for the farm in Thurman and we took the leap. I come from many many generations of Irish dairy farmers so it was not too far of a leap for me, though it was a huge change in course for Lorraine.
Sheila Flanagan and Lorraine Lambiase at Nettle Meadow Farm
THE GOATS
At our peak we had well over 500 goats at the farm in Thurman but as we have gotten older we decided to start leasing the goats out to local family farmers and buying the milk back. It gives the animals more acreage and more barn space, and this way we can continue to grow our brand while maintaining animal welfare as one of our core company principles.
We have always promoted mixed breeds for hybrid vigor and we particularly have promoted cross breading between boer goats and saanens and boer goats and nubians. Both are extra tough, high volume, and butter fat rich goats with the health and capacity to make it through - and even enjoy - cold Adirondack winters and warm summers.
THE PROCESS
We use only freshest milk from our sheep and goats and Jersey Cows. We are very well known for making "mixed milk" cheeses combining milk from different species. We also use infusions of herbal teas and alcohols that add unique flavors to so many of our cheeses.
We start making cheese around 2am each day and the final batches usually are not complete till around 7pm in the evening. Every batch is hand poured, whether it is 10 gallons or 100 gallons.
We make three basic kinds of cheese - fresh cheeses in a variety of flavors; semi-aged cheeses aged in a bloomy aging cave for two to three weeks; and hard aged cheeses washed and rubbed on their rinds and then aged for 90 days to one year.
THE CHEESE
We make over 60 different cheeses and butter and goat cheese ice cream. We make approximately 225,000 pounds of cheese each year.
We sell cheese from the eastern-most islands in Maine to Anchorage, Seattle, San Diego and Hawaii. We have distributors and national chains that distribute our cheese around the country. We deliver directly to many restaurants in the Glens Falls area and specialty shops like Oscars in Warrensburg, 4 Seasons in Saratoga, and Izzy's and Hudson River Trading Company in North Creek. Hannaford and Price Chopper have both been wonderful supporters of Nettle Meadow this past year when the pandemic has been wreaking havoc on artisan cheesemakers. We also have two of our own retail shops - one at our farm and sanctuary in Thurman, and one at our new facility at the Old Hitching Post in Lake Luzerne.
THE SANCTUARY
When we arrived at the farm there were a few older goats who had really reached the end of their productive life. At first we let them live out their lives with the other girls, but as they aged, they needed a little more peace and quiet, so we took a portion of one of the barns and set it aside for retired girls. Soon we needed a retirement community and assisted living facility, so we built a new area for the really aged near the main house.
When we started our first kidding season we partnered with a couple of upstate livestock sellers who contracted to only sell our baby goats for dairy, brush clearing, and 4H and family set ups. But sometimes we had left over boys, and soon our "bachelor pad" was created for boys who did not find homes.
Over time, people contacted us who were moving out of agriculture areas, or no longer had the resources to care for their animals. We have had horses, donkeys, mini-horses, mini-donkeys, llamas, turkeys, chickens, peacocks, ducks, pigs, cats, dogs, cows, a bull calf, and many many elderly goats and sheep and differently abled goats and sheep in our sanctuary program over the years. We have had some animals in the sanctuary since 2005 and every year it has grown.
ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT
People have supported us in lots of ways. Some people leave change at our shops in the tip jars for the sanctuaries. Some people donate their skill sets - we are always looking for a good plumber or electrician for barn repairs. Some people donate food for the animals, or tools, or fencing. Some people support us by buying our cheese, attending our events, and asking for our cheese when they don't find it in their local stores. There is also a donate button for our sanctuary animals on our Nettle Meadow website and our Kemp Sanctuary at Nettle Meadow website.
ON THE FUTURE
We are working diligently towards finishing construction of our new cheese plant in Lake Luzerne and hope that we will be able to open the tavern and cheese tasting room with a small plate menu at that location some time this summer. We also hope the extra space will allow us to expand our goat cheese ice cream selections by 2022.
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Special thanks to Taste NY for making this series possible!
Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center offers nine state-of-the-art vending machines featuring food, beverages, and gifts from the Adirondack Region and across New York State. Find locally roasted coffee, cold beverages, chips, nuts, snacks, baked goods, milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, maple, honey, chocolate, candy, and artisan gifts.
Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center is operated by the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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