Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell are the proud owners of the first on-farm goat fromagerie in Illinois. They feed their 60 Nubian and La Mancha goats on high- quality local hay and pasture and use only their own milk in the goat cheeses they make.In their state-of-the-art Grade A facility certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health, they make high quality cheese by hand, using a mixture of artisan methods and modern technology.

During the goats’ lactation period, Leslie and Wes milk the goats twice a day. About 21 to 22 gallons of milk are required to make 40 pounds of cheese. The cheese is made by hand and aged for different periods of time to produce a variety of cheeses, including fresh chevre and soft-rind, aged cheeses such as Prairie Blazing Star Banon, an “all-Illinois” banon-style cheese made with maple or sycamore leaves from their farm that have been soaked in an Illinois Chambourcin wine, “Little Bloom on the Prairie,” a creamy, soft Camembert-style cheese, “Angel Food,” a bloomy rind cheese made in the style of a French Coulommier and “Prairie Burn,” an ashed, soft-rind cheese. . . . .

In 2004, Wes and Leslie planted 350 fruit trees and 600 berry plants, for the “fruit” component of Prairie Fruits Farm; the fruit operation is now certified organic.

In addition, Leslie and Wes are involved in promoting and building locally based food systems. They strive to educate the community about organic and sustainable agriculture and the connections between food production and consumption. Their dream is for their “farmstead to be diverse (fruit and goats), sustainable (environmentally, socially and economically) and to serve as a model for others interested in small-scale diversified farming systems.”

Leslie and Wes sell their products at markets, restaurants, and retail locations in Central Illinois and in Chicago, including the Urbana Farmers’ Market and Chicago’s Green City Market on Saturdays. Their cheese can also be found at several Chicago establishments, such as Pastoral Bread Cheese & Wine and the Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park, and at some of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including Blackbird and North Pond.

Slow Food Chicago was proud to have Leslie and Wes represent our Convivium as delegates to the October 2006 Terra Madre Congress in Turin, Italy.

4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Cty. Rd. 1350)
Champaign, IL 61822-9455
217-643-2314
Email: Leslie and Wes
www.prairiefruits.com

Markets: Green City Market, on Saturdays

Meet the goats: