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Health & Fitness

Grazing on a Sunday Afternoon: The 2012 Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival

Highlights from my visit to the fourth annual Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival in Shelburne, Vt. WARNING: Even if you've eaten recently this post will make you hungry.

Written by Dustin Wlodkowski
Edited by Sarah Perillo

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival for five hours of pure gluttony.

Over 40 cheesemakers and other food and beverage vendors from all over Vermont and northern Massachusetts gathered at the Coach Barn of Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vt., on the picturesque shore of Lake Champlain.

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I will be the first to testify that the best way to greet anyone is to offer them cheese and crackers on a tray as soon as they come through the front door.  Lucky for me this is exactly what happened after the volunteers at the gate tore my ticket.

Before me lay a crowded array of vendor’s tables protected from the sun by a large tent set up in front of the coach barn, a large brick building constructed in the early 1900s.  The tent led into the building’s courtyard where a section was set aside for cooking demonstrations.  The remainder of the barn’s space housed more vendors and a lecture hall. 

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I made it a goal to attempt to try at least one cheese or food item from every vendor at the festival.  Breweries, vineyards and distilleries were also present but I won’t be able to sample the local ice cider and vodka for another couple of years. 

I had an hour to wander around through the dairy crazed masses before returning to the courtyard for the first cooking demonstration.

Among the initial highlights of my first go around was a cheese called Jersey Blue made by Blythedale Farm in Corinth, Vt.  The cheese is similar in style to Stilton and is made with raw whole cow's milk rather than the standard skim milk used in most blue cheeses.

Another stand out cheese was a wasabi goat’s cheese made by Westfield Farm in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.   The log of chevre was mint green and brought together the spice of the popular sushi condiment with the refreshingly moist creaminess of goat cheese. 

By the time I had made my way through a fair number of the displays it was time to be seated for the cooking demonstration. 

For about 60 minutes my fellow audience members and I watched as chef Nina Lesser Goldsmith, Learning Director at the Healthy Living Market and Café in Burlington, Vt. prepared multiple dishes ranging from crepes stuffed with local goat cheese and mushrooms to grilled eggplants. 

As a reward for staying through for the full class, the audience was given sample portions of a tarantaise polenta topped with grilled corn and heirloom tomatoes.  Personally I thought the polenta was a tad bland and thick but the tomato and corn made up for any of the dish’s shortcomings. 

One of the ingredients advertised during the seminar was a buratta made by Bennington, Vt.’s Mablebrook Fine Cheeses.  According to their website, their buratta is made by “stretching curd into mozzarella and filling it with a luscious creamy center … made from fresh cream and stracciatelli (shreds of mozzarella).” 

Maplebrook served their treat in small cups topped with tomato, a basil leaf and balsamic reduction.  Despite being essentially a cheese stuffed with more cheese, the burratta was surprisingly light and nearly as refreshing as the wasabi goat cheese. 

The last vendor worth mentioning before I get to what I brought home is Benito’s Hot Sauce of Hyde Park, Vt.  Although the hot sauces were fantastic, including the creator’s personal favorite a carrot-based habañero mix, what intrigued me even more were their Vermont maple syrups infused with hot pepper flavors.  Benito’s offers a mild chipotle version with a smoky kick and another with habañero for a hot and spicy zing. They are certainly a creative way to try something new with your French toast, waffles or pancakes.

In the end four items made the cut, three of which I kept for myself and one I gave as a gift to a friend. 

The first was a dipping sauce that came from a man named Arthur Shelmandine who churns out his own brand of marinades, sauces and condiments in Jericho, Vt. with a little help from his family.  The company, called “It’s Arthur’s Fault,” takes its name from Arthur’s family blaming him for their weight gain around the holidays. 

Arthur’s wife was kind enough to give me his last jar of Pineapple Pepper Cho Cho which the label explains is a “Polynesian style dipping sauce.”  As its name suggests, the sauce packs more than enough sweetness and spice and boldly washes over the palette.

Next, I purchased a piece of Mount Mansfield Creamery’s “Inspiration Cheese.”  The pale semi-soft cow’s milk cheese is based off a Corsican recipe and is similar to a Tomme.  I was informed by cheesemaker Stan Biasini that the cheese is washed in beer multiple times during aging.  Still, the beer flavor is not overwhelming and the advertised nuttiness still prevails. 

I made it to the stall of Cricket Creek Farm of Williamstown, Ma. just in time to grab the last piece of Maggie’s Reserve, a raw cow’s milk cheese aged 16-18 months that was inspired by Italian farmstead recipes.  This hard cheese is a beautiful golden color with a rind that in small sections looks rather jagged and ugly.  However, when seen as a whole wheel, the complex mold pattern used to shape the cheese is revealed. Maggie’s Reserve has a nice strong earthy flavor that contrasts well with Inspiration.

The final cheese I brought back to Connecticut was called Summer Snow and is made by Woodcock Farm of Weston, Vt.  It is a sheep’s milk cheese and has a recipe based on Camembert.  It has a similar rich creaminess and soft texture that when combined with its bright white rind shows it was aptly named.

The Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival was a deliciously perfect way to spend a hot summer afternoon in northern New England. I would definitely return again but probably not for another year or two.  The eight hours of total driving, lodging expenses and $40.00-$50.00 admission price are tough on a college student’s annual summer vacation budget.  But if you’re just waiting to take the plunge and become a cheese snob this is the place to do it. 

Note:

If you don’t mind the great outdoors you can save some money by camping in one of the nearby Vermont state parks.  For only $27.00 I was able to get a campsite right on Lake Champlain Grand Isle State Park with panoramic views of the Green Mountains. 

Useful Links:

Here are links to various cheesemakers, food vendors and organizations mentioned in the article in order of appearance:

Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival- http://www.vtcheesefest.com/index.html

Shelburne Farms- http://www.shelburnefarms.org/

Blythedale Farm- http://www.vtcheese.com/members/blythedale/blythedale.htm

Westfield Farm- http://www.chevre.com/

Healthy Living Market and Café- http://www.healthylivingmarket.com/

Maplebrook Fine Cheeses- http://www.mountainmozzarella.com/

Benito’s Hot Sauce- http://www.benitoshotsauce.com/

It’s Arthur’s Fault- http://itsarthursfault.com/

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