Farm day

My city kids know what cheese is made out of. And if you ask them where milk comes from, they'll tell you, "Cows." But they have only the vaguest idea how those two things work. Come to think of it, so do I. But we live in a richly agricultural state and can be at the source of the milk and the cheese within a 45-minute drive of our city home.

So we packed the kids into the car this morning as soon as the demands for pancakes (Big Bean) and waffles (Little Bean) slowed to a trickle. We promised them two things: strawberries and sheep.

We got the former:



And we got a glimpse of the latter, at Shepherd's Way Farms. We also got a nice tour from farmer and cheesemaker Jodi Ohlsen Read, who graciously made time for us just before setting off for eight hours of youth soccer in the muggy June air. And my ulterior motive for the trip became apparent: right-from-the-source Big Woods Blue, Shepherd's Hope, and friesago.

That fresh country air and all that running around did them in. After a dinner that looked more or less just like this:


they practically begged for bedtime. I thought the rest of those strawberries would be destined for something terribly grown-up, like this or this. But, not tonight. This city kid is pooped, too.