Library of Cheese
All of Saxelby’s selections organized from A to Z
Milk Type: Goat
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Natural Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 4 months
Size: 10lb wheel
Madeleine
Sprout Creek Farm - Poughkeepsie, New York
A salty, nutty goat’s milk cheese that calls to mind the famed grana-style cheeses of Italy. The natural rind adds a pleasant earthy flavor to the cheese tempering the musky sweetness of the goat’s milk, and the paste is dry, crumbly, and thirst-inspiring, making this a perfect pairing opportunity for a whole host of beers and wines. Bursting with minerality, but balanced by notes of fruit, pepper, and malt.
Milk Type: Goat
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Washed Rind
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 3-4 Months
Size: 3lb Wheel
Manchester
Consider Bardwell Farm - West Pawlet, Vermont
Consider Bardwell Farm is the site of the first cheesemaking coop in Vermont, dating back to 1864. The stream next to the farm used to provide power for the cheese house and also water for the making of the cheese. Manchester is a firm, aged goats’ milk cheese, crafted from the milk of Angela Miller’s herd of Alpine and Oberhaasli goats. The aroma is that of fresh cut grass and asparagus stalks, and the flavor is deeply mineral and sweet. The tawny orange rinds are washed as the cheeses age, heightening nutty flavor notes present in the milk. Aged 3-4 months.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Smoked/Aged in Cryovac
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 2 Months or More
Size: 5lb Wheel
Maple Smoked Cheddar
Grafton Village Cheese - Grafton, Vermont
Ah the magic of maple... Grafton’s Maple Smoked Cheddar brings together two of the Green Mountain State’s most classic industries: cheddar cheese and maple syrup. The blocks are lightly smoked, lending a savory and downright bacony flavor to the smooth, sharp cheddar. Makes a perfect sandwich companion, especially sandwiches of the vegetarian variety... rich, smokey, and hearty.
Milk Type: Goat
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Style: Bloomy Rind
Texture: Soft
Age: 4-6 Weeks
Size: 4oz Wheel
Marbarella
Lazy Lady Farm - Westfield, Vermont
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest cheese of all? Marbarella’s striated beauty comes from not one, but two layers of vegetable ash sprinkled between layers of delicate and fluffy curd. Not just a looker, the taste packs a real punch… light, lemony, lactic and musky.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 6 months or more
Size: 20lb wheel
Marieke Bacon Gouda
Hollands Family Cheese - Thorp, Wisconsin
What?!? Bacon in the cheese?? In Wisconsin, friends, anything is possible in the wide world of cheese. Holland’s Family Cheese crafts these wheels with their raw cow’s milk, adding bits of bacon from Nolecheck’s, a local smokehouse that has been in business since 1952. Tastes like a baked potato, a wedge salad, and all the other most delicious things in life.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 6 Months or More
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Burning Melange Gouda
Hollands Family Cheese - Thorp, Wisconsin
Feel the burn! Burning Melange is crafted from raw milk infused with a blend of stinging nettles, chives, celery, parsley, dried onion. The flavor is creamy, savory, and delightful. Like sour cream and onion Pringles - only in cheese form. And we mean that in the VERY best way! Once you pop (a bite that is), you can’t stop…
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 6-9 Months
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Mature Gouda
Holland Family Farm - Thorp, Wisconsin
Marieke Penterman and her family relocated from the Netherlands to the nether regions of northern Wisconsin to pursue their cheesemaking dreams. They produce an array of award-winning goudas that would make their cousins across the pond blush! The cheese is crafted from the milk of Holstein-Fresian cows, the breed developed for its dairying prowess in Holland. Each wax-coated wheel is aged between 6 and 9 months, during which time it develops a dense, creamy paste and a caramelly sweet, grassy flavor.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 9-12 Months
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Plain Aged Gouda
Holland Family Farm - Thorp, Wisconsin
Marieke Penterman and her family relocated from the Netherlands to the nether regions of northern Wisconsin to pursue their cheesemaking dreams. They produce an array of award-winning goudas that would make their cousins across the pond blush! The cheese is crafted from the milk of Holstein-Fresian cows, the breed developed for its dairying prowess in Holland. Each wax-coated wheel is aged between 9 and 12 months, during which time it develops a dense, creamy paste and a caramelly sweet, grassy flavor.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 18-24 Months
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Premium Gouda
Holland Family Farm - Thorp, Wisconsin
