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Fall Flavors at the Cheese Counter

So you guys, it’s official – summer is finally over. And I, for one, am THRILLED. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some 4th of July fireworks, grilled meats, and summer-only cheeses paired with some gorgeous tomatoes or cucumbers. Those are all lovely things. Add in some chilled rose, and I’m a pretty darn happy camper.

All that being said, I decidedly do not love the hot, sticky, sweaty, mosquito-y weather that DC calls summertime. Holy moly. Don’t get me wrong, I really do love living here, but this little swamp-town known as our nation’s capitol is pretty darn unbearable from June until about halfway through October. Woof.

aotc-lamuse

But it’s over! It’s finally over! And with the weather graciously subsiding, not only are wardrobes changing – oh hey there sweaters, scarves, and boots! – but tastebuds are starting to change as well. When the temperature starts dropping and leaves start falling, bigger, bolder flavors that are just too darn much in the oppressive heat suddenly seem incredibly appealing.

Which leads me to one of my all-time favorite cheeses: aged gouda. For me, fall means it’s time for some butterscotchy, nutty, salty/sweet aged gouda. And no one does aged gouda better than L’Amuse.

lamuse-signature-cows-holstein

Let me back up for a moment – what is gouda? Strictly speaking, gouda is a cow’s milk cheese made with washed curds that traditionally hails from the Netherlands. Actually, the name “Gouda” comes from a town of the same name where the cheese was originally traded. This is about as specific as gouda gets, though. The name itself is not protected, so when you see the word “gouda” on a package, it can mean many different things. It can come from different places, be aged for varying degrees of time, be made from different milks – all things that lead to very different flavor profiles and/or textures.

So how do you know if the gouda you’re buying is the right one for you? How do you know you’re not going to end up with plastic wrapped, pre-sliced, rubbery cheese that tastes like fake smoke? My answer is the same one I pretty much give in any cheesy situation: talk to your cheesemonger. It’s our job to find the best cheeses around and then pair you with the right one.

Now, some of you may be asking yourselves – but how do we find these delicious cheeses? Well, in the case of the gouda that I carry, the answer is simple: I turn to Essex St. Cheese Co. For those of you who read my blog post about feta way back in July, that name will sound familiar – this team of fantastic importers provides the Via Umbria counter with their fabulous feta, as well as manchego, and gouda. To refresh you guys on what Essex St. does, I turn to my previous post: “Rather than importing many different types of cheese, Essex finds the best of the best and brings in only a handful of cheeses, with each type only having one producer. Their bar is extremely high.”

age-cheeses-at-warmer-temperatures

Not only is this high bar met, but I dare say that it’s exceeded by the goudas coming out of L’Amuse Fromagerie in Santpoort-Noord. L’Amuse is owned and operated by master-cheesemonger and affineur Betty Koster – I had the privilege of meeting Betty during CMI and not only is she amazing at what she does, but she can also only be described as thoroughly warm and decidedly delightful.

But back to the cheese – for their Signature Gouda, the L’Amuse team hand-selects cheeses from the Cono cheesemaking plant in the northern Netherlands, and then ages them to perfection over the course of 2 years. Instead of aging them at cooler temperatures, as is done with most traditionally aged goudas, Betty keeps them at mid-temperature in order to develop fully rounded flavors. And oh man, what flavors develop! Butterscotch, caramel, toasted hazelnuts, and cream are all ensconced in this dense yet velvety paste.

In case you hadn’t already guessed it, L’Amuse Signature Gouda will be Via Umbria’s November cheese of the month, and I couldn’t be more excited! Please join us for our monthly Cheese Party next Wednesday, November 2nd, to not only taste this unbelievable cheese, but to also learn about it from Essex St. educational director, the wonderful and talented Rachel Juhl! It’s going to be a fantastic evening that you don’t want to miss.

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

Bigger and bolder flavors suitable for fall Read more

So you guys, it's official - summer is finally over. And I, for one, am THRILLED. Don't get me wrong - I ...

Cheese, Food & Drink
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The Tale of Two Accidents

Alice and her Dad

Early last spring, my dad and I attempted to go spring skiing out in Deep Creek, Maryland. Rainy and foggy with lots of slush and mud, we were not entirely successful in our sporting endeavors. It got to the point where one day we looked up at the slopes, and decided to go to the movies instead. Let me tell you, you know the conditions are really bad when the best option is to watch a sappy, poorly written sports movie in an empty theater with sticky floors and the distinctive aroma of old popcorn clinging to the walls.

