In 2007, Tim and Liz Young quit their corporate jobs and left behind their home in suburban Atlanta. Hoping to reconnect with the land, animals and food, they moved to rural Georgia and became first-time farmers.
Tim and Liz started milking cows and making cheese in 2010. They’d originally just wanted the whey to feed their rare breed Ossabaw Island pigs, but soon fell in love with the cheesemaking process. Today they make a variety of cheeses using only raw milk from their small herd of Jersey cows. The cows graze on organic grasses and hay, and have access to outdoor pastures each day of the year.
The Youngs focus on small batches of handmade cheese; milk is stirred by hand, curds are cut and hooped by hand, and aging wheels are brushed, washed, and turned by hand. Small-scale production, along with pasture-fed animals and the use of raw milk, ensures that these cheeses reflect the local terroir and the change of the seasons.
GADDIS was named after cheesemonger Tim Gaddis of Star Provisions in Atlanta, GA, known locally as “Tim the Cheeseman.” The Youngs wanted to pay tribute to his passion for discovering local, handmade cheeses that have a sense of time and place.
GADDIS is a seasonal washed-rind cheese made in square blocks. It resembles Taleggio in appearance, but it isn’t really inspired by that Italian cheese. It’s actually made during the production of Fortsonia, another one of Nature’s Harmony Farm’s original cheeses. While making Fortsonia, Tim and Liz interrupt the process at a precise stage and hoop GADDIS cheeses while they continue to make Fortsonia in the vat. They age GADDIS for about 60 days, washing, brushing and flipping the squares daily. In the end, GADDIS is quite different than Fortsonia; while Fortsonia is dense, smooth and nutty, GADDIS is pungent and soft, with a red rind. According to Tim, “this illustrates the affect a cheesemaker can have on helping fluid milk make the leap to blissful bites.”
GADDIS is pungent and creamy, with an aroma of freshly cut grass, flavors of sautéed onions and grilled meat, and a lactic, sweet finish.
Pair GADDIS with a Riesling, a Gewürztraminer, or an IPA.