Cheese forums? ...are there any ??

[SheLovesCheese]

I just stumbled on this site so I thought I would ask....do any of you know if there is a really good site where people are discussing great cheeses?
I saw the threads here but it got me wondering if there were any discussion sites dedicated only to artisan and farmstead cheeses.

Thanks for your help.

[panini]

Not sure if Paulas mazzerella cheeses here in Dallas has a site.

[Mezzaluna]

Here's one although it seems kind of new (or not very popular)

I tried Googling for "cheese forums" and got some weird techhie stuff....

[SheLovesCheese]

I just went to that forum....wow...really weird. Not much on there about cheese. Yep....there just does not seem to be much on the net yet in terms of discussion. I thought that there were discussions going on on everything under the sun...guess not.

[shroomgirl]

We've had some interesting discussion threads on farmstead and artisan cheeses....many of us seek them out.
This morning I made an omelet with local eggs from the farmer's Market and Goatsbeard Chevre, the farm is 2.3 hours from here....it's wonderful, not available nationally but in alot of Mo. stores, restaurants.
Judy Shad from Indiana has some great cheeses. I also like the inside out blue logs from the NE.
English cheddars are almost always in my fridge, I like Montgomery and Westcombe...the later I prefer with eggs....the former I like for the crystals that crunch as well as the sharp flavor.
Wisconsin has come excentric cheese makers.
Cowgirl Dairy in SF is a great place to check out farmstead cheeses in that area.
Purple Haze with fennel pollen, Point Reyes Blue, Redwood chevre....
I found some incredible yogurts at Eli's Garage in NYC from Europe that were pricey but oh so lucious.
So why does cheese turn you on? and what are some of your favs?

[SheLovesCheese]

shroomgirl.... I am crazy for most cheese and i tend to go in cycles. Currently I am in my English cheese phase. I have spent alot of time over there as i do have some family still living around London. Unfortunately my cheese adventures accross the pond are usually limited to shops in London like Neals Yard or to Harrods food hall. Ususally upon arrival, I RUN to some of these places to grab up a bit of whatever strikes my fancy for breakfast , lunch ,tea and dinner.
Mind you...cheese i not usually the main meal ...except maybe tea...but more of a bit here and there or after a meal.
I love Kirkhams Lancshire so buttery and crumbly...and double gloucester. I adore Tuxford and tubbits sage derby(made with REAL sage) and also a good caerphilly from the Ducketts farm.
I am only interested in the REAL farmstead cheeses...the raw milk cloth wrapped ones. There are lots of English factory knockoffs but i love the REAL thing.
If it's from Neals Yard...I know it's good.
Lately I have been thinking alot about Blue Vinney...a hard to find blue made in Dorset. There is only one source for the real thing and when it does make it into this country....it usually shows up at the Fairway cheese counter in NYC. Hahaha....the other side of the country for me as I am here in the Seattle area.

When i am craving good French cheeses a raw milk camembert is wonderful...but not avilable here in this country. I like the stinky cheese as well...livarot and pont-l'eveque. I have never met a French cheese i didn't love.

There are many American artisan cheeses too...Anthing from cowgirl creamry....especially the red hawk. I also love the wonderful chedder style cheese from a cheese maker in Calif. It's called Mt Lassen.
American cheesemakers have come a long way.

What I REALLY need is to make a cheese tour overseas of all the cheeses unavilable here....but I can't find one.
I have been looking though for years.
Maybe through some of these boards we could organize one. I would LOVE to spend a few weeks tasting raw milk cheeses all over the place.
Is anybody up for it?

Has anyone had Blue Vinney? If you have i would love to hear about it.

[Mezzaluna]

I would think you could investigate culinary tours (on Google) and select those which are heavy on cheese sites to places you're interested in.

I know a chef in Florence, Judy Witts Francini, who offers a variety of culinary experiences and knows very many people in Tuscany/Chianti (and elsewhere in Italy and Europe). She may be able to give you some advice. Her business is Divina Cucina She is a CIA graduate and American expat who has lived in Florence and environs for over 20 years.

[wizcat3]

Hi all, I have found a great site here in NYC To to www.artisanalcheese.com and read the whole web site. Its great. I really want to go for the courses from them when I get rich.

