MONROE - A spiral-backed book chronicling cheesemakers in Green County was published recently thanks to the work of volunteers at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center.
A group of seven county residents headed by Fritz Kopp helped to produce the book "Cheese Country," which they hope will bring more tourists to Monroe. The 104-page book contains many anecdotes and 200 photos pulled from the center's archives.
Kopp said he is "very proud to be a part of it," and that the book contains many stories, "some of them humorous, especially if you're Swiss."
Kopp grew up on a dairy farm and made cheese at Deppeler Cheese Factory in Clarno for 40 years.
A book committee was formed in January 2013 that consisted of Jo Ann Schwitz, Karen Hogan, Helen Hafen, Donna Douglas, Helen Locher, Millie Stauffer and Kopp. He said the idea was brought to them by Donna Douglas, the director of the center, because Lafayette and Iowa counties had a book in honor of their cheesemaking history.
"Here we sat, the cheesemaking capital of the nation with no book," Douglas said.
The book will be available for purchase for $20 at the annual Breakfast on the Farm on Saturday, May 31, and at the center after the event. The book features all of the 300 cheesemaking facilities in Green County with maps, pictures and descriptions. The book contains historical facts that paint a picture of the early days in the county, including a description of how whey came to be used as a natural fertilizer on farmland. Whey, the watery part of milk that separates during the production of cheese, used to be thrown away or given to livestock.
The book also details the 12 current cheese factories in the county with brightly colored photos and descriptions.
Douglas said she hopes the book will bring more notoriety to the county and that it couldn't have been done without help from many contributors. The book comes with a foreword written by the 1985 Alice in Dairyland winner, Lisa Hoesly Behnke.
"We found a lot of new friends through this," Douglas said.
The book took 14 months to create, and as one volunteer, Steve Esser, said, "There are some awfully great people in the background of this - how could it be more authentic?"
A group of seven county residents headed by Fritz Kopp helped to produce the book "Cheese Country," which they hope will bring more tourists to Monroe. The 104-page book contains many anecdotes and 200 photos pulled from the center's archives.
Kopp said he is "very proud to be a part of it," and that the book contains many stories, "some of them humorous, especially if you're Swiss."
Kopp grew up on a dairy farm and made cheese at Deppeler Cheese Factory in Clarno for 40 years.
A book committee was formed in January 2013 that consisted of Jo Ann Schwitz, Karen Hogan, Helen Hafen, Donna Douglas, Helen Locher, Millie Stauffer and Kopp. He said the idea was brought to them by Donna Douglas, the director of the center, because Lafayette and Iowa counties had a book in honor of their cheesemaking history.
"Here we sat, the cheesemaking capital of the nation with no book," Douglas said.
The book will be available for purchase for $20 at the annual Breakfast on the Farm on Saturday, May 31, and at the center after the event. The book features all of the 300 cheesemaking facilities in Green County with maps, pictures and descriptions. The book contains historical facts that paint a picture of the early days in the county, including a description of how whey came to be used as a natural fertilizer on farmland. Whey, the watery part of milk that separates during the production of cheese, used to be thrown away or given to livestock.
The book also details the 12 current cheese factories in the county with brightly colored photos and descriptions.
Douglas said she hopes the book will bring more notoriety to the county and that it couldn't have been done without help from many contributors. The book comes with a foreword written by the 1985 Alice in Dairyland winner, Lisa Hoesly Behnke.
"We found a lot of new friends through this," Douglas said.
The book took 14 months to create, and as one volunteer, Steve Esser, said, "There are some awfully great people in the background of this - how could it be more authentic?"