The Vermont Hills are alive... with the scent of fromage

On our recent trip to Whole Foods on River Road in Cambridge, we stopped by the cheese counter and asked, "What's local?"

We bought two cheeses from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont. The first was a Bayley Hazen Blue raw milk cheese, which was mild, earthy, and on the dry side (it broke into several pieces when I laid on the cutting board) but still soft and creamy. Jasper Hill's Web site describes the texture as "dense chocolaty paste that melts on the tongue." The second was Constant Bliss, a soft cow cheese that the cheese monger suggested after I confessed my love for ripe, creamy goat cheese. I think she actually thought it was a goat cheese, and I have to say the tangy flavor could have fooled me too.

We also got some Ascutney Mountain cheese from Cobb Hill Cheese in Hartland, Vermont. This cheese was similar in flavor to gruyere, but with an airier texture.  Yum!

All three were wonderful and as a trio they complemented each other nicely.  But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Bayley Hazen Blue.  It was just so different from the blues I typically see at the market.

Mateo, Andy, Victoria, and Angela Kehler (two brothers and their wives) are Jasper Hill's owners. They say that their cows are "quite spoiled." "Our cows go out on a fresh piece of pasture after every milking during the spring summer and fall and are fed a ration of dry hay through the winter, when they stay in avoiding harsh winter wind and snow and listen to a great selection of jazz and classical music." I love it!

Cob Hill Cheese is part of Cobb Hill Cohousing, "an intentional community" on 270 acres dedicated to "socially and ecologically responsible" living and working.