Even though the weekend itself didn’t exactly go according to plan, it was far from a bust. First of all, I got to hang out with my dad (hi Dad!), which was, as always, a great time. And secondly, I stumbled upon FireFly Farms.

We were on our way out of town when we decided to stop and get some snacks for the road. Driving through the small town of Accident, the FireFly Farms Creamery and Market sign caught my eye. I’d heard the name bantered about by various mongers in DC, and knew that they made goat cheeses. And, well, you guys know me – I’ll jump at any chance to try some new cheeses, so we stopped.

Goats at Firefly Creamery

After tasting through a bunch of their gorgeous, goat’s milk cheeses, I settled on my favorite: Mountain Top Bleu. Made in the Valencay style, these beautiful, surface ripened pyramids are a perfect gateway blue – mild and creamy with just a hint of funk. The piece that I got that day was just the way I like my soft cheeses to be – ripe, oozy, and full of flavor. During the two and a half hours it took us to drive back to DC, we easily devoured the entire thing.

I’ve learned a few things since that inaugural visit to FireFly. Firstly, although Mountain Top Bleu is one of FireFly’s original three cheeses, it was initially made by accident. It came into being when a bloomy-rinded cheese was cross contaminated by a nearby blue. Instead of throwing the contaminated batch away, the cheesemakers created this beautiful hybrid. And it’s a great thing that they did: Mountain Top Bleu is the most awarded cheese in the FireFly repertoire. With twenty individual honors to its name, including a bronze medal at the American Cheese Society conference this past summer and multiple World Cheese awards, this cheese is certainly no mistake. Saveur Magazine even named it as one of the top 50 cheeses in the nation.

Mountain Top Bleu

I was also impressed to learn about FireFly’s commitment to sustainability, both with regards to the farmers that they partner with and to the environment. FireFly is a small cheesemaking operation on the Allegheny Plateau region of Maryland, and they use milk from six goat farms within a 30 mile radius of their shop. By working closely with these farmers, and implementing a mutually beneficial contract, Firefly assures that the farmers are committed to “humane animal husbandry and restrict the use of antibiotics, hormones, and animal feeds that have been treated with chemical or synthetic fertilizers”, while also paying them a fair price for their milk that doesn’t penalize producers for “under-production” in winter months, nor “over-production” in summer months.

Additionally, FireFly is very conscious of their energy consumption. Instead of using energy-hungry machines, they’re committed to handcrafting and wrapping each of their cheeses. Furthermore, as of the summer of 2015, one third of the energy used by FireFly comes from their newly installed solar panels.

It is my great pleasure to announce that not only will Mountain Top Bleu be Via Umbria’s October Cheese of the Month, but that FireFly Farms founders Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet will be joining us for our monthly Cheese Party! Please join us on Wednesday, October 5th to eat, drink, and learn all about this wonderful local cheese and these awesome cheesemakers!

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

A visit to FireFly Farms Creamery in Maryland Read more

Early last spring, my dad and I attempted to go spring skiing out in Deep Creek, Maryland. Rainy and foggy with lots ...

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Exploring America’s Dairyland

Wisconsin. America’s Dairyland. Home of the Cheeseheads. Guys, let me tell you…they didn’t get those nicknames for nothing.

Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, touring around Wisconsin’s beautiful countryside and learning all about their homegrown cheeses. Even though I grew up just south of the Wisconsin/Illinois border and have traveled there quite a few times (I actually learned to ski in Wisconsin…on old landfills covered in snow…but that’s a story for another time), I was shocked by how much I didn’t know.

For example, did you know that 90% of the milk that’s produced in Wisconsin is made into cheese? 90%!!! And when you’re called America’s Dairyland, you know that that wasn’t a small amount of milk to start out with. And have you heard of the Master Cheesemaker program? Yup, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison (and only at the University of Wisconsin in Madison), you can become a certified Master Cheesemaker. Also, did you know that 96% of the farms in Wisconsin are family farms? Who knew, right?

Pleasant Ridge Reserve

The aspect of the trip that struck me the most, however, was the passion that these farmers and cheesemakers have for what they do. Big plant, small farm, co-op – regardless of how each individual’s cheese gets made, that farmer or cheesemaker is doing everything they can to provide the best possible care for their animals and to make the best quality product. A few times during the trip, big, burly farmers or cheesemakers would tear up when talking about what they do and why they do it. It’s so easy for many of us, especially those of us who live in big cities, to forget that everything we consume comes from somewhere and is produced by someone. For me, meeting all of these incredibly dedicated and passionate people who have devoted their entire lives to the craft of cheesemaking really hit this point home.

