LAKE COUNTY ? In efforts to offer a wider variety of organic food products to its customers, Lake Co-op now offers Lake County-grown and regionally-processed wheat flour from Clover Creek Farm of Upper Lake and regionally-produced organic artisan cheeses and butter from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese of Petaluma.
These products and more are now available for home delivery or delivery to one of 12 drop points throughout the county, as well as at Lake Co-op”s overage site at 307 N. Main St. in Lakeport on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Clover Creek Farm, owned and operated by Thurston Williams and Annelle Durham, began offering their non-certified organic Hard Red Spring wheat flour through the Co-op in March.
The small batch production coupled with the slow, stone milling of the whole wheat berry gives rise to a high protein and rich flavored flour.
There is nor more grain production in the county with Clover Creek Farm, Bio Farm, Full Moon Farm and Love Farm. They are members of the recently formed Lake County Grain and Legume Association.
Clover Creek is also growing oats.
The Lake County Grain and Legume Association also offers custom harvesting.
The Clover Creek Farm flour is processed in Mendocino County through the Mendocino Grain Project and can be purchased in five-pound bags from Lake Co-op.?
Spring Hill Jersey Cheese is a certified organic, handcrafted, artisan estate cheese from the Spring Hill Farm division of the Petaluma Creamery, founded in 1913.? The homestead cheese is made from the milk of owner Larry Peter”s herd of pasture-grazed Jersey cows on the Spring Hill Dairy just west of Petaluma in Sonoma County.?
Spring Hill Farm has an array of cheese varieties. Lake Co-op received samples from musician Don Coffin, Lake County representative for Spring Hill Farm products.
After customers sampled the flavors, Lake Co-op ran a survey of its customers to glean the top three flavors they would like to have available through their online ordering site at?www.lake.coop. Spring Hill”s award-winning White Cheddar was the most popular with Monterey Jack and Smoked Cheddar close behind.?
Lake Co-op began offering those Spring Hill products in April. It also offers creamy Spring Hill organic European-style butter.
For more information on Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, visit the website at?www.springhillcheese.com.
Lake Co-op is celebrating five years in community and offers a variety of organic and Lake County organic products through its online ordering system. The order cycle is open from Sunday, 12:01 a.m. through?Tuesday, 12:30p.m.?and offers individual items direct from Lake County organic producers as well as the Co-op”s signature Organic Fruit N” Veggie box, which is a mix of seasonal and regional organic fruits and vegetables Lake County-sourced first and regional second.
The order takers at Lake Co-op pay particular attention to the distance of the farms where they purchase the produce, as well as farm size, and choose products from organic farms participating in Farm to Fork programs.
Home deliveries, telephone order and subscriptions are offered.
For more information on the Co-op, visit?www.lake.coop?or call 513-5226.
For more information on Clover Creek Farm and the Lake County Grain and Legume Association, contact Williams or Durham at 275-9315.
