OUR OCTOBER CHEESE SELECTION.
O'BANON
O'Banon is a riff on the classic French goat cheese Banon. Both are fresh chèvre wrapped in chestnut leaves, but cheesemaker, extraordinaire, Judy Schad takes O'Banon and puts a Kentuckiana spin on it by soaking the leaves in Kentucky Bourbon instead of eau-de-vie. The result is a fresh chèvre with lots of character. Its texture is dense, clay-like and smooth. The leaves lend some tannic, herbaceous notes to the flavor that finishes with a hint of vanilla from the Kentucky Bourbon.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Capriole Farm/Judy Schad
Place: Greenville, IN
Style: Fresh/Leaf-wrapped
Milk Type: Goat
Rennet: Traditional
Age: N/A (fresh)
Pairing: Prosecco, wheat beers, dry cider
CALDERWOOD
A collaboration between cheesemonger Ann Saxelby and Jasper Hill, Calderwood wheels are washed with brine for six months in the cellars before being coated in hay and sealed in cryovac. After an additional four months of aging, the cryovac is removed, and the cheeses are left to dry and form a natural rind in the cellars. Calderwood is an expression of terroir, the idea that the flavors in real foods are a reflection of the place they are grown and produced. The cheese is firm with a complex flavor that hints of chestnuts, caramel, and earth. The hay lends a toasty, tropical fruit finish.
The hay comes from Jasper Hill Farm's cropping center which is home to the country's only hay dryer. The Randi Albert Calderwood Cropping Center is the first of its kind in the United States. Jasper Hill Farm was inspired by a hay dryer in Parma Italy, a region whose cheese calls for grass-fed milk, but whose climate is too rainy for making consistently dry hay. Dry hay helps Jasper Hill feed their herd of cows and eliminates the hay from fermenting. The fermented feed can be troublesome for raw cheesemakers. In 2018 Calderwood took second place best in show at the American Cheese Society's annual competition.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Jasper Hill Farm
Place: Greensboro, VT
Style: Firm
Milk Type: Raw Cow
Rennet: Traditional
Age: 11-12 months
Pairing: Jacquère or Beaujolais, Pale Ale
VERANO
Inspired by Basque shepherds who produce the famous sheep's milk cheese Ossau Iraty in the Pyrenees Mountains, David Major crafts the seasonal Verano from the summer milk of his herd of 300 sheep in the rolling hills of Vermont. The paste is smooth and dense and flavors vary depending on where the sheep were grazing. We have noted a toasted nut, grassy, sweet and herbaceous flavor in these wheels.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Vermont Shepherd, David Major cheesemaker
Place: Putney, VT
Style: Firm
Milk Type: Raw sheep
Rennet: Traditional
Age: 4-6 months
Pairing: Pinot noir or brown ale
BUILD A BOX
Choose 3 cheese from our curated selection to make your own Classic box or add an additional two accompaniments to create your own Signature box
