Saturday, April 22, is Raw Milk Appreciation Day!
Wisconsin is a state that has heard much of the debate – “America’s Dairyland” being one of its adopted mottos -about raw milk. While most people drink pasteurized milk, many of those same people may also be comfortable eating a raw milk cheese.
There are many great Wisconsin cheeses made with raw milk – Marieke Garlic & Onion Gouda, from Thorp, Wisconsin (pictured here) is one of those. Fromagination carries lovely cheeses made from both raw and pasteurized milks (as well as cow, goat and sheep milk types). Others include Roth Private Reserve, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Evalon (a goat milk variety).
The Curd Nerds cheese blog gives a brief and interesting account of the issues cheese producers must consider with raw milk.
Wisconsin’s cheese-making heritage goes back more than 100 years…and prior to the mid-1800s raw milk was the only way to make cheese. Today, great cheese can be made either way, but we believe it’s definitely worth tasting and judging for yourself those Wisconsin artisan cheeses that employ raw milk. The flavors they capture and pass on to your taste buds can be amazing. Even if they are garlic & onion-flavored!
