If the words “artisan cheese” make your mouth water, you’ll be happy to know there’s an award-winning cheesemaker right here in the Lake Travis area who’s dedicated to the live local mantra.
Pure Luck Farm and Dairy is a fully operating farm located on five acres of certified organic land in Dripping Springs, Texas. They specialize in handmade artisan goat cheese and certified organic culinary herbs.
While the farm itself is closed to the public — because there’s lots of work to be done — they offer workshops and tours, so you can learn how to make cultured butter or cheese.
Plus, there’s some goat cuddling!
A sweet history wrapped in a love story
The farm was purchased in 1979 by its “heart and soul” Sara Gold Sweetser Bolton. It had been a working tomato farm since the early 1930s. At that time, she had two young daughters and wanted to raise them surrounded by animals, nature and quality, homegrown foods.
Sara’s love of farming started with a vegetable garden. Then she added animals like dogs, cats, birds, and a small herd of dairy goats. Thanks to some inspiration from her friends, she started making cheeses from goat milk. Sara was hooked. She fell in love with farming and then she fell in love with Denny Bolton. The couple got married, had two daughters together and took their love of farming one step further.
In 1988, Sara and Denny were one of the first farms in Texas to file the paperwork to be officially recognized by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) as a “Certified Organic Farm.” And that became the namesake of the farm because as Sara laughed, it was “pure luck” that it worked.
Sara passed away in 2005, but her legacy is thriving on the farm. Her family still runs Pure Luck with just as much TLC as Sara did. Today they’ve split that love right down the middle — digging in the dirt and scooping curd.
Treats for Turophiles
Anyone who fancies cheese knows it’s one of life’s little pleasures. Turophiles don’t just fall in love with the final product; it’s the whole process of cheesemaking that they appreciate. This is how Pure Luck became known as a renowned cheesemaker. Again, the concept started with Sara.
Pure Luck’s first buyer was Whole Foods who fell in love with their cucumber crop. Then Pure Luck added organically grown culinary herbs and cut flowers to the farm. The well-tilled soil made growing a breeze, but Sara’s real passion was in cheesemaking, which the farm is known for nationally today.
They’ve been winning cheese awards consistently for nearly 20 years. Plus, Sara was such a highly regarded cheesemaker that she was hired by the USDA to teach cheese making in Armenia.
Today you can find Pure Luck cheeses at local restaurants and grocers like Whole Foods and Central Market. Their delectable goat cheeses include Chevre, Anaheim Red Chili Chevre, Cracked Black Pepper Chevre, Mixed Herb Chevre, Hopelessly Bleu, Feta and more.
If you want to participate in an upcoming Pure Luck workshop to get a lesson in homegrown food preparation and a peek at farm life, you have to act fast, because tickets sell out.
Have you attended a Pure Luck Farm and Dairy workshop? What did you learn how to make? Let us know in the comments section on our Facebook page.
Image: Pure Luck Farm & Dairy