[SheLovesCheese]

Mezzaluna..thanks for the info. I have been searching the web for a long time trying to find a culinary tour aimed at REAL cheese....but have not turned up anything yet. Like i said...there are tours for everything...but NOT cheese.
I could just visualize it....it would be heaven....trips to Normandy to see the real camembert made then maybe dinners with the local cheeses incorporated into them...or a cheese course after dinner with the pride of the region. Cheeses of the area for breakfast...maybe different ones for lunch.
WHat a GREAT idea.....and NOBODY is doing it.
This could be done ALL over France, Italy and England.
France alone has something like 650 cheeses I think. WOW! what a total rush THAT would be.

Anyway... I will keep looking. Let me know if you find anything. I will check out Davina too. Thanks again.

[shroomgirl]

Slow Food is hugely into raw cheeses.....there have been a couple of publications they've put out that go indepth on cheese.
Ossau Iraty has got my attention.
Winchester Gouda in So Cal is pretty good....I picked up some in Santa Monica at their Wed. farmer's market.
Tillamook cheddar is raising havoc in Oregan.
I know there have got to be cheeses from your area....whatcha got?
Tour, oh man....include some mushroom hunting and farmer's markets and I'm there.

[Devotay]

Right you are, Shroom, Slow Food is indeed very involved in raw milk cheeses. In addition, while it has no official forum per se, a good place to discuss cheeses and anything else Slow-related is The Slow Food Forum

Shameless plug? OK, guilty, but it's still pretty cool.

[shroomgirl]

Just got back from Madison WI after spending numerous hours shopping the USA's largest growers market....160 venders last Sat.
Hook's 10 year cheddar had crispys in it!!!!! tooo great.
I picked up some chevre for the trip home and had goat's milk ice cream...rich and alittle funky.
Bought some swiss and raw milk cheese from Bleu Mont Dairy Co. they buy the milk then make the cheese....not farmstead but good.

[Rik vonTrense]

Why not make them yourself.

I make a King Blue Stilton with ordinary cows full cream milk with added whole cream, that is far superior to any commercial cheeses from the Melton Mowbray area.

Carefully matured over eight weeks they are ready to eat but are so much nicer after twelve weeks.

In my opinion they are one of the most simplest of cheeses to make as there is only one temperature to maintain. But you have to be very careful with the ageing and they must be turned every day to maintain the balance and I do keep them individually covered in their own humidity controlled environment.

I very often mess around and deliberately let cooking temperatures vary but I have never had one that you could call a bad cheese yet and I have made hundreds.

One of the best little cheeses that I make in the Stilton range is a One pound plus Truckle made from six pints of ordinary cows milk and half a pint of full cream. It is set at 88F with Animal rennet and Cal Chlor.and annetto, I use MAA culture and Pen.Roque. Pen. Candidum. and Geo.Candidum
obtained from L'Alliance Pastorale in France, it is needled at four and six weeks and very good to eat at eight weeks but superb at twelve weeks and out of this world at sixteen weeks.

I do not sell cheese but I have many many friends who have been willing guinea pigs in the past but now they have to form a queue. My main drawback is the room to keep these cheeses under the conditions that I want to.

If any one would like to try their hand at making Stilton I would be happy to supply a very good recipe and the method of making and ageing these delightful cheeses.

Please feel free to email me at riktrense@ntlworld.com

There is one website but another is in the final stages of completion.

URL....http://homepage.ntlworld.com/riktrense

Regards

Rik

[Devotay]

And allow me to throw in a plug for my latest fave, and the "Best Blue in America" according to the American Cheese Society last October.

The cheese is called Schwartz und Weiss, and it's made in Cresco, Iowa by the Golden Ridge Cheese Co-op. Visit them here.

[jlsrpierce]

Hello All

Just tripped over this website and old thread via google. This is a great website but mostly for cooking, not discussing different cheeses. I also had the same problem so I built a website and forum just for this and for making cheese! I'm new at this forum so can't post the URL, it's called Cheese Forum Org, just google Cheese Forum and you'll find it.

Hope this is of interest for some fellow cheese lovers . . .

PS: If you go to the Links Page I have some info on Cheese Tours / Trips / Holidays I have links to 4 Cheese Tours . . .