PrintCheddar on the Cheap
With the housing market tanking, financial companies imploding, and the dollar weaker than a gin and tonic on the rocks, some are finding it hard to cough up the small fortune required these days to buy even the most basic artisanal cheese plate. Add to that the stress of Uncle Sam breathing down your neck this time of year, and you'll end up deciding to avoid cheese altogether.
After all, cheese can be quite expensive, and is one of those foods whose quality generally increases with the price. Small dairies cannot take advantage of the economies of scale afforded by a large herd, but, all else being equal, a small dairy will usually make a better cheese, since the farmers and cheesemakers are better able to control quality across the entire operation. So what's a turophile to do during these tough times? Get your hands on Vermont's own Grafton Village Cheddar.
Grafton Village Cheese is one of the oldest ongoing cheesemaking operations in the U.S. It started as a cooperative dairy more than 115 years ago, culling milk from a group of local farmers and making cheese that could be kept throughout the long, cold winter and sold to folks all over the northeast. Nowadays the company is owned by a local non-profit, the Windham Foundation, a fact that might explain this cheese's high quality to price ratio. iGourmet sells their 2-year old Classic Reserve Cheddar, a dry, crumbly cheese with a great depth of tangy savoriness, for $11.99/lb—a steal of a price on a site where traditional British cheddars sell for upwards of $20/lb.
So even in these penny-pinching times, don't give up and start buying awful cheese just because it's cheap. Look for deals and spend your money wisely. Grafton Cheddar will never disappoint. How about you? What are some of your secrets for finding cheese on the cheap?
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.
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2 Comments:
Oh, I love Grafton Village! Their two year old cheddar is basically our "house cheese" around here, although the maple smoked cheddar is in our fridge more often than not as well. Living in VT helps keep the cheese budget down for sure!
Sisterrae at 6:01PM on 04/08/08
Mmm, Grafton Village cheddar is one of my favorites!
schnitzel at 6:48PM on 04/08/08