written by Lauren Kramer

The town of Trout Lake was once a hive of dairy and cheesemaking activity, but by the 1950s the last of the cheesemakers had closed up shop. When Marci and John Shuman moved to town in 2008, they were intrigued by that history and determined to reignite Trout Lake’s cheesemaking legacy.

The town, located in a lush agricultural valley at the foothills of Mount Adams and surrounded by lava cave tube systems, had the perfect microclimate for cheesemaking. The Shumans purchased 20 acres of agricultural land, located a 600-square-foot lava tube cave chamber on the property and built a small creamery on top of the cave, where they’ve been handcrafting Cascadia Creamery’s raw milk, organic, artisan cheese since 2009.

The small creamery crafts four cheeses: Sleeping Beauty, a rich, buttery cheese; Cloud Cap, a fresh, milky cheese with a citrusy interior; Glacier Blue, a blue cheese with a luxurious texture; and Sawtooth, a washed-rind cheese with a savory, meaty flavor. All are raw milk, organic cheeses aged between 60 and 100 days.

“Our cheese truly reflects the Trout Lake terroir in which they’re created,” John said, adding that the products have won multiple Good Food awards since 2018. “The unique geological environment of the cave provides optimal temperature, humidity and airflow conditions for traditional cheese aging, and our organic, raw milk comes from a fifth-generation local dairy farm.”

The process of crafting the wheels of cheese is slow and intimate, he said. “What I love most about the process is that every batch of cheese has its own distinct character. It’s shaped by what the cows were eating at the time, what the weather was like and how the wind was moving through the cave system.”

Cascadia Creamery cheese is available at natural and specialty grocers and cheese shops in Washington, Oregon and California.

TROUT LAKE
www.cascadiacreamery.com