Back From Slow Food Nation '08! Still hungry!

Warren: Wow. Simply amazing. Guys, we had such a blast out there this year, such great food, such great times. It was the perfect showcase for Nikki's cheeses and the response was pretty incredible! We had her basil/Barcelona Hazelnut chevre, which makes such and incredible spread for a baguette or pane rustica; there was her Cheshire Grin, a washed curd raw milk cheese (there was almost a little trouble at the CA border with that!); and, of course, my personal favorite, the Bleu, a subtle, nutty goat's milk blue made from evening milk after the herd has pastured on clover and wild flowers! It's modeled after the fantastic English Harbonne Blue and gives it a good run for its money! Like I said, though, everyone was really receptive to Nikki's (and the goats'!) achievements, totally blown away is how I'd put it, and it's very encouraging for her career, especially now that Jacques Olivier is no longer with the project.

Nikki: It's always great to be back in the Bay and, yeah, I thought things went pretty well with the cheeses, but this weekend was about so much more! So much! It was almost a shame we had to woman our booth, with so many amazing taste pavillons to sample from! What bounty! It was incredible! Big ups to Happy Girl Kitchens and their 'Bread N Butter Squash! And the Italian Beans! I was back in the foothills of Toscano! And there was the Native Foods Pavillon in an incredibly authentic woven tule hut made from native grasses; I was blown away by the presentations on grinding acorn flour and foraging wild rices! There was too much to tell! Warren is going to upload all the photos as soon as we unpack, and by the way, sweetie, thank you soooo much for spotting me at the pavillon on Sunday afternoon! Madison and I were truly zowied by the Phil Lesh and Friends show! The chain is still unbroken, Mad! Also, I don't think a lot of people know that Barcelona Hazelnuts are actually a prized variety of Oregon Hazelnuts!

Warren: The only regret, we think, is that we couldn't bring down any of the team. Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats are some of the most social creatures around! Camilla would have loved the crowds! People are really amazed when they hear these smart, lovable little fellas were originally brought to this country as food for large cats, like zoo lions! It was their prodigious milk production (ranging from 2-6 pounds a day! And with a high butterfat content that makes it ideal for cheeses and soap!) that led them into broad domestication! They make great pets! Anyway, here we are, back at Butterfat Whey Farm in Cheshire, Oregon. It's a little bittersweet, but exciting at the same time, because next week we're heading out for the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival's Fall Wine Tasting. We know some of the vinters personally, through my parents, and hopefully we can get some pointers for Nikki, who's thinking it might be the next project!

Nikki: Well, I'm not forgetting the Ricotta Salata that I have marinating in Sonoma county olive brine! I plan to bring it along as gifts, as well as the last of these great cheeses to, you know, sort of grease the wheels with these big guy Virginia wine toughs!