Verbalizing lapses in the brain

It was musky but not as stinky as you would enter a chicken house.  The goats have a relatively cleaner, less stinky, well defined, round pellet poop (that doesn’t splat itself upon hitting the ground– gross).  And in the goat house, the ground is more than 10 feet below.

The goat house in Malagos Garden is exceptional.  Starting with its as-big-as-a-cow-goats to their well-lit, well-arranged barracks that house these well-groomed, hallow-horned mammals, the goat house is an adventure unto itself.  I saw one, with his horns arched backward, confident like Pan with a beard that will make any devil-worshiper dance naked even in daylight…except this one is not stroking his beard and its pipe is nowhere to be found. Hmm, why i imagine the devil pan has a habit of stroking his goatee (no pun intended) as a sign of smugness, I do not know.

As part of the Davao Bloggers Tour, sponsored by Department of Tourism Davao and Smart Communications, devil worship was not part of the itinerary we visited Malagos Garden in Calinan.  The goat house is part of the Eco park of Malagos garden, who were our sponsor for lunch that day.

And the highlight was the pineapple ricotta and the Bignay wine (will talk about the bignay wine in my food blog–for now, listen to my cheese rant)–

all local made, artisinal, and no preservatives.

I have been a big fan of cheese (okay mostly cheddar coz it’s effin expensive :P).  My greatest cheese adventure happened in Laos at this expensive french restaurant where i had this rare blue cheese that’s supposed to be curdled in a cave somewhere in the pacific.  It didn’t suit my taste (char).  After that, i stopped tasting cheese.

So I got excited when, after lunch, we were offered to taste the artisan pineapple ricotta.  The texture was almost smooth and the pineapple just added enough aroma and flavor.  It was on the sweet side, something we, Filipinos, lean to when it comes to little treats like this. Needless to say, I was silently hogging the group’s cheese platter :D – hmmm, nope don’t think I’m the only one though (above picture, Olan and L.A.enjoying their share).

Malagos Farmhouse Cheese products were created by Ms. Olivia Fuentespina, who, six years ago, started to experiment in cheesemaking.

The product is 100% natural with 3% salt.  The cheese are processed on the same day it was milked (no dear, they don’t store the milk in those buckets).  In cheese-making, sterilizing the milk is a crucial process as any amount or form of dirt will ruin the curdling process.    And as a Davaoeno, I was proud to know that Malagos Garden is the only one that produces artisan ricotta in Davao (and in the Philippines).

 If you wish to try their cheese but you do not have time to visit the farmhouse, you may purchase it at Swiss Deli and Restaurant in J.P. Laurel Lanang or visit Bounaterra in F. Torres St. (082-2822411).

 Spirale Ristorante in Damosa Gateway (082-234-46299) uses Malagos cheese in their Prosciutto with Goat Cheese Salad, Insalata della Casa and in their Ravioli Spinacci e Ricotta.  Tiny Kitchen, in their Blush Pizza, blue cheese crostinis, and salads.  Marco Polo and Pearl Farm also have their own recipes that showcases Malagos’ artisan ricotta.