The September Cheese Explorer's Club

The September Cheese Explorers’s Club

About ten miles inland of the town of St. Albans in northern Vermont you’ll find Fairfield, Vermont. Part of our cheese exploration has found a lot of shared town names between the states that make up New England, but Vermont and Connecticut seem to share an affinity for repurposing names amongst each other. Leaving nomenclature aside, Fairfield is home to Stony Pond Farm - an organic co-op that has supplied its milk to places like Organic Valley - among others, and also developed a reputation for its grass-fed beef. Late last summer we got word that Tyler and Melanie were venturing into the world of cheesemaking. Though they have a mixed herd of Devon, Ayrshire, Jersey, and British White breeds, it’s the butterfat content of the Jersey’s that they found most suitable for their first cheese, the Swallow Tail Tomme.

Tomme is a word that gets used in abundance in the cheese world for good reason - it simply means “round” or “wheel”, but as a loose style of cheese, it’s largely agreed to have originated from the French alps, where Tomme de Savoie and Tomme de Crayeus are found. There’s no specific aging guideline, but they typically are made with raw milk.

Farmstead cheesemakers take a lot of pride in providing a nutrient rich environment for their animals, and Stony Pond Farm is no different, using rotational grazing techniques that allow the natural flora and fauna to flourish, giving this cheese a rich grass-fed character that is sought after for its complexity and variety in flavor. We live in a world that caters to both people who search for larger produced, consistent cheeses, like Cabot, and those that celebrate the seasonality.

The Swallow Tail Tomme is aged just over 60 days at Stony Pond Farm’s small cave aging facilities - usually the minimum amount of time required for a firm cheese - before it’s released to us, resulting in a very milky and slightly earthy and floral cheese, expressing both the terroir where the cows were grazing and the cheese making process.

This is the first time we’ve been able to get our hands on this wheel, and we’re thrilled to have you be the first to try it.

Speaking of great farmstead producers in Northern Vermont…Have you met Quinby?

Quinby, from Barn First Creamery.

This little goat brie is made by Rebecca and Merlin (yes, Merlin) Vazquez and their herd of thirty-two goats up in Westfield, Vermont, some 38 miles northeast of Stony Pond Farm. A hamlet in the center of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Westfield has a bit of famous cheese heritage, being the place that Laini Fondiller of Lazy Lady Farm calls home, and it was Laini who took Rebecca and Merlin under her wing while the couple hand-milked seven goats and built their first barn steadily over a span of three years from 2013-2016.

It should be noted that goats don’t produce a ton of milk - in fact all things being equal - a herd of cows will produce five times the amount of milk. So these small creameries are a true labor of love, especially since the goats are really only breeding during the fall and winter months.

Goat milk has less lactose than cow’s milk, but the main reason it is easier to digest for most is because it has a much lower amount (50% less) of Alpha S1 Casein than typical cow’s milk, which has been one of the major factors in problems with milk digestion.

Tractor Cheddar from Shelburne Farms.

Some 76 miles southeast of Westfield, we find ourselves at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. The farm was initially founded all the way back in 1886 when Dr William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb started buying farmland on the shore of Lake Champlain, and by the early 1900s had grown into a 3,800 acre estate but urban flight led to a drastic decrease in farming operations. It wasn’t until 1972 that descendants of the Webb Family banded together to form a non-profit dedicated to sustainable agriculture and education, and in 2001, Shelburne Farms became a National Historic Landmark. Nowadays, the farm produces over 170,00 pounds of cheese annually from their herd of grass-fed Brown Swiss dairy cows. The Tractor Cheddar is one of our recent favorites from them, made with raw milk, this cheddar is aged slightly over two years with a robust sharp and earthy flavor.

Arethusa Farm Dairy Camembert

Drive some 200 miles south of Shelburne, you’ll find yourself smack dab in the middle of Litchfield, Connecticut, where Arethusa Farm Dairy calls home. Yet another dairy with a storied past, the farm was initially founded in 1868 by the Webster family, but had fallen into disrepair a century later by the time the current ownership took over. What had once been just five cows has grown to 300, and their dedication to dairy has resulted not only in a stable rotation of nine cheeses, but a thriving ice cream shop and restaurant. We’ve just brought in their Camembert, which ranked in the Top Five in its class at the World Cheese Awards, and is a milky and mushroomy delight.

Pecorino Camomilla from Emilia Romagna.

For a end of summer treat, we’ve also included one of our favorite Pecorinos, the Pecorino Camomille - made by Paolo Farabegoli in Emilia-Romagna. Pecorino Camomilla is made in the summer, after sheep have grazed on the year’s most verdant grass and when the chamomile flowers are plentiful. After production, the newly-formed wheels mature in humid cells. They’re then put into beech crates, sealed, and coated. Though this particular Pecorino is covered in chamomile flowers, other options might be sprinkled with hemp or cornflower. This lends more than just a pretty look—the dried coating allows the cheese to retain a soft interior, while also giving it a delicate herbaceous aroma. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the summer.

Accoutrements:

Kelcey’s Chili Crisp from Spoke Wine Bar.

We want to support local when and where we can, and this month we’re psyched to include Kelcey’s Chili Crisp from Spoke Wine Bar in Somerville. Kelcey is one of the two head chefs at this Davis Square spot, and it’s packed full of umami that makes it useful in all sorts of combinations, not just cheeses, we love it on everything from eggs to ice cream, this concoction of crispy and crunchy garlic and onions, gochugoru, dried chiles, and shiitakes is the umami you need.

Brewer’s Crackers Sea Salt Flatbreads

We’ve also included Brewer’s Crackers, made up in Bristol, Vermont, but started by our friend Kyle out of his apartment in Somerville as well. Using spent grains from Cambridge Brewing Company, these highly addictive crackers have the perfect amount of crunch and are sturdy enough to scoop soft cheeses or hold hard ones. As always, we hope you enjoy this month’s exploration, and look forward to bringing you many more.