One of the farms that I found to be the most fascinating was Uplands Cheese Company. Located in the Driftless region of the state – the only part of Wisconsin that wasn’t flattened by glaciers 10,000 years ago – the farm is situated on 300 acres of beautiful rolling hills and valleys. These 300 acres have been broken down into small paddocks, and each day during the spring, summer, and fall, the cows are rotated to a new field. This method, called “rotational grazing” allows the animals to have constant access to fresh, bountiful grass and herbs, while allowing the fields time to recover and replenish their vegetal stock. Because of this practice, the milk that the Uplands cows produce is chock full nutrients and, importantly, flavor.

Andy Hatch

Talking with Andy Hatch, the head cheesemaker at Uplands, it became very clear what his mission is: to make cheeses that do justice to the milk that his cows produce. Milk produced during different times of the year will have distinctive properties, and his goal is to use the cheese as a way to showcase those varying attributes. In that spirit, he only makes two cheeses – Rush Creek Reserve, which uses hay-based, heavy, fat-laden late fall/early winter milk, and Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

In the spring, summer, and early fall, the cows produce predominantly grass-fed milk, which lends itself well to alpine-style cheeses. Hence, during this period, Hatch makes the famous Pleasant Ridge Reserve, which is based on French and Swiss favorites like Gruyere and Beaufort. Something you should know: Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the most awarded cheese in America. Yep, you read that right – no other cheese in America has as many American Cheese Society or US Cheese Championship titles under it’s belt. And when you taste it, it’s clear as to why – not only is this cheese smooth and nutty, but you can also taste the green, grassy, herbaceous pasture that the cows have been munching on. It’s balance is unparalleled, and it is both approachable and nuanced, satisfying both the cheese-shy and connoisseurs.

I’m thrilled to announce that this fabulous cheese, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, will be our September Cheese of the Month! A true American classic, it’s a cheese that I am so excited to bring to the Via Umbria counter and can’t wait to share with my customers. Please join us for our next monthly Cheese Party, next Wednesday, September 7th, to taste this fantastic piece of America’s Dairyland.

 

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

Discovery the cheese of Wisconsin Read more

Wisconsin. America's Dairyland. Home of the Cheeseheads. Guys, let me tell you...they didn't get those nicknames for nothing. Last week, I was lucky ...

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From Across the Pond to your Neighborhood

“Wow! Look at all this cheese! I can’t believe you have so many different kinds of Itali…Wait a minute…This isn’t all Italian cheese! I thought Via Umbria was an Italian store! What’s going on here!?”

This happens at my counter a lot. Like, every week. Well, really more like every other day. And I understand the confusion–Via Umbria is, as the name would suggest, an Italian store filled with unique, delicious, and beautiful Italian things. So what’s the deal with the cheese counter?

While it is true that Italians make some supremely excellent cheese, my little counter has been given a bit more freedom and has a wider reaching focus than solely Italian curds. Our goal is to give a platform to unique, artisanal, handcrafted cheeses from all over the world, giving our customers a chance to explore myriad delicious products that they may not have regular access to or even have heard of before.

In this spirit, I’m pleased to announce that Via Umbria will be delving into the wide world of British cheeses this fall by teaming up with famed London cheese emporium, affineur, and exporter, Neal’s Yard Dairy.

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I’m thrilled about this partnership for a few reasons. Firstly, and most selfishly, British cheeses tug at my childhood-memory heartstrings. For much of my young life, I spent summers in the English countryside on my grandparents farm, where I ate lots and lots and lots of locally made cheese. I spent many happy hours learning how to milk goats, collect eggs, feed pigs–happy hours that were fueled by delicious farmhouse cheese. Even when I was back home in Chicago, my mum packed many cheese and chutney sandwiches in my school lunches (yup, kids at school totally thought I was weird), and we always had Stilton and port at Christmas. All of that to say, I have a very dear place in my heart for the lovely British cheeses from my childhood, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with my customers.

Secondly, I’m thrilled to be able to give British cheeses the audience that they deserve. When most Americans think of European cheese, they think of cheeses like French Brie, Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Spanish Manchego–the UK, unfortunately, very rarely comes into the picture. To be honest, this is a bit bizarre–one of the most beloved cheeses in this country, Cheddar, originally comes from the UK. Be that as it may, British cheeses remain relatively unknown the US.

