Community Corner

World's Top Cheese Available at Maplewood Farmers Market

Baetje Farms—available at Saturday's Maplewood Winter Market and Holiday Fair—had a cheese named one of the top 16 cheeses in the world at the World Cheese Awards 2011 in Birmingham, UK.

Bloomsdale cheese from artisan farmstead dairy farm Baetje Farms beat out 2,700 cheeses from 35 countries to become one of the top 16 cheeses in the world.

Owners Steve and Veronica Baetje took Bloomsdale and several other cheeses to the World Cheese Awards 2011 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, where they won a super gold award, four silvers and a bronze for their artisan cheeses, according to Feast Magazine.

Of the 50 super gold winners, judges selected 16—including Baetje's Bloomsdale—as top in the world.

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The St. Genevieve farm will sell its cheeses for the last time this season at the Maplewood Farmers Market and Holiday Fair, Veronica Baetje wrote on the event's Facebook wall. 

"We will be back in February, Lord willing," she said. "Just have to wait for the goats to kid before we start another cheese making season."

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you can't wait until February, the Maplewood Winter Farmers Market runs from 9 am. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at . Other artisan vendors will include All Along Press, Beqi Clothing, DownZipper, Gregg Rasmusson, Newberry Furniture, Riley Construction, Scarlett Garnet Jewelry and Wounded Bird.

The Baetjes wake up at 3 a.m. every morning to milk their 53 goats and make cheese, notes their website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Maplewood-Brentwood