Conway Farm is owned and loved by Shaun and Lorrie Conway located on 5 acres tucked away on Livingston Mountain in Southwest Washington. Formerly a prune orchard, Shaun and Lorrie over the years have transitioned the land to a sustainable goat dairy and creamery where they are dedicated to creating specialty farmstead products; milk, cheeses, ice cream, flowers, honey, and more!
Shaun and Lorrie warmly welcomed me to their farm and generously shared their story. I got a small glimpse into their day-to-day lives, and I got to pet and love on some of their adored animals. Me being new to the area, I wanted to highlight the local farmers, goods, and resources that are available in this region – and ultimately spread the word and increase awareness of the hard working people behind these small businesses.
What I got from my visit, was so much more. Shaun & Lorrie both work full-time “off-farm” jobs – yet still have time to raise a family, maintain and care for their property, milk the goats (whom they affectionately refer to as “The Girls”), feed the chickens, raise the sheep, make aged artisan cheese, and do it all while operating a farm stand that is open 7 days a week from 9:00 am to dusk. I had so many questions for them; How did they start, does it get easier over time? How do they do it and work full-time? How do they travel?
Safe to way, the work never ends and it is a constant labor of love. They wake up early, milk The Girls, feed the animals, shower, work a full day, come home, milk The Girls again, and complete the remaining duties. Something I was really curious about was, how do they travel? Who takes care of their chores? Their answer was they don’t typically travel together.
For them, the greatest gift they can give one another is knowing the farm and home is taken care of while the other is away.
WOW – OK, they win at life!! My heart legitimately melted! I take back every single time I have ever complained about having to book a Rover for my dogs while I travel.
My final question for S & L was what message would they like to communicate with the community? …..and their answer?
“We want people to know you don’t need a large amount of land to be sustainable. We are able to provide for ourselves, our family, and have enough surplus to share with others on just 5 acres”.
Now that you’re completely in love with the Conways, let’s talk about their cheese. If you thought you liked goat cheese – you don’t really know how more you can love it until you try their their aged variety #notsponsored.
It’s firm, yet slightly crumbly. Delicate, with no shortage of flavor. This isn’t your typical chèvre – it is something truly special. I will be posting a few of Shaun & Lorrie’s favorite recipes to come, but today let’s talk about this incredibly beautiful, insanely delicious Gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich showcasing their Rosenblum variety that is a wash-cured style that boasts a creamy texture with a fresh, crisp, and slightly tangy flavor. (For a quick and easy shrimp pita pizza recipe featuring their Columbia Gorge Caraway variety – click here). Pull up a chair, and enjoy!
*Cheeses are made in small-scale batches and hand crafted in a traditional artisian manner and then aged in their inground-cheese cave to the perfect degree of sharpness. Cheeses are available online or at their farm stand located in Camas, Washington.
The recipe below is ever so slightly modified – original can be found here.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons softened butter, divided
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1/4 cup shredded Conway Farms Rosenblum cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Conway Farms Silver Star Classic White cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, I like Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- a pinch of onion powder
- 2 ounces Brie cheese, sliced, rind removed
- 1/2 cup fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Spread half the butter over one side of bread slices. In a large skillet on medium low heat, toast only one side of bread, buttered side down and toast until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine shredded cheeses, set aside.
- In a another small bowl, combine mayonnaise, remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and onion powder, set aside.
- On two slices of toast, layer Brie cheese, shredded cheese mixture, and blackberries. Top with remaining slices, toasted side down. Spread outsides of sandwiches with mayonnaise mixture.
- Toast sandwiches over medium heat until cheese and melted and the exterior is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
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