Marieke Penterman and her family relocated from the Netherlands to the nether regions of northern Wisconsin to pursue their cheesemaking dreams. They produce an array of award-winning goudas that would make their cousins across the pond blush! The cheese is crafted from the milk of Holstein-Fresian cows, the breed developed for its dairying prowess in Holland. Each wax-coated wheel is aged between 12 and 18 months, during which time it develops a dense, firm paste and a caramelly sweet, grassy flavor. The wheels of Marieke Premium Gouda are studded with crystalline crunchy bits known as tyrosine, which are clusters of protein that calcify during the aging process.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 18-24 Months
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Super Gouda
Holland Family Farm - Thorp, Wisconsin
Marieke Penterman and her family relocated from the Netherlands to the nether regions of northern Wisconsin to pursue their cheesemaking dreams. They produce an array of award-winning goudas that would make their cousins across the pond blush! The cheese is crafted from the milk of Holstein-Fresian cows, the breed developed for its dairying prowess in Holland. Each wax-coated wheel is aged for over 18 months, during which time it develops a dense, firm paste and a caramelly sweet, grassy flavor. The wheels of Marieke Premium Gouda are studded with crystalline crunchy bits known as tyrosine, which are clusters of protein that calcify during the aging process.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 2 Years or More
Size: 20lb Wheel
Marieke Extra Aged Gouda
Holland’s Family Cheese - Thorp, WI
Marieke Penterman and her family relocated from the Netherlands to the nether regions of northern Wisconsin to pursue their cheesemaking dreams. They produce an array of award-winning goudas that would make their cousins across the pond blush! The cheese is crafted from the milk of Holstein-Fresian cows, the breed developed for its dairying prowess in Holland. Each wax-coated wheel is aged for over two years, during which time it develops a dense, firm paste and a caramelly sweet, grassy flavor. The interior of the cheese is studded with crystalline crunchy bits known as tyrosine, which are clusters of protein that calcify during the aging process. Holland’s Family Cheese ages these premium wheels specially for Saxelby Cheese - the two year age profile is a rare and delicious treat!
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Waxed Rind
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 2-4 months
Size: 20lb wheel
Marieke Young Smoked Gouda
Hollands Family Cheese - Thorp, Wisconsin
A creamy, young smoked gouda made by expert cheesemaker Marieke Penterman and her crew of talented curd wizards. This smoked gouda is just what you want it to be - rich, creamy, with just the right amount of savory smoke. Think being near the campfire versus being submerged in hot dog water… The perfect topping for a burger, addition to your mac and cheese, melter in your gratin, slice for your grilled cheese… you name it!
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Fresh
Texture: Soft
Age: 1-4 Weeks
Size: 5lb Tub
Mascarpone
Vermont Creamery - Websterville, Vermont
This ain’t your run of the mill cannoli filling. Vermont Creamery’s Mascarpone is absolutely the best we’ve ever tasted. This thick, luscious fresh cheese tastes like whipped cream, but has a thicker, silkier, and more viscous texture. As versatile as it is delicious, Mascarpone is perfect for sweet or savory applications in the kitchen.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Rindless/Aged in Cryovac
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 1 Year or More
Size: 10lb Wheel
McCadam Cheddar
McCadam Cooperative - Heuvelton, New York
At over 100 years old, McCadam cooperative is one of New York State’s oldest cheddar manufacturers. During its heydey in the 19th century, McCadam produced cheddar for the United States and for the export market. The cheese was transported to the ports via mule-towed barge on the Erie Canal. Today McCadam makes a wide range of cheeses, their extra sharp cheddar is a piquant, oniony and creamy aged cheddar that is sure to please! Great for burgers, grilled cheese, or snacking.
Milk Type: Sheep and Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Style: Natural Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 10-12 Months
Size: 20lb Wheel
Meadow Melody
Hidden Springs Creamery - Westby, Wisconsin
This firm mixed-milk cheese expresses the best flavors to be had from fresh pasture. Citrusy, grassy, and a touch nutty, Meadow Melody is washed with a saltwater brine solution to give it its tawny orange rind. Think pecorino meets Emmenthaler with an added dash of butterfat to liven things up. Aged for 10-12 months.
Milk Type: Goat
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Bloomy Rind
Texture: Soft
Age: 4-6 weeks
Size: 9oz wheel
Merry Goat Round Spruce Reserve
Firefly Farms - Accident, Maryland
A bark-wrapped wheel of over-the-top gooey goat’s milk cheese from Firefly Farms. This special ‘Spruce Reserve’ was made specially for Firefly’s 15th anniversary, and has gone on to win multiple awards at cheese competitions around the country. The rich, mustard, juniper flavors imparted by the bark marry beautifully with the gooey, mushroomy paste of the goat’s milk cheese, creating a wallop of flavor that you won’t soon forget!
