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Over the past ten years, I have driven around SE & SW Wisconsin trying out small cheese co-ops owned by farmers. The cheese produced at these places are very good and are generally not much more than you would pay for regular supermarket cheese. One of my favorites is Union Star Cheese in Zittau, WI.
Whenever I see the term "artisan" cheese, I can count on spending 2-3x as much on the cheese. Some of the cheese at the "artisan" places are really good. Others are no better than cheese co-ops above. One of the more famous producers in this class is Carr Valley Cheese out of Marston, WI.
I have had several of their cheeses. Some have been great, some have been disappointing. At north of $12/#, I expect a lot better.
Do those producers do very different kinds of cheeses or mostly "cheddar" type of cheeses. I ask because the UK has I believe even more cheeses than France, a rarely known fact but most of them do seem to be a spin-off cheddar or perhaps another two or three cheeses like Cheshire or Wensleydale for example.
I love these cheeses but I must say I pine for the sheer variety you can find in France. Even the supermarket cheese counters are joyful things to behold in France though more and more people sadly turn to mass manufactured cheeses ( as artisan is indeed always more expensive even in France).
I love cheese so much that I have to restrain myself from buying it or I would be even bigger than I am. I never had a sweet tooth and would much rather have a good tomme de Savoie or an Epoisses and some good fresh bread and butter to go with it !
I am so INCREDIBLY jealous! What I'd give to spend a few days staying with your family and eating their food... Thanks for a lovely post.
And you would be very welcome. She had ( until she started to get ill) a habit of inviting pretty much anyone who looked lost or was passing by the door. I think she is genuinely one of those people who cooks with love and it is her way to show how she feels. She "needs" to feed people.
Sadly both Great-Aunt and Uncle are now in poor health and I think when they go with them will die quite a different way of life and eating. My Great-Aunt I am convinced could make pretty much anything taste good. And she has never used a recipe in her life as far as I know ! Makes you feel very humble. Her terrines were legendary with the family and friends as well as anyone who had the good luck to eat them. It is the kind of place where people still fish and hunt regularly, so you get the best produce, game etc... and people go "mushrooming" in season. Still quite an "untouched" part of France in many ways though I can't imagine it will stay like that much longer.
France is losing its touch with food as the pace of life has become more hectic, women now work as standard and kids are no longer taught to cook. We are forgetting how to eat with the advent of the half an hour lunch with a sandwich over the keyboard at work, and Mc Donald's everywhere. It is a tragedy. There has been a movement of late of "slow food" and getting back in touch with more culinary traditions but I think the danger is a difficult one to avert.
My Great-Aunt who only started to use the local small supermarket a couple of years ( age 92) always seems puzzled at the lack of "basic" (to her) items such as guinea fowl, wood pigeon and fresh trout. We took her to a huge supermarket once and she was appalled. Millions of items and almost nothing she wanted to buy ! She looked lost, rather "sniffy" and dubious at the quality and provenance of produce etc.....
Quite a few regions in France have a "route des fromages" with road signs to local cheese producers etc... as encouraged by the tourist board. Who would not want to go on a route des fromages ?!?!
Last edited by Mooseketeer; 06-07-2013 at 05:49 AM..
There is nothing better than dinner, a wedge of cheese, hunk of grapes, or crisp apple, and a fine wine. Best eaten outside.
When we went skiing, backcountry, we would take a hunk of cheese, a loaf of bread, and a wine skin. One of the best meals of my life, was at 18,000 feet... Fresh powder, sun, and a wedge of cheese for lunch.
On my diet, the dietician looked at my food chart, and told me I ate too much cheese. Okay, never went back to her again!
Im a big cheese fan, but really can't afford the quality that I like.
I used to just like those creamy cheeses like Camenbert and Brie (grew up eating Camenbert) and so forth, but then started eating some of thos crumbly English cheeses (like Stilton) and liked those, too!..sort of sharper flavor that was an aquired taste. Then I discovered those blue cheeses like Maytag.
Believe it or not our new Kroger has a very good cheese counter, sells something called Fromage d'Affingoise (sp) that's a good spreadable cheese.
