Nova Scotia cheese and local dairy: a guide to our dairy fridge

Nova Scotia cheese and local dairy start with small family farms, and the one in our fridges is Skye Glen Creamery in Cape Breton: grass-fed Jersey milk in glass bottles, quark, yogurt and a dip our regulars buy by the armful. This guide is for anyone who wants to shop dairy closer to home in Halifax, Bedford and Dartmouth. It explains what makes Nova Scotia cheese and milk different, what "organic", "grass fed" and "free range" actually mean on a label, and which local and Canadian cheese makers, butters and eggs we carry. Fresh dairy and eggs are local delivery and pickup only.

The dairy fridge can be a confusing place. Two bottles of milk sit side by side at very different prices, butter cartons talk about pasture, and egg cartons use words like free run, free range and organic as if everyone already knows the difference. A few minutes with the labels makes it simple.

Nova Scotia cheese: what's made here

Nova Scotia has a small but proud tradition of farmstead cheese. Many cheese makers here milk their own cows, goats or sheep and make cheese on the same farm, in small batches, so the flavours change a little with the season and the pasture. Dutch-style gouda, brought here by Dutch farm families, has deep roots in the province, and you'll also find cheddar, fresh cheese curds, blue cheese, washed-rind and alpine-style wheels around the province. The province even has a cheese trail for anyone who wants to plan a weekend of farm visits.

What ties the best of it together is the milk. Cool, damp summers and long grazing seasons on coastal pasture give rich milk, and a cheese can only be as good as the milk it starts with. That's why we think the best way to taste Nova Scotia dairy at home is to start with a farm you can name.

Skye Glen Creamery: Cape Breton milk, quark and yogurt

Skye Glen Creamery is a small dairy farm in East Skye Glen, Cape Breton. The farm milks a herd of grass-fed Jersey cows that graze their own pastures from early spring to late fall and eat hay of native grasses, clover and timothy grown on the farm through the winter. Jersey milk is naturally richer than most, with more butterfat and protein, and you can taste it the moment you pour a glass.

Here's what comes to our fridges from the farm:

• Whole and skim milk in 1 L glass bottles. The cream rises to the top, so give the bottle a shake. Glass bottles carry a deposit that you get back when you bring them in.
• Coffee cream (18%). Smooth and rich, for coffee, soups and mashed potatoes.
• Quark. A mild, fresh cheese that sits between yogurt and cream cheese. Spread it on toast, stir it with fruit and honey, or use it in place of cream cheese or sour cream in baking and dips.
• Yogurt. Made in Cape Breton from the same Jersey milk.
• Storm Chip Dip. Made simply with milk, cultures, vegetable rennet and salt. It's the one people grab before a storm day or a potluck.
• Eggnog, in season. It arrives in a returnable glass bottle as the weather turns and stays until the holidays are over.

Skye Glen also makes a soft brie and squeaky cheese curds. They come and go with what the farm has ready, so ask at the dairy fridge if you don't see them online. All Skye Glen products are fresh and refrigerated, so they're available for local delivery and pickup only.

Canadian cheese makers we carry

Alongside our local farm, we stock a variety of cheese from family farms and small cheese makers across Canada, with a lean towards certified organic milk and short ingredient lists. A good cheese needs only milk, cultures, salt and rennet; many of ours list exactly that.

• Quebec. L'Ancêtre makes certified organic cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and butter in Bécancour from milk without antibiotics or hormones. Its organic parmesan is aged at least 12 months and is lactose free. La Chaudière organic cheddar is made without animal rennet, and the Extra Old is aged 18 months or more.
• Ontario dairy farmers. Organic Meadow is a co-op of Ontario organic family farms, and the farmers are its owners, so buying it supports them directly. Eby Manor is one family farm in Waterloo that has milked Golden Guernsey cows since the 1960s; its cheddar and havarti are made from A2 Guernsey milk in small batches.
• Goat and sheep cheese. Crosswind Farm has milked goats in Keene, Ontario since 2006 and makes chèvre and a feta in brine on the farm. Woolwich has made soft goat cheese in Orangeville since 1983, and Best Baa in Fergus makes 100% grass-fed sheep milk feta.

How to choose cheese for your table

Our selection changes a little with the seasons, so there's plenty to try. A few tips that make a big difference: let firm cheese sit out for half an hour before serving so the flavour opens up, wrap leftovers in waxed paper or a beeswax wrap rather than plastic, and keep feta in its brine.

Organic milk, grass-fed milk and A2: what the labels mean

All milk sold in Canada has to meet the same safety and quality standards, so you're choosing between farming practices and flavour rather than "safe" and "unsafe". Here's what the words on the bottle tell you:

• Certified organic. The cows eat certified organic feed and get access to pasture, and the farm follows Canada's organic standards for how they're raised and cared for.
• Grass fed. The cows eat mostly grass and dried forage year-round. Grass-fed milk tends to have a little more omega-3 and CLA, and a deeper colour in the butter. Rolling Meadow launched Canada's first commercial grass-fed milk in 2014, and Organic Meadow's grass-fed milk is both organic and grass fed.
• A2. a2 Milk comes from Canadian cows that produce only the A2 beta-casein protein. Some people who find regular milk heavy prefer it.
• Cream on top. Unhomogenized milk, like Skye Glen's, lets the cream rise. Give it a shake, or skim the cream for your coffee.

