A couple of Virginia Schlockers (and I think they may BE a “couple” in the significant sense) work on a dairy farm where “farmstead” cheeses are made. For the uninitiated, farmstead cheeses are “… cheeses made by hand on the farm with only milk produced on that farm, so that the cheese reflects the specific local character of one farm and one herd.”* The cheeses have a taste unique to the plants and animals that went into them, and a true connoisseur can sniff out that signature.
These Schlockers conspired with Sandra, and sent me three half-pound wedges and a four-pound wheel from their farm, the Meadow Creek Dairy. I’m not going to attempt to review the cheeses here, because I lack the appropriate cheese-reviewing terminology. I’ll just say that if you like full-flavored cheeses with real rinds and a distinctive taste, you’ll like these. And if you, like me, are an American who is sick of hearing effete euro-snobs announce that it’s impossible to find good cheese in the States, you owe it to yourself to get some of this.
I’ve been to Europe numerous times. I’ve HAD the fancy cheeses there. Yeah, they’re nice, and they beat the pants off of mass-produced California cheddar (Velveeta, “American” cheese, and Cheez-Whiz don’t even deserve parenthetical mention). But it’s delightful to know that there are folks here in the states who have perfected that same art, and are creating something unique. And delicious.
If you like putting out a really NICE spread on New Year’s Eve, and if you happen to love cheese, I’ve been led to understand that you can have Meadow Creek Dairy cheese shipped to you in time for your party. My favorites are the Grayson, the Appalachian, and the Appalachian Rosemary… in that order. Sandra likes the Appalachian Rosemary best, and I caught her putting it in an omelette yesterday morning. I’ve been instructed to surrender the rest of the wedge to her, since she doesn’t like the Grayson, and is surrendering that entire wheel to me. I figure it’s a fair trade.
Thanks Kat. Thanks, Dan. The gift was all the more special since I know you two had a hand in its making.
*Note: This “farmstead” definition comes to us from Will Studd via his 1999 book Chalk and Cheese. If my last name were Studd, and I was writing even only incidentally about dairy animals, I’d use a pseudonym, and latex gloves. But hey, Chalk and Cheese, was awarded “Best Cheese Book in the World” at the Périgueux book fair in 2000, so I guess Mister Studd’s doing alright with his name and his subject matter.
Note Also: This was originally posted at Schlock Mercenary, and has been cross-posted and back-dated here because it’s so topical.