Grass cheese 2023

Spring is here, the cows are out in the meadow and the good weather is on the way. All signs that we’ll soon have grass cheese again! The Grass Cheese will be available at Treur Kaas again from 22 May.

What is grass cheese?

Grass cheese is a special kind of mild cheese. This cheese is made with milk from cows that are out in the meadow again after the winter period. As soon as the cows eat the fresh grass and do so for a week, the make-up of their milk changes. And this milk can be used to make delicious grass cheese. Once prepared we have to let nature do its thing, and after ripening for about 28 days the cheese will be ready to eat. The cheese gets its special flavour from the milk, which is full of softer milk fat from the grass that overwintered. The tips of this fresh grass also contain more nutrients and vitamins. This makes the cheese creamier and a lot softer than normal cheese. And while the cheese tastes creamier and softer, it doesn’t contain more fat than other cheese.

Cows in the meadow

In order to produce grass cheese, the cows need to be out in the meadow. According to the pasturing standard, cows need to be outside for at least 120 days a year, 6 hours a day. Only then do we speak of ‘pasturing’. ‘Our’ cows are outside for an average of 180 days a year, and at least 10 hours a day. This makes for very happy cows! It doesn’t necessarily mean that our cows are the first to go outside. If the ground is still too wet, the cows have to stay inside a little longer. One day of good weather isn’t enough. The cows may just have to go back inside, and that will make them restless. They like regularity. So they always go outside at a moment that is carefully considered by the farmer. (Source: CONO Kaasmakers)

The cows always love the moment when they go back outside for the first time. They really jump for joy! The milk that the cows produce in the weeks following the first time they go back outside is extra rich in vitamins and deliciously creamy. That is what makes grass cheese so special and popular.

Availability of grass cheese

Grass cheese is a seasonal product. Making and ripening the cheese costs time, so it’s always available a few weeks after the cows go back outside for the first time. So in May/June. Again, it depends on the first grass after winter. If the farmer has mowed the grass, the new grass will be less “fat” than grass that has overwintered. Of course, the cows will still be eating grass, so the milk fat will be softer than when they eat hay and silage grass, but nothing compares to the first grass.

Our grass cheeses: Weydeland 48% Grass Cheese, Weydeland 35% Grass Cheese, Cumin Cheese 48% Spring Cheese, Farmstead Spring Cheese, Old May Cheese.