Is organic milk actually better?

Organic milk is a choice about how the cows are raised: organic feed, access to pasture and the organic standards for their care. Nutritionally, organic and regular milk are very similar, with the same protein, calcium and vitamins. Many people choose organic for the farming practices and for the taste, and grass-fed organic milk often tastes a little richer. If budget matters, organic milk is a good place to start because it's something most families buy every week.

Grass-fed butter

Butter shows the difference between pastures more than any other dairy food. Butter from grass-fed cows is usually a deeper yellow, from the beta-carotene in fresh grass, with a richer, slightly grassy flavour. We carry a few good ones:

• Rolling Meadow Grassfed Butter, made from just grass-fed cream and sea salt, from small farms in southwestern Ontario where the cows spend the season on pasture.
• Organic Meadow Cultured Butter, made from organic cream and a bacterial culture the old-fashioned way, for a slightly tangy flavour that shines in pastry and on fresh bread.
• Savor Grass-Fed New Zealand Butter, churned from the cream of cows that graze outdoors year-round.

Is grass-fed butter actually better?

Grass-fed butter has a little more omega-3 and CLA and more beta-carotene than butter from cows fed mostly grain, and many people simply prefer the taste and colour. It's still butter, so enjoy it the way you would any butter. If you bake a lot, a cultured butter brings extra flavour to shortbread and pie crust; for everyday toast, a grass-fed salted butter is hard to beat.

Free-range, free-run and organic eggs

Egg cartons in Canada use a handful of terms that describe how the hens are housed. This is what each one means:

Our eggs come from Conestoga Farms, family egg farms in southwestern Ontario. We carry their certified organic eggs from hens on organic feed with outdoor access, and free-run omega-3 eggs with deep golden yolks.

Are free-range eggs healthier than regular eggs?

Nutritionally, free-range and regular eggs are much the same: both are nutritious, with protein, vitamins and minerals in every egg. The label tells you more about the hens' lives than about the egg. Omega-3 eggs are the exception, because changing the hens' feed changes the fats in the yolk. Choose the carton that matches what matters to you, and store eggs on a fridge shelf rather than in the door, where the temperature stays steadier.

Build a Nova Scotia cheese board

A local cheese board is an easy way to taste the province, and no recipe is required. Here's a delicious set that always works:

1. Something fresh. Skye Glen quark in a bowl, drizzled with Cosman & Whidden creamed honey from the Annapolis Valley.
2. Something sharp. An aged cheddar, cut into thick slices.
3. Something tangy. Goat feta or a soft chèvre.
4. Something to scoop. Storm Chip Dip with kettle chips and raw vegetables.
5. Something homemade. HardyWares Green Tomato Chow, made on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. It's perfect with apple slices and sharp cheddar.
6. Good bread. Sliced Birdies sourdough from Dartmouth, made with grain milled on a stone mill in the bakery. Like the dairy, fresh bread is local delivery and pickup only.

Dairy questions we get a lot

What is Nova Scotia's most famous food?

Lobster, Digby scallops, wild blueberries and Annapolis Valley apples top most lists, along with donairs in Halifax and blueberry grunt for dessert. On the dairy side, the province's farmstead cheeses, gouda in particular, have a loyal following.

Which Canadian province produces the most cheese?

Quebec makes the most cheese in Canada, followed by Ontario. That's why so many of the cheeses in our fridge come from those two provinces, alongside our local Skye Glen Creamery.

Can I order fresh milk and cheese online?

Yes, for local delivery and pickup. Fresh, fridge and freezer items, including milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and eggs, are available for Luminate Express same-day delivery across most of HRM (order by 11 am) or pickup at our Bedford or Dartmouth store. They don't ship by courier.

Do you take back Skye Glen glass bottles?

Yes. Bring your rinsed Skye Glen bottles back to either store and you'll get your bottle deposit back.

Shopping for local dairy at Luminate

You'll find Nova Scotia cheese, milk and local dairy in the dairy fridges at both stores, and online in our dairy and eggs and cheese collections. Because they're fresh and refrigerated, dairy and eggs are local delivery and pickup only: add them to your cart and choose Luminate Express delivery or store pickup at checkout. Shelf-stable pairings like honey and chow ship across Atlantic Canada in 1 to 3 business days, with free shipping in Canada on orders over $80.

Want more? Read our guides to yogurt and kefir, Nova Scotia local food and ghee and MCT oil, or browse Atlantic Canadian made products.

Product and farm details come from our own product listings and brand pages. This article is general information, not medical or nutrition advice.