Do those producers do very different kinds of cheeses or mostly "cheddar" type of cheeses.
I'd say the variety of styles of American artisan cheeses available today is staggering. Cow's milk, sheep's milk, goat milk. Soft, medium, hard. Mild, medium, sharp. Washed rind and rolled in ash. Smoked. Blue. Brie. Camembert. Gouda. Stilton. Feta. Jalapeno pepper jack.
Wallis (of Wallis & Gromit fame) (not of Wallis and Futuna fame) would be a very happy chap here.
I'd say the variety of styles of American artisan cheeses available today is staggering. Cow's milk, sheep's milk, goat milk. Soft, medium, hard. Mild, medium, sharp. Washed rind and rolled in ash. Smoked. Blue. Brie. Camembert. Gouda. Stilton. Feta. Jalapeno pepper jack.
Wallis (of Wallis & Gromit fame) (not of Wallis and Futuna fame) would be a very happy chap here.
That's great. Are those easy to find, or do they sell mostly to local markets ? When I lived in the US I found you could either have really, really expensive imported cheeses in specialised delis and cheesemongers or mass manufactured domestic and imported cheeses in places like supermarkets.
So things are obviously going well for the artisan cheese "industry" and that's wonderful. I already think America has some utterly fabulous produce and farmer's markets so I look forward to seeing more artisan cheeses too.
I agree, cheese wrapped in plastic is gross. I don't understand why it cannot be wrapped in a cheese paper?
Wax paper, tin foil and plastic wrap are unsuitable for wrapping cheese because they neither regulate humidity nor allow oxygen exchange. Most of the plastic wrap used by supermarkets is made from a PVC based plastic (#3), not to mention the styrofoam tray (#6) its sitting in
I buy cheese paper online all the times. Here is a website: Cheese Tips
or Amazon: http://goo.gl/XIimh
Cheap brands like Costco's Stretch Tite or Reynolds and cheap saran is made from PVC its toxic, and leach chemicals into foods. I think only premium Glad and Saran is BPA and PVC free.
Also some local producers are availble at the market downtown.
That's wonderful, maybe I can move to the US after all !! The UK has some wonderful artisan "non cheddar" types of cheeses but finding them is not that easy, outside of very expensive delis/restaurants.
Possibly the best cheese I ever had was a Scottish cheese, Hubby bought it from a deli when we lived near Glasgow. The cheesemonger actually warned him not to have a large wedge as "it is so expensive it will make your eyes water and your wallet will not thank you" which is an interesting way to sell your product!
Hubby bought a fairly small sliver ( which costs him over $15 (!!!!!)and it was the most delicious, pungent and yet fragrant soft heavenly cheese you could imagine. Heaven. And forgot the name of it of course.
It came from a small Island from a dairy farmer who had something like 6 cows ! We still dream of it and never found out what it was. Went back to the cheesemonger , who was a different guy and denied all knowledge of it. We still talk about this cheese to this day. Mind you at that price I think it would have been way too dangerous to get addicted to ! I would have to send Hubby out on the streets to sell his body to maintain that habit....
There is nothing better than dinner, a wedge of cheese, hunk of grapes, or crisp apple, and a fine wine. Best eaten outside.
When we went skiing, backcountry, we would take a hunk of cheese, a loaf of bread, and a wine skin. One of the best meals of my life, was at 18,000 feet... Fresh powder, sun, and a wedge of cheese for lunch.
On my diet, the dietician looked at my food chart, and told me I ate too much cheese. Okay, never went back to her again!
Another to die for dinner: yes, the cheese, the wine, the apple but a bowl of Split Pea soup.. As for how much cheese is too much: there are things I do not share with say, my doctor: 1 thing is how much cheese I eat. Some people nibble on fruit, some on celery and carrots and others on cookies. Me, give me a piece of cheese, almost any kind.
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The UK has some wonderful artisan "non cheddar" types of cheeses but finding them is not that easy, outside of very expensive delis/restaurants.
I would have to send Hubby out on the streets to sell his body to maintain that habit.... 
