The Abbey of Gethsemani is a community of Roman Catholic monks belonging to the worldwide Order of Cistercians of Strict Observance commonly known as Trappist. The community was established in 1848 in Trappist, Kentucky. Currently 48 monks live here.
Product Inquiries:
What brand of bourbon?
Jim Beam Bourbon (4yrs old -100 proof) is used in fruitcake and fudge.
Fruitcake and bourbon fudge do contain alcohol.
Do you produce organic or sugar free items?
All the food items we make contain sugar. We use fair trade chocolate in our fudge and sell fair trade coffee from Nicaragua, Sumatra and Ethiopia. Fruitcake and some fudge items contain nuts. The fudge products that do not contain nuts have been manufactured in a building with equipment that is used to process food that does contain nuts.
Fruitcake
Gethsemani Farms started producing fruitcakes in 1955.
Fruitcake can be kept for up to a year or longer and does not need to be refrigerated.
Fruitcake will darken with age. Refrigerating will make slicing easier and should be served at room temperature. Dipping your knife in warm water and wiping blade after each slice makes slicing easier.
Bourbon is injected into the fruitcake after it is baked.
2 1/2 & 5 lb Fruitcakes come in tins. 20 oz cakes are boxed individually.
2 1/2 lb cakes provide 20-24 slices depending on thickness of each slice.
***Bourbon content is less than 2 oz in a 2 1/2 lb cake. ***
8.47 grams trans fat per cake .21 grams trans fat per 1 oz slice
Fudge
Production of the chocolate bourbon fudge began in 1991. The bourbon is added to the fudge at just the right time to enhance the flavor and retain the alcohol.
Chocolate Bourbon Fudge has finely chopped pecans
Butter Walnut Bourbon Fudge has English walnuts. (White chocolate)
Chocolate Walnut Fudge (non-bourbon) also contains English walnuts
Mint Julep fudge started in 2011- made with dark chocolate, using spearmint extract & peppermint oil.
We now also offer Classic Chocolate without nuts or bourbon, Peanut Butter, Lemon Drop and Chocolate Raspberry fudges.
*For easier cutting and flavor, fudge needs to be refrigerated upon arrival and served at room temperature.
Each 1lb box yields approximately 18-20 pieces - depending on how you cut it.
Cheese
We have discontinued the production and sale of cheese
The monks of Gethsemani began making and selling a single hand-made cheese in the 1940s. After over sixty years of making cheese, Gethsemani Farms has opted discontinue its production. A number of factors led to this decision. We regret having to make this choice but feel it is in the best interests of our monastic life. We also regret disappointing so many of our loyal customers and hope they can find a reasonable substitute in our fruitcake and fudge.
Service
Gethsemani Farms started taking catalog orders in 1955 and opened our phone center in 1999. 1-800-549-0912. Orders can be placed year round.