Last Thursday, I attended the first Queen Anne Farmers Market. As part of our cheese series, I spoke to Julie Steil of River Valley Ranch.

Julie and one of her sons from River Valley Ranch

How Long Have You Been Making Cheese: Julie has been making cheese for about a year. She’s a gourmet cook and loves to make everything by hand.

What Markets Do You Attend? Julie sells at farmers markets in Magnolia, Lake Forest Park, Juanita Beach, Carnation, Bellevue, and Snoqualmie.

What Products Do You Sell? River Valley Ranch sells a variety of different types of cheeses. They have a Buffalo and Yak mozzarella, spreadable cheeses in several flavors including Fig and Almond, Cranberry Orange, Cherry and Walnut, and Apricot and Almond. They also have curds, pepper jack, and a farmstead jack.

Are You Organic? Not officially. They use organic grain and all of their animals are pastured. They’re only fed grain when the animals are being milked. They have started the process to become certified organic, but the process takes several years. They just purchased 20 acres of blackberry thickets for their animals to graze on.

Other Interesting Facts: Julie teaches a cheese making class in the fall. it’s a real hands on class and lasts 3 hours for $49. It sells out months in advance, so if you’re interested, check their website often. You’ll leave with cheese you made yourself.

River Valley Ranch
34920 SE Fall City-Snoqualmie Road
425-222-5277

As always, if you try a new vendor we feature in our series, be sure to tell them you read about them on Seattle MetBlogs!