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Blue
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 2 Months or More
Size: 6lb Wheel
Middlebury Blue
Blue Ledge Farm - Salisbury, Vermont
Described by the farmer as ‘town meets gown’, which refers to the unique social ecosystem that surrounds the quaint, beautiful town of Middlebury, Vermont. A little bit refined (i.e. the polished academic side of Middlebury College) and a little bit crusty Vermont (the down home surrounding countryside) Middlebury Blue is made from the milk of Ayrshire cows who reside close to Blue Ledge at the Crawford Family Farm and is aged for 60 days or longer. The paste breaks down near the rind, resulting in a creamy layer of sweet barnyard goodness, and stays a bit firmer in the center, allowing for some bright acidic notes to contradict the more mellow, milky exterior.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Washed Rind
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 2 Months or More
Size: 8oz Wheel
Miranda
Vulto Creamery - Walton, New York
Miranda is a diminutive drum of washed rind cheese with oversized flavor! The semi-firm pungent paste tastes of beef, broth, grass, toasted nuts and barnyard. Each wheel is crafted from milk sourced from a small farm in neighboring Delhi, NY. The farm has a small herd of mostly Jersey cows that are pastured in the summer months and fed hay and dry grasses in the winter months. The wheels of Miranda are washed in Meadow of Love absinthe made at Delaware Phoenix Distillery which develops the sticky washed rind and robust flavor. Aged 60-90 days.
Milk Type: Goat and Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Natural Rind
Texture: Firm
Age: 4 Months or More
Size: 6lb Wheel
Mixed Drum
Twig Farm - West Cornwall, Vermont
A seasonal special from Twig Farm! Mixed Drum is an earthy, hearty, rustic wheel made from a blend of goats’ milk from their herd and cows’ milk sourced from neighboring farms. The ratio of goat to cow is about 20/80. The texture is semi-firm and squidgy, with the center of the cheese remaining chalky and breaking down around the rind. Nutty, lightly sharp and citrusy with some yeasty and lactic notes. Aged for 4 months or more.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Style: Washed Rind
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 4-6 weeks
Size: 1lb wheel
Moondance
Lazy Lady Farm - Westfield, VT
It’s always a marvelous night for a moondance… especially when it’s made from rich, fatty Jersey cows’ milk. These chubby little rounds of washed rind goodness from Lazy Lady Farm are gentle, creamy, yeasty and fruity in flavor. The wheels are washed for just a few weeks, leaving a tawny coral colored rind and a mild nutty pungency. The texture is chalky in the center and creamier around the edges, a testament to the hard work of all the little microbes on the rind!
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Style: Bloomy Rind
Texture: Soft
Age: 8-12 Weeks
Size: 1lb Wheel
Moses Sleeper
Jasper Hill Farm - Greensboro, Vermont
Moses Sleeper was Greensboro’s own local Revolutionary war hero, and is the inspiration for this decadent and buttery cheese. The undulating fluffy folds of bloomy rind encase a creamy, pudding-like paste that tastes of cauliflower, truffles, and barnyard. Aged 4-6 weeks in the Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm.
Milk Type: Sheep
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Blue
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 4-5 Months
Size: 6lb Wheel
Mossend Blue
Bonnieview Farm - South Albany, VT
Cheesemaker Neil Urie has hit the jackpot with Mossend Blue, a sheeps’ milk cheese whose paste is riddled with spidery blue veins. Crumbly at first bite, but then melts in your mouth with a lovely balance of savory and sweet. Flavors range from chocolatey sweet, to aromatic spice, to earthbound, root-like elements, to thick, dense fudge. Aged 4-5 months.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Animal
Style: Washed Rind
Texture: Semi-Firm
Age: 6 Months or More
Size: 20lb Wheel
Mountaineer
Meadow Creek Dairy - Galax, Virginia
A complex washed rind cheese that evokes the earthy, pungent tommes of the Swiss Alps. Part grass, part toasted nuts, and part beef broth would accurately describe this cheese. Aged for more than 6 months, Mountaineer is one of the most savory, rustic bits of cheese you could ever hope for your tastebuds to stumble across. Made only when the herd of Jersey cows at Meadow Creek Dairy is out on pasture, from April until November each year.
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Fresh
Texture: Soft
Age: 1-2 Weeks
Size: 8oz Ball
Mozzarella
Maplebrook Farm - Bennington, Vermont
Johann Englert walked into a cheese shop in Manchester, Vermont, and walked away with an idea for a cheese business! The mozzarella that she tasted in this tiny shop transported her tastebuds back to Italy, where she had traveled many years before. Mike Scheps, the owner’s son and third generation cheesemaker, is now Johann’s business partner - the two of them founded Maplebrook Farm with the intention of bringing great mozzarella and other pasta filata cheeses to the northeastern United States. Maplebrook’s fresh mozzarella is sweet and creamy with a hint of salt. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best things in life. And Maplebrook’s mozzarella is just that!
Cheese Illustration Credits: Debra Ziss
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