Part of that has to do with the fact that in Britain, cheese was traditionally part of a workman’s diet, not something for the rich and influential. Because of this lower status, local cheeses weren’t given the same importance as many of their continental counterparts. For a long time, these cheeses weren’t seen as significant enough to protect or maintain. Thus, with the global rise of factorization and mass production of cheese, traditional British farmstead cheeses were largely pushed aside to make way for cheaper, less flavorful, grocery-store friendly options.

Enter: Neal’s Yard Dairy. Started in the early 1980’s as a small cheese shop in London, Neal’s Yard Dairy has become, quite simply, the preeminent champion of British cheese. Neal’s Yard searches out farmers and cheesemakers, working with them to not only preserve traditional British cheeses – what they call “territorials” – but to improve the cheeses quality, age them to perfection, and expand global awareness of these cheeses. Simply put, they find (and/or help create) the best tasting cheeses that the UK has to offer, and then give them a global stage. They go out and visit each of the farmers that they work with, about 40 in total, on a regular basis in order to both taste their cheeses and to select the best cheeses to mature and sell. Farmhouse cheeses like Cheshire, Caerphilly, Lincolnshire Poacher, and Shropshire, to name just a few, now have a global presence in the world because of the efforts of Neal’s Yard Dairy. What they’ve been able to do for British cheese has been absolutely remarkable.

Our first shipment from London should be arriving in just a few weeks, so please come by and taste some delicious British cheese with me at the Via Umbria cheese counter! It’s a fantastic way to explore the world and get to know some some new and exciting cheeses!”

A new partnership with Neal's Yard Dairy Read more

"Wow! Look at all this cheese! I can't believe you have so many different kinds of Itali...Wait a minute...This isn't all Italian ...

Cheese, Dinner, Food & Drink, Lunch, Recipes
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Recipe: Umbrian Lentil Salad

It’s the middle of summer and the last thing anyone wants to do in the [sometimes unbearable] heat is spend a long time hovering around the stove to make dinner. Enter Umbrian Lentil Salad–one bite of this vibrant dish and you’ll instantly be transported to the refreshing Mediterranean seaside. This healthy and delicious salad is filled with fresh vegetables–making it fantastic as a snack, side, or light meal. And best of all, it’s simple to prepare!

Umbrian Lentil Salad

Ingredients

2 cups lentils
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
8 ounces Feta, crumbled or cubed
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Place lentils and bay leaf in a large pot and cover with 3 inches of water.Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the lentils well and spread them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil and let cool.
3. While the lentils cool, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery together in a pan with a little olive oil until they are slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat and add herbs. Combine cooled lentils with sautéed vegetables and Feta and stir gently.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour–this is what makes it perfect for a hot day!
6. Serve with a bit of Feta on top.

Download a printable version of the recipe here!

A quick and healthy dish for summer Read more

It's the middle of summer and the last thing anyone wants to do in the [sometimes unbearable] heat is spend a long ...

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Feta: A Love Story

Most people who eat cheese have had some sort of interaction with feta or, more accurately, feta-style cheese. They think of it as the salty yet bland crumbles that sit unnoticed on top of iceberg lettuce, or the saline blocks that adorn many a badly made pasta salad. I used to be one of these people. As a self-proclaimed salt-fiend, I didn’t mind feta, but it certainly wasn’t interesting and didn’t even crack the top 50 in terms of cheeses I liked and cared about.

Fresh Feta Cheese

And then, at the ripe old age of 20, I spent a summer in Greece, and a whole new world opened up. A world that contained copious amounts of delicious, savory, complex, versatile feta.

I was volunteering on a Skyrian pony farm on the Greek island of Corfu for the summer with my sister (and yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds). While we weren’t getting paid for our hours of manure-shoveling and pony-grooming, we did have our room and board covered. This gave us access to some of the freshest and most amazing food I’ve ever tasted, including homemade feta. Every week, a lady who lived down the hill from our little pony enclave would bring a giant ceramic basin filled with brine and a large, white block of homemade feta. I had eaten feta-esque substances before, but never anything with this much zest and character. We would cut hunks of feta off of that block and eat them for lunch with cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, and homemade bread. It was absolute heaven.

Coming back to the US was a rude awakening for my new found love of feta. Where did the squeaky, briney, zesty, puckery cheese that I had grown so fond of go? Why were people settling for such inferior imitations? Up until 2002, the name “feta” could mean anything – anyone could use it for any cheese, regardless of milk type, origin, or production method. This lead to a lot of really, epically boring cheese bearing the name “feta”.

