Vermont's so cheesy!

I love cheese! I also love good Farmers' Markets. Can you imagine how I felt when, on our most recent trip to Vermont, we stopped at the Dorset Farmers' Market and found not one but FOUR cheese makers selling their goods?! It was awesome. 

I chose 4 cheeses and spent under $20 for about a 1/4 lb. hunk of each. I couldn't wait to get back and try them all.


From Consider Bardwell Farm in West Pawlet, VT:

Dorset
Cheesemaker's notes: An aged, raw-milk, washed-rind Jersey Cow’s milk cheese made in the style of Italy’s Taleggio region.

LGdSE's notes: When I tasted this at the market, I had to buy it. I love soft ripened cheeses, and this one had a great favor and wasn't "stinky," so I knew Peter might like it too. (Stinky cheeses are high on my list, but not so much for P.) Anyway, when we got home, I thought the particular wheel from which our cut came could have ripened a little further, but it was still delicious--and, yes, Peter liked it too.

Rupert
Cheesemaker's notes: An aged, raw-milk Jersey Cow’s milk cheese inspired by European Alpine cheeses.

LGdSE's notes: I was particularly excited about this one, since Comté is one of my all-time favorite cheeses, and I thought it'd be awesome to find a local variety that was comparable. Rupert was similar in style with Comté, but was not as strongly flavored. But, it was a great Gruyère-style cheese.

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From Dancing Ewe Farm in Granville, VT:

Prima Caciotta
Cheesemaker's notes: A unique rendition of a classic Tuscan style Caciotta. With its high content of butterfat and protein, Caciotta is a well-balanced table cheese that offers subtle complexities.

LDdSE's notes: The Caciotta was Bryan's overall favorite. This cow's milk cheese was nice and tangy with a good, strong (but not overpowering) flavor.

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From Maplebrook Farm in Bennington, VT:

Cherrywood Smoked Mozzarella
Cheesemaker's notes: The delicious mozzarella cheese is made daily in the mountains of Vermont so that every bite is fresh, all natural and full of homemade goodness. Only our unique old-world approach of stretching and molding premium raw cow curd in small batches and using all natural ingredients with no preservatives can deliver such a smooth, moist and refreshingly distinct mozzarella cheese. Fresh cheese is held in the smoker for approximately 2½ hours after which it is wrapped and refrigerated.

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I think it's important for many reasons to support our small, local farms and food producers, and delicious cheeses like the ones we bought in Vermont make it so easy.