Product Spotlight: CHEESE

Into the new millennium we go, eating our curds and whey. Now of course by now you have tried the Norwegian goat cheese, the absolutely unique Gjetost, a caramelized whey cheese.

Eaten with crackers or toast, this is the favorite of Norwegian children.

Try this with your kids. And speaking of kids (human, not goat), let's look at the more simple basic cheeses the Co-op carries.

We love to bring you the exotic and unusual cheeses from remote valleys and mountains of Europe, and we certainly will continue that exploration.

Cheddar was first made in the southwestern county of Somerset, England.

The repeated cutting and piling of the curd in order to remove the whey and break the curd into fine particles that are smooth and silky is the process which defines Cheddar.

We carry two farmhouse English Cheddars: Quicke's Farm and Tuxford and Tebbutt.

The Quicke's is more traditional and complex in flavor, although both are wonderfully full and rich, and a treat to eat.

The Vermont Cheddar we carry is from Grafton, and is a classic reserve version of their handmade cheese. This is one of our sharpest cheddars.

Another excellent sharp cheddar is the Wisconsin; ours is aged three years.

It is yellow colored (as are many American cheddars), with annatto, a plant from South America.

Unless you are extremely particular about colors, don't buy a cheddar based on its color. It has no impact on the flavor and is quite natural.

Balleycashel Cheddar is a fine example of Irish cheesemaking, and has its own unique flavor.

Herkimer is a name brand sharp cheddar from New York, with which some customers have a love affair.

We carry a nice sharp Canadian Cheddar and a very nice sharp New York Cheddar.

These two we cut from 40-lb. blocks, so you can see we sell a lot of these!

We also cut our mild yellow cheddar (made by Rumiano in California) from 40-lb. blocks. This is the favorite of many kids and families.

Additionally, we have a smoked cheddar made by North Farms Co-op in Wisconsin that is naturally smoked.

So you can see, there is a lot of exploring you can do just in the cheddar area of the cheese case.

In other areas of Cheesetown, we recently found a new Muenster, a mild American cheese that is very reasonably priced.

And look for Borenkaas, an unpasteurized masterpiece from the Netherlands. It has a pleasant nutty aroma, and a rich, sharp, complex flavor. It's the Gouda the Dutch save for themselves!

If there is any left, be sure to try Abondance, an excellent melting cheese from the Savoie region of France, similar to Raclette, Beaufort, and Vacherin Fribourgeois.

Thanks for all your support during the holidays, and we
look forward to seeing you at La Montanita Fromagerie!