Luckily for the cheese world, in 2002 feta became a protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese. This means that only cheeses that are made from sheep’s milk, or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, and have been produced in a certain way from specific parts of Greece may be called “feta”. This makes it much easier for consumers to tell the difference between real feta and inferior imposters.

Cheese Maker

Not all fetas are created equal, however, even within the PDO designation. I’ve hesitated bringing the cheese to the Via Umbria counter for fear of choosing one that turned out to be bland or boring.

As good fortune would have it, however, I was lucky enough to meet the team at Essex St. Cheese. Rather than importing many different types of cheese, Essex finds the best of the best and brings in only a handful of cheeses, with each type only having one producer. Their bar is extremely high, and I was so excited to find out that they were importing a particularly fantastic feta from the island of Lesbos. This PDO cheese, made by third generation cheesemakers, M. Tastanis, is made entirely from sheep’s milk that has been collected from local shepherds. The salt used to salt both the cheese and the brine comes exclusively from the Kalloni salt flats, giving this feta a taste that can truly only be found in Lesbos. Additionally, the cheese makers stay as close to tradition as possible, which means that the process of making this feta is essentially the same as it was in Homer’s time. Tasting it brought me right back to that summer in Corfu – bright and fresh, with flavors of fresh yogurt, cream, and the ocean.

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that this feta from M. Tastanis in Lesbos, Greece is going to be our August Cheese of the Month! It’s a spectacular way to explore a true taste of tradition and place, and also a beautiful compliment to late summer’s bounty of fresh produce. Come taste it at our monthly cheese party on August 3rd and learn all about how gorgeous feta can truly be.

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

Transport yourself to Greece with this cheese Read more

Most people who eat cheese have had some sort of interaction with feta or, more accurately, feta-style cheese. They think of it ...

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The Cheesemonger Invitational

As some of you may remember, I wrote a post a few weeks ago about competing in the Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI) – a cheesemonger competition held twice a year, once in New York and once in San Francisco. Well, this summer’s CMI has come and gone, and I only have one thing to say about it – it was a truly incredible, inspirational, and humbling experience that I feel so lucky to have been a part of. It was fascinating, terrifying, and I absolutely loved it.

Preparing to Plate Cheese

Okay, I lied. I have way more than one thing to say about it. Let me set the stage for you: Fifty of the curd-nerdiest cheesemongers from all over the country – from Vermont to Louisiana, New Mexico to Chicago – converged upon the Larkin Cold Storage facility in Long Island City, Queens. There were people from myriad backgrounds – some who had been working in cheese for 10 or 15 years, and some who had been in the game for only a few weeks. Some work at really well known, long-standing places like Murray’s in New York, DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia, and Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, and others work at much smaller, newer counters. Many people had competed before, and a few of us hadn’t. Regardless of our differences, the camaraderie felt between all of us was amazing – everyone there loved their job and couldn’t wait to geek out with a bunch of other passionate people who spoke their language.

The first day was an education day where we spent 8 hours in small groups talking to cheese producers – farmers, cheese makers, affineurs, importers, and everybody in between. There were people from Neal’s Yard Dairy, Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont Creamery, as well as the producers of the Manchego, Gruyere, Comte, Cravero Parmigiano-Reggiano, and many of the Swiss cheeses that Via Umbria has at our counter. There was a lot of discussion about tradition and culture, but also a ton of hard science – chemistry and biology talk about various bacterias, microbial processes, and the like. It was really incredible access to people who are generally pretty inaccessible. By the end of the day, all of our brains were full enough to burst.

The second day, Saturday, was the competition – nine preliminary challenges, followed by five final challenges for the top six competitors. Everyone was extremely nervous – I got to Larkin a full half an hour early, thinking that I would beat the crowd and settle in, but found that about half of the competitors had had the same idea. As on edge as we all were, however, the feeling in the room was nothing but supportive. For me, this was the best part of the whole event – everyone was there to cheer on their peers and help each other out. For example, the edible flowers that I brought for the Perfect Plate Challenge got soaked in ice water the night before competition, which rendered them completely useless. Another cheesemonger heard about my plight and gave me a whole bunch of extra flowers that she had brought for herself so that I could complete my plate.

The first nine challenges were hard. Really, really, REALLY hard. There was a written test, blind taste test, aroma test, cutting perfect 1/4lb pieces, wrapping in paper, wrapping in plastic, salesmanship, perfect beverage, perfect plating, and perfect bite. It was exhausting and exhilarating, and by the time the crowd of about a thousand got let in for the party and to watch the finals, I was sure that the hard part of my day was over. I was sure that I would be standing in the crowd with my mom, watching the finals. I grabbed a beer and started to relax.

