it's my goat

Last month, Katie and I found ourselves at the Stratford farmer's market -- as we do most Saturday mornings -- with the goal of procuring some of our favourite market items. In the winter, these will often include some or all of the following: 

- apples, of the scrumptious variety

- jam when we're out of it; raspberry has been a favourite of late

- one 'Morning Glory' muffin, made with olive oil instead of butter, to share (one each when we're feeling bold)

- any root vegetables that look decent, like carrots, potatoes, or beets

And of course, our Achilles' heel: cheese.

Buying local products is really the sine qua non of shopping at a farmer's market; but when it comes to cheese, you'd be hard-pressed to find something that has been made within an hour's drive of home. Thankfully Stratfordites are a bit spoiled on this front. 

Over the past few years cheese made by Monforte Dairy has made its way into the markets, stores and restaurants of Stratford and the surrounding area. I use the past tense here because Monforte is in the process of moving from their previous base of Millbank, Ontario. 

While this may be a story for another time, suffice it to say that the Monforte table at the Stratford farmer's market has on countless Saturday mornings tested our resilience in the face of deliciousness. Monforte, of course, being a rough translation of "my strength," is aptly named for the willpower one must summon to resist its sinfully addictive goodness. 

This day there was no strength. Upon approaching the table I noticed a new addition to their selection of displayed cheeses: a relatively nondescript-looking container with the word 'Spadina' written in marker on its cover.

"What's Spadina?" I asked Rachel, the young woman running the table.

"It's my goat," she answered.

"This cheese comes from your goat?"

"From her milk, yes. Then we flavour the cheese with honey."

Naturally we bought Spadina's cheese. And sure enough the creaminess of the cheese was nicely complimented by a sweetness subtle enough to remain savoury. 

Here I will be so bold as to claim that there may not be a better topping for post-market toast than creamy cheese that has been made from the milk of a goat -- Spadina the goat, to be precise.