When local food and wine enthusiast Jeff Lehman recommends something, we listen. Recently, he brought Marcoot Creamery’s Kickstarter campaign to our attention. Lehman singled out Marcoot’s award-winning mozzarella, remarking, “There is not anything (other than doing it yourself) that comes close to theirs.”
As part of the Fair Shares CCSA “Fair Shares Funds” project, Marcoot Jersey Creamery needs a commercial cheese press to make cheddar and Colby cheeses. Located in Greenville, IL, the creamery is owned and operated by sisters Amy and Beth Marcoot. When their father decided to sell his cows five years ago because he was unsure of the farm’s future sustainability, the sisters decided that a creamery would help keep the farm viable. For the last two years, Amy and Beth have been producing cheese from their grass-fed, hormone-free Jersey cows, which make the best cheese, according to Neville McNaughton, the local cheese guru who helped the Marcoots with their enterprise.
For those who were saddened by the “downsizing” of Greenwood Farms, which closed their dairy last year, Marcoot’s campaign offers an opportunity to ensure that another local dairy not only survives but thrives with new equipment. With 10 days to go, $7,100 of $15,020 has been funded. While pledges begin at the $10 level, if you donate $250 or more, you get to join the Marcoots in their weekly Monday production of that nonpareil mozzarella.