CMI Finalists

Then they called my name.

I made the finals.

I had not prepared for this.

Sure, I had looked over the handout they’d given us of what the finals would entail, but I had decided to focus on the challenges I knew I was going to have to perform rather than the ones I probably wouldn’t be required to do. All I can say is that it seemed like a solid strategy at the time.

So, I winged it – I got up on stage and had discuss my favorite cheese, come up with a cheese pairing on the fly when given a random accompaniment, talk about a cheese that epitomizes a randomly assigned country or region, cut as many perfect 1/4lbs of cheese as possible off of a large wheel in 60 seconds, and wrap as many small, soft cheeses in paper as possible in 60 seconds. It was exhausting, but I have to say, by the time it was all over, my cheeks ached from how much I was laughing and smiling. It was a blast.

I ended up getting 6th place, which is an unbelievable honor. To be listed under the words “Summer 2016 Champions” on the CMI website literally gives me goosebumps. And to be the first cheesemonger from DC to ever make the finals is just icing on the cake.

You better believe I’ll be back next year.

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

CMI: A Retrospective on the Cheesiest Weekend Read more

As some of you may remember, I wrote a post a few weeks ago about competing in the Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI) - ...

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‘Tis the Season for Some Cheesin’

Many of my customers are shocked to find out that cheese is seasonal. Yep, you read that right – cheese is a seasonal food product. “But Alice,” you might be asking yourself, “how can that be? Cheese is not like a fruit or vegetable that pops up out of the earth or suddenly materializes on a branch – how can cheese ever be “out of season”?”

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The seasonality of cheese depends on two main components. The first factor is the lactation period of the animal who is providing you with the delicious milk for your cheese. Different types of animals give milk for varying amounts of time after breeding – for sheep, it’s eight months, goats clock in at about eleven months, and cows have a lactation period of about 13 months. Since animals tend to breed at the same time during the year (as opposed to farmers being able to stagger their animals breeding cycles throughout the year), this means that for a few months out of the year, cheesemakers working with goats or sheep have no fresh milk with which to make cheese.

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The second component has to do with how long the cheese itself ages for. For fresh cheeses like chevre and sheep or goat’s milk ricotta (which require no aging time), this means that they are only made when fresh milk is available – usually March through about October. For cheeses that do require aging, seasonality plays a part as well, but you need to factor in the aging time to figure out when that particular cheese’s season starts and ends. For example, if you have a goats milk cheese that’s aged for three months, it’s going to stop being available at the end of the milking season plus three months. For cheeses that are aged for a much longer time, the seasonality isn’t as much of a factor and are available more or less year round.

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There’s another seasonal factor in cheesemaking that has less to do with milk availability and more to do with the quality of milk produced – what type of food is available to the animals during their milking season? As we all know, we are what we eat, and there are few instances where this is as obvious as with milk. The difference between milk from an animal who has been eating lush, fresh grass and herbs during the spring and summer, and an animal who has had dried, uniform fodder during the winter is night and day. The flavor of that summer milk showcases the terroir of the region – particular combinations of wildflowers, grasses, herbs, and other greenery that the animals consume all become apparent in the milk. This nutritious summertime feed also has a positive effect on the milk’s protein and butterfat content. As such, certain farmers will only make cheese using spring and summer milk and forgo cheesemaking with inferior winter milk.

Whew! So what does all of that mean for Via Umbria’s cheese counter? Well, we’ve got a seasonal treat to showcase for our next Cheese of the Month – delicious, fresh sheep’s milk cheeses from Landmark Creamery in Wisconsin. These little one ounce buttons, named Petit Nuage, or “Little Cloud” en francais, are only made April – September, when the sheep are being milked and are munching on delicious spring and summer Wisconsin grass. Bright and citrusy with clean flavor and a distinct, sheepy tang, these little wonders are gorgeous summer treat that are great paired with heirloom tomatoes and olive oil for a simple salad, topped with fresh or grilled stone fruits like peaches or nectarines, or simply smeared on a baguette and enjoyed on their own.

Don’t miss out on this gorgeous cheese – sign up for our Cheese of the Month Club and get a half pound of Petit Nuage to enjoy during July. Swing by our next meeting, Wednesday, July 6th, and to taste and learn all about your new favorite summer cheese!

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

The seasonal factors in cheesemaking Read more

Many of my customers are shocked to find out that cheese is seasonal. Yep, you read that right - cheese is a ...