A Field Trip For a Snowy Day

   Today, our homeschool group went on a field trip. We went to a local creamery where they make a variety of cheeses. We sampled cheese curds, looked in the rooms where they age the cheese, watched them make feta cheese and ate a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup in an open area in the back. It wasn't a bad tour.
   We were to arrive at 12:45, and the tour started at 1:00. First, we stayed in the main area for a bit, while the lady introduced us to the place and whatever. Turns out, we got to play a game during the whole thing, where if you heard the word 'curd' you had to try and be the first the raise your hand. if you gave the correct definition of what a curd was, you got to wear a cheese shaped hat. Oh yes, a cheese shaped hat. It was terrible looking, and needless to say, I did not raise my hand.
   After that, we went into an employees only area and had lunch, surrounded by the aging rooms. Lunch wasn't bad, though it wasn't like the best food I'd ever had. Grilled cheese (with cheese made at the creamery), tomato soup, two fried cheese curds (which they also made there) and a pickle, severely lacking in crunch (though I still ate my pickle and one of my friends) was what we were served.
   After lunch, they started showing us around the back room which we were in. They showed us where they package the cheese, and how tare weight worked and why it was important. The next rooms we looked into were the aging rooms. The first room was where they were aging Swiss cheese. There were only 6 wheels of cheese in that room, I believe. They had just started making Swiss. The next roomed smelled strongly of mold and bacteria. Why? It was the room with the Havarti and Cheddar. The third and final room didn't smell bad, but it was the specialty cheese, the kinds mixed with herbs and such things.
   Finishing the back room tour, we headed out to the front and watched from a large, observation window into the cheese making room. The woman who was leading the tour told us about what they were doing and such, and after that was finished, the tour was over. The whole thing took about two hours.
   After the tour was finished, I stood and talked with one of the women I used to work with. That was one of the highlights of today. I enjoy her. :) Overall, it wasn't a bad experience. Now I am certain, I don't want to become a cheese maker.