Even though the leaves have just started to change, it is never too early to think about gifts for the holiday season. Yellow Springs Farm, located in Chester Springs, has many options that are perfect for giving to everyone on your list.
Yellow Springs Farm offers both fresh and aged artisanal goat cheeses using age-old French and Italian traditions. What makes their cheese so special? The extraordinary milk that comes from their Nubian goats. The Yellow Springs herd browses their pastures and is only fed local hay and grains.
All of their cheeses only include farm-raised herbs, nuts and honey, which make them uniquely local products. Each small batch of over approximately 25 different varieties of goat cheese is handmade by owners Al and Catherine Renzi and never includes preservatives or artificial ingredients. The result is a product that will make all the foodies on your list swoon with satisfaction after just one taste.
Curious what the Yellow Springs Farm has in store for the holiday season? Dying to know what you should include on your holiday wish list? Full edible education below.
Cheese Boxes
To score big with your cheese-loving friends and family, choose one of Yellow Spring Farm’s cheese gift boxes. Available in three sizes, there is a box that will fit every need and budget.
The $50 Award Winners Collection box includes three different varieties that have received accolades from the prestigious American Cheese Society. Included in this package are ½ pound portions of their award-winning Nutcracker, Red Leaf and Fieldstone cheeses. Nutcracker is aged in a black walnut liqueur made from the fruit of their black walnut trees. Red Leaf is aged in Sycamore tree leaves (a native tree) that have been marinated in red wine. Fieldstone is a natural cave-aged cheese that is named for the 160-year-old fieldstone barn that imparts the unique character to this great earthy cheese. This unique gift comes in a Yellow Springs Farm signature insulated tote.
The $60 cheese box includes approximately two pounds of cheese, while the $80 selection includes approximately three pounds. Each gift box includes an assortment of cheeses that will be at their peak of freshness or aging depending upon availability and seasonality. Both options come in a decorative gift box with your own holiday greeting.
Caramel Sauce
Not only does Yellow Springs Farm make delicious cheeses, but they also produce several varieties of caramel sauce. Using goat milk and organic evaporated cane juice, this sweet treat is perfect for dipping fruit, topping ice cream or drizzling on cake and is also great on a spoon straight from the jar. For $20, order a gift carrier containing three jars (two different varieties) of this sinful sauce.
Cheese CSA Membership
Whether you are a cheese newbie or an aficionado, the cheese CSA subscription is a gift that keeps giving throughout the year. Yellow Springs’ cheese CSA operates much like a vegetable or fruit CSA—as a member you will enjoy regular deliveries of artisanal cheese while helping support diversity, sustainability and small scale innovation of their farm. As a Yellow Springs Farm CSA member, you’ll receive a goat cheese share two times per month for several months, for a total of 13 deliveries. Each regular share usually contains four ounces of three varieties of Yellow Springs Farm cheeses totaling 12 ounces.
The CSA has a few more options such as the plus share (four cheese portions totaling 16 ounces), the Everything but Chevre package (two different aged cheeses totaling 12 ounces) and the CSA test drive (four deliveries of a regular share instead of 13).
Current prices range from $110 and up; pickup is at the farm or at one of 12 convenient delivery locations throughout the region.
Gift Cards
Stumped on what to buy for a holiday gift? Purchase a Yellow Springs Farm gift card in the denomination of your choosing. Gift cards can be used to purchase cheese boxes, caramel, CSA shares, native plants and farm experiences, including their Sunday cheesemaking workshops.
The Gift of a Cheesemaking Experience
Surprise your loved ones with the priceless gift a hands-on cheesemaking workshop. This exclusive gift card awards goat cheese fanatics a behind-the-scenes day on the farm, where they’ll become educated in the art of making cheese (and get to take some home too!), milking goats, cheese tasting, and so much more. Class dates for 2015 will be published next year in early January. Tours of the aging cave and farm are also included.
Holiday Parties
Do you want to wow the guests at your next family gathering or corporate holiday party? Order an undressed cheese plate from Yellow Springs Farm. They provide the cheese and you supply the accompaniments. Catherine and Al can suggest wine and beer pairing ideas for each of their artisanal cheeses, turning you into a party hero.
All gifts from Yellow Springs Farms can be conveniently ordered via telephone at (610) 827-2014 or online. If you can’t pick up your gift at the farm, it can be shipped anywhere in the continental U.S. in a temperature controlled package via FedEx Ground service. Locally, Yellow Springs Farm provides delivery in Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties (check for availability).
You can get a peek at the farm and all it has to offer on several upcoming gift-shopping days. Come out to the farm on December 13, 20 or 21 from 12–4 p.m. to visit the goats, sample and purchase cheeses and caramel sauces and pre-order cheese platters for parties.
Find Yellow Springs Farm at 1165 Yellow Springs Road in Chester Springs; phone: (610) 827-2014.
- Yellow Springs Farm tote photo: Yellow Springs Farm
- All other photography: Nina Lea Photography
