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 A Slice of Heaven Monday, January 30, 2006 By JOHN WHIDBEY/Star-Ledger Staff
And after a pile of permits, dollars, dynamite and cement, Wajswol now owns an 18-foot-deep cave, an aging facility for wheels of sheep cheese that sell for up to $24 each. The farmer's dream of bringing ancient European techniques of the making of sheep cheese to Washington Township in Morris County became a reality in April, after he opened the Valley Shepherd Creamery. There are 10 buildings -- including the 2,500-square-foot hillside cave -- on his new $3 million, 120-acre farm. Being in an artisan farming environment allows you to do things as they were done 500 years ago," said Wajswol, who previously ran a 20-acre farm in Tewksbury in Hunterdon County. "It's a reward working here." And it's a reward even in the winter months, when farm fields lie fallow and Wajswol's flock is not producing milk. Four thousand pounds of cheese still sit on the cave's ash wood shelves, gaining flavor and value that Wajswol will realize at lucrative markets in New York City and around the state .SPECIALTY CROPS
Sheep cheese-making, a tradition in the high country of Spain, France, Italy and Greece, began as a way for people to keep a source of protein for winter, Wajswol said. Caves have high humidity and low temperature," he said, walking through the dank, pungent rooms where dozens of varieties of cheese are kept. Those are perfect conditions for cheese mold to grow in, he noted. Valley Shepherd's cave, which has 12-inch-thick cement walls, can hold perhaps 20,000 pounds of cheese, he said. Frank Pinto, Morris County's preservation trust director, said Wajswol's operation is on the cutting edge of farming, particularly given Valley Shepherd's agritourism efforts. The farm offers tours that feature viewing rooms, video presentations and a large shop. "He's kind of what you'll see as the future of farming in Morris County," Pinto said. "He's gone the full length and very few people have done that, in terms of building a facility from the ground up." The farm, which was preserved in 1999, had only open fields when Wajswol purchased it in late 2003 for $475,000, according to Pinto. Wajswol, 50, is of mixed Belgian and Israeli heritage and moved to this country in 1969. After years as a successful real estate developer, he decided to embrace his European roots and made many trips there to learn cheese-making from the experts. "Cheese-making is something you learn over 20 years," he said. "It's an art." His whole operation, which he runs with his wife, Debra, has a multicultural element. INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR Wajswol said he imported high-tech milking machinery from Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. His buildings were constructed by Mennonites from Pennsylvania. His workers during the milking season, which begins in April, are from Ecuador. And his prize sheep -- currently numbering 300 -- are imported East Friesians, a northern European species. Most of the ewes are pregnant and will give birth this spring, when milking season begins. Though Wajswol makes yogurt and softer cheeses like brie, he also makes many hard varieties, typically selling for $17 to $18 a pound. His models include Spain's famous Manchego cheese and France's Roquefort. In late April, the farm will hold a sheep-shearing festival. But during the winter months, Wajswol continues to age cheese in his cave and sell it out of his shop. "It's a great niche market," he said. "The public is excited about natural foods." Copyright 2006 . Used with permission.
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Farmer Eran Wajswol probably is the only person in New Jersey history to propose a subterranean cavern to a local zoning board. 
"It's a perfect example of boutique farming," said Pegi Adam, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Farm Bureau. "It serves high-end chefs and people with sophisticated tastes."
Small farms that grow specialty crops are increasingly common in New Jersey, Adam said. She said there are new farms that produce goat meat, ostrich meat and Chinese vegetables such as bok choy.
But Valley Shepherd is the state's only sheep farm dedicated to cheese-making and the only farm with an underground cave, according to Adam. 
