Ekološka kmetija Pri Križarju, Čadrg

DAIRY FARMING

Our cheese is famous mainly for its long history and traditional processing. The climate in the Upper Posočje valley provides perfect conditions for the quality of milk required for our cheese. It can be classified among hard full fat cheeses. The basis of its production is our raw cow milk.

The first documents about cheese Tolminc can be traced back to the 13th century, when it was listed as a means of paying land taxes to feudal lords. The name ‘Tolmin cheese’ first appeared in 1756 on a price list of cheeses in Videm, Italy.

Nowadays cheese in the Tolmin region is produced during the summer season in the mountain dairy farms as well as some of the village ones. Dairy farming is also an extra sideline for the three eco farms in Čadrg.

Early in the morning, cows are milked and the milk is taken to the village dairy.
The milk is heated to 32°C.
Rennet is added and we wait for about half an hour for the milk to curdle.
Curdled milk is cut into cheese grains
and heated to 45°C
Then, it is stirred (dried) for a good half hour, until the grains are dry enough.
Using a special cloth grains are taken out of the cauldron, (the remaining liquid is whey)
put into a mold,
pressed and left until the afternoon.
Cheese is cut around the edges in the afternoon.
A colloquial expression for the pieces cut is ‘abriblni”.
After the cheese has been cut around the edges, the date is written on the side.
Next it is dipped into salt water for 48 hours.
After two days it is taken out and put onto wooden shelves. The cheese needs to be turned around every day for two months.