18 culturecheesemag.com B E S T C H E E S E S 202 2
HARBISON
Jasper Hill Farm
Greensboro, Vt.
Can the written word evoke the ethereal
experience of sitting before a wheel of this
multi-award-winner? You cut back a lid of
rind, taking care not to disturb the dusty
bark wrap, revealing a vanilla-pudding
interior to impressed friends. You tell them
cows graze at the feet of the spruce trees
from which the bark is harvested, but no
one is listening—thick richness is coating
their mouths, flavors of pine and earth
have transported them. They are lying on
the Greensboro forest floor, carried away
by the portal that is Harbison.
ALP BLOSSOM
Hofkäserei Kraus
Bavaria, Germany
The narrative is half the pleasure in
consuming an Alpine cheese: Cows leave
their valley homes in spring in search of
vibrant meadows and neon patches of
wildflower, then are welcomed back with
flower crowns and harvest parades. In
NYICC Double Gold winner Alp Blossom,
cheesemaker Albert Kraus has created a
true embodiment of these origins. Flower
petals coat the washed rind of this raw-
milk, cooked-curd cheese, imbued inside
and out with taste of place.
JEFFERSON 2 YEAR CHEDDAR
Rogue Creamery
Central Point, Ore.
Aged an average of two years, Rogue's Good Food Award–winning Jefferson
provides the best of both cheddar worlds: crunchy and crumbly in your hand,
buttercream in your mouth. Once there, this Northwest-style block cheddar hits
you with salted peanuts, pineapple, and lawnmower on the palate, making it a
suitable partner for whatever you've got on your board.
Photos:
Jefferson
2
Year
Cheddar
by
Beryl
Striewski;
Harbison
by
Mark
Ferri
