THE ART OF TIME & BEAUTIFUL CHEESE

Beautiful cheese takes time. Whether it’s fresh or aged, exceptional cheesemakers use time as a key ingredient. The most beautiful cheeses are handcrafted, in small batches, using the finest quality milk. And that’s just the beginning...

“Artisan” or “artisanal” cheese is primarily handmade, using either traditional or innovative processes. Many are uniquely flavored and textured.

Farmstead cheese is made on the same farm that produced the milk -- milk from the farmer’s own herd or flock.

Specialty cheese usually includes special flavorings such as herbs, spices, fruits, mushrooms, truffles, and nuts.

There are more than 900 artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheesemakers in the United States, according the American Cheese Society. This is not the plastic-tasting processed square “American cheese” you’ve probably grown up with. No, no, no. This is locally produced cheese made by true artists in the United States.

We’ve curated some of our favorite beautiful artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheeses, many of which can be ordered online. We’re also sharing three of our favorite cheese emporiums, Di Bruno Bros. Lucy’s Whey, and Murray’s Cheese. See the beauty of time in cheese! Take the time to check them all out below!

JASPER HILL FARM

Collaboration can be a beautiful thing! It certainly is at Jasper Hill, a working family dairy farm with an on-site creamery in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The Kehler family has gathered a collective of 6 local producers who come together to age cheese at their spectacular 7-vaulted underground aging facility.

The collective produces twelve magnificent cheeses, many of which are award-winners. Check out the Harbison, a spreadable bloomy-rind cheese wrapped in spruce bark, their raw Bayley Hazen Blue and other delectables. You can order here.

Leftover whey from the cheesemaking process is fed to heritage breed pigs, roaming the woodlands beyond the cows' pasture.

POINT REYES FARMSTEAD

The Pacific coastal fog rolls in and lightly salts the protected lush rye pastures of the family owned Giacomini Dairy Farm, where Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company sources its milk.

Head Cheesemaker Kuba Hemmerling oversees a small team of dedicated cheesemakers. Their Original Blue is a classic, California style rindless creamy blue cheese, the bursts of pronounced funky twang. We love their Bay Blue, a more rustic-style blue cheese, with its fudge-like texture, mellow flavor, and salted caramel finish. It’s super special alongside a glass of Vintage Port or one of these Barrel-Aged Scotch Whiskeys.

They’ve expanded their offerings to include a gorgeous Gouda, a White Cheddar, as a few more. You can order for home delivery here.

BEEHIVE CHEESE

Beehive Cheese, founded by brothers-in-law Pat Ford and Tim Welsh, is handmade the old fashioned way. Their family creamery sits at the mouth of Weber Canyon in a valley between the forested Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah -- and the whole family, including kids and cousins are involved in activities from stirring milk, to flipping cheese slabs, to packaging curds, and rubbing cheese wheels.

Beehive sources its high-quality Holstein milk from nearby Wade’s Dairy, a 4th generation family operation, nestled between the Weber River and the mineral-loaded marshy fields of the Great Salt Lake. The milk changes with the season, so Beehive adjusts their cheese recipes to match whatever fat and protein levels are present at the time.

Check out Beehive’s truly award-winning innovative varieties, including interesting hand-rubbed flavors. Rubbing the cheese not only flavors the rind, but subtle notes migrate into the creamy center.

Barely Buzzed, a unique espresso and lavender hand-rubbed cheese with subtle notes of butterscotch and caramel.

SeaHive is hand-rubbed with local honey and Redmond RealSalt®. TeaHive is hand-rubbed with bergamot, for a Earl Grey flavor vibe.

Apple Walnut Smoked cheese is cold-smoked in small batches using local Utah walnut wood and slices of red apple.

You can buy beautiful Beehive Cheese here.

DI BRUNO BROTHERS

Di Bruno Brothers is one of the best things about Philadelphia, delivering delicious since 1939. This gourmet shop has a particular passion for cheese. They carry a carefully curated selection of extraordinary cheeses from the best makers in the country and the world, including their own signature specialities. All of their cheeses are hand-cut.

Check out Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese, a comprehensive catalog of the shop’s best-known and loved cheeses and accompanying recipes from the family themselves, written by Tenaya Darlington (a.k.a. Madame Fromage).

MURRAY’S CHEESE

Murray’s Cheese has been selling cheese at their Greenwich Village, NY shop since 1940, when it was founded by Murray Greenberg, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War.

Here is where I fell in love with cheese… here is where I got my cheese education. It was a still a small shop, in 1980, when I first moved into the neighborhood and discovered it. Every month or so, I would visit, sample fascinating new cheeses at the counter, and treat myself to a bag full of incredible tastes to take home and savor.

Murray’s has since grown bigger, opening new locations, supplying top restaurants around the country, and opening up a cheese-focused dining venue, Murray’s Cheese Bar.

We love their Meet the Maker events, where top cheese and beverage makers share their stories, knowledge, and, yes, more samples!

You can buy Murray’s Cheese here.

LUCY’S WHEY

Lucy’s Whey, in New York City and Amagansett, NY, offers a large, carefully curated selection of artisan and farmstead cheeses, with a focus on American-made cheese. Each cheese is unique and presents distinctive flavors that reflect the region and ingenuity of the cheesemaker.

Co-owned by cheese-loving friends Jackie Mitchell and Lucy Kazickas, Lucy’s Whey supports craftspeople and small dairy farms that produce the products they sell. Their selection is seasonal, & dynamic. Each cheese presents distinctive flavors that reflect the farm, region and ingenuity of the cheesemaker.

So if you love cheese, the way we love cheese, check out some of these beauties. And save the date for the California Artisan Cheese Festival for cooking demos, tops chefs, and samples from more than 90 of California’s best artisan cheesemakers, food vendors, breweries and wineries.

Read more about Beautiful Time in 10 Watches With Beautiful Surprises, The Beauty of Time Worth Saving: 10 Ideas, 10 Beautiful Places Running out of time, Time to See Their Beauty Before They Disappear and New Ripples in Space-Time Found.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: “Fall Cheese Board with Jasper Hill Farm cheese. Courtesy of Di Bruno.
2. Image: “Bayley Hazen Blue.” Courtesy of Jasper Hill Farm.
3. Image: “Harbison.” Courtesy of Jasper Hill Farm.
4. Image: Point Reyes Farmstead fields. Courtesy of Point Reyes Farmstead.
5. Image: Original Blue Cheese. Courtesy of Point Reyes Farmstead.
6. Image: “Barely Buzzed.” Courtesy of BeeHive Cheese.
7. Image: “Teahive.” Courtesy of Beehive Cheese.
8. Image: Beehive Cheese Collection. Courtesy of Beehive Cheese.
9. Image: “Birchrun Blue.” Courtesy of Di Bruno.
10. Image: “Murray's Cheese bar fondue.” Courtesy of Murray's Cheese Bar.
11. Image: Cheese Platter. Courtesy of Murray's Cheese Bar.
12. Image: “A cheese spread from Lucy’s Whey.” Courtesy of Lucy’s Whey.
13. Image: “Humboldt Fog.” Courtesy of Murray's Cheese.
14. Image: Still life with a wedge of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, pears, and a round loaf of peasant bread. Courtesy of Madame Fromage.
15. Image: by Quinn Dombrowski. “Cheese and concord grapes.”
16. Image: by BN App - Download now!
17. Image: Jasper Hill Farm’s Ayrshires cows in the pasture. Courtesy of Jasper Hill Farm.