We’re in Vermont for the sold-out Vermont Cheesemakers Festival which takes place today. Yesterday, we took a guided tour to three farmstead cheese producers—and tasted our first Vermont cheese. The tour was conducted by the personable Chris Howell of Vermont Farm Tours.
Sherry Crawford in the cheese cave at Crawford Family Farm.
Second stop: Dancing Cow Farm, home of four cheeses named after four dances.
Karen Getz with her newest cheese, a light blue called Lindy Hop.
Third stop: Twig Farm, home of farmstead goat milk cheese.
Michael Lee with Dot, one of his Alpine goats.
What is so striking about these three cheesemakers is how small they are, how devoted they are to farming, what care they give to their animals, the handling of the milk and the making of excellent cheese, and, especially, how hard they work.
A taste of Oka more than 50 years ago—when the Trappists still made it—sparked in me a lifelong love for cheese. That love has ripened into full-blown passion as more and more mouth-watering cheeses are being churned out by artisan, farmstead and specialty cheesemakers across Canada. I’d like to share that passion by making CheeseLover.ca an informative and entertaining meeting place for all who love cheese, especially #CDNcheese. Be sure to sign up for notification of new posts via email in the upper right of each page. Let's stay in touch! —Georgs Kolesnikovs
