Best of KC 2024: Green Dirt Farm delivers gastro-revolutionary sheep cheese

Smiling ewe at Green Dirt Farm // Photo courtesy Green Dirt Farm

Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2024. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November. 

What started as one woman’s love for farm life and fresh air grew into an award-winning cheese-making company for Kansas City to enjoy. This year, Green Dirt Farm won four awards during the American Cheese Society convention in the categories of American originals, flavored cheeses, soft-ripened cheeses, and Feta. 

As a first-place winner, their own ‘dirt lover’ is one of the only soft-ripened sheep milk cheeses in the world. It is aged seven to ten days before being packaged, allowing its flavor to continue development. At first, the dirt lover cheese is firm with a lemony, mushroomy flavor, but, with time, it grows softer, taking on a more earthy and nutty flavor. You can enjoy this Valençay of the Midwest at Green Dirt’s cafe in Weston or their restaurant, Green Dirt on Oak. 

Sarah Hoffman [with cheese] and team // Photo courtesy Green Dirt Farm

Sheep’s milk is known for being easier to digest than cow’s, and milk from grass-fed animals contains much more nutrients than conventional cattle food. As their website states, more flavor in the milk means a lot more flavor in the cheese. Since their business has been accelerating so rapidly, they also support the smaller sheep and cow farms around them to keep their milk river flowing. So, no matter what cheese you buy from them, you can know you are supporting locals.