Wisconsin Cheese
When you're up North, you've got to at least try a sample of Wisconsin cheese. After all, this is America's Dairyland. Did you know that the tradition of Wisconsin cheese making was brought to the states by the first European settlers? That's an easy one and pretty common knowledge. But did you know that Wisconsin is the only state to offer a Master Cheesemaker program, which is patterned on the rigorous standards of similar programs in Europe? Uh huh, gotcha! It all started with the glaciers. Yes we have to go that far back to get an appreciation for the state of cheese today. Those big chunks of ice pushed massive bodies of soil down the state, and upon retreat, left behind deeply rich soil and rolling hills. The rockiness of the terrain made it somewhat difficult for early settlers to plow, but dairy farming was a perfect fit. Back then, they didn't have the refrigeration and preservation methods like we have today. So surplus milk production naturally turned into cheese production as a method of preservation. Pretty crafty, don't you think? Did you know Colby cheese was invented by Joseph F. Steinwand in 1874? Guess where? In Colby, Wisconsin, of course. Back then, Colby was a new cheese, similar to cheddar, but without undergoing the cheddaring process. It is softer and milder-tasting than cheddar. In fact, Monterey Jack undergoes the same process as Colby, but lacks the orange color. Combined together, one gets Co-Jack cheese. Both of these cheeses have excellent meltability and are perfect grilled in sandwiches, grated or used as a table cheese. On a more sensitive note, you are probably completely aware than Wisconsinites have acquired the nickname "Cheeseheads." That's because Illinois sportsfans coined the phrase to poke fun of its northern rivals. Unfazed, however, the name has been embraced as an affectionate term and is a point of pride by Wisconsin citizens. It just goes to show it's hard to keep a good [Wisconsin] man down, even when football is not involved. Alright, I admit that was pretty . . . cheesy.  Personally, I love Wisconsin cheese stores because not only can you get fresh slabs of the buttery-tasting good stuff, they are usually stocked with delicious sausage, jerky and even homemade pickles. Here's a cheese store I stopped at in De Forest called Ehlenbach's Chalet. Their gift shop was wonderful and I found myself engrossed for about 45 minutes checking out their wares. See all the sweet little cows? I bought sis the cutest little moose coaster set for her cabin. I was especially impressed by their selection of pickles, salsa and soup mixes. My brother-in-law, Dale Goeke is almost a pickle connoisseur. He was taught by his parents, and probably grandparents, how to pickle just about everything in a generations-old tradition of preserving garden produce. In my experience, that's a skill that is getting to be pretty rare these days.  So while you're out and about on your trip around Wisconsin, be sure to make a stop at one of the many different Wisconsin cheese stores or factories you will encounter. Some of them offer tours, which will add a great educational experience to your trip. But I bet the products you taste will be even more memorable and definitely delicious.  Here is a list of Wisconsin cheese company stores and factories grouped by geographical location.
Southern Wisconsin Cheese Companies Arena Cheese 300 Hwy 14 Arena, WI 53503 Schurman's Wisconsin Cheese Country Inc Cedar Valley Cheese Store Cornellier Superstore Bleu Mont Dairy Decatur Dairy, Inc. Larry's Market Old Country Cheese Pasture Pride Cheese LLC Gile Cheese LLC Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin Schurman's Wisconsin Cheese Country Inc. Wisconsin Cheese & Wine Chalet Carr Valley Cheese Bieri's Jackson Cheese & Deli Maple Leaf Cheese Outlet Mar's Cheese Castle The Brat Shop Tim & Tom's Cheese Shop and More Market Square Cheese The Cheese Box Bavaria Sausage and Cheese Haus Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. Fronagination Old Fashioned Foods Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shop Hook's Cheese Company Inc. Alp and Deli Cheese Store Brennan's Market Chalet Cheese Cooperative Edelweiss Creamery Franklin Cheese Factory Wisconsin Farmers Union Specialty Cheese Co, LLC Silver-Lewis Cheese Factory Co-op The Elegant Farmer Meister Cheese Company Paoli Cheese The Cheese Maker #1 Inc. Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. Roelli Cheese Company Shullsburg Creamery Zimmerman Cheese Inc. Cheesers LLC Apple Holler Wisconsin Cheeseman Outlet Humbird Cheese Mart Prairie Ridge Cheese LLC Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Jim's Cheese Pantry Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shop Westby Cooperative Creamery Mousehouse Cheesehaus Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. Central Wisconsin Cheese Companies Renard's Cheese 248 Cty Trk S Algoma, WI 54201 Beechwood Cheese Co Willow Creek Cheese Alto Dairy Coopertive WI Organics/OFM-Grass Point Farms Vern's Cheese Inc. Saxon Homestead Creamery Colby Cheese House Welcome Dairy Inc. Suttner's Cheese Blossoms & Steve's Cheese Co. Scray's Cheese Eau Galle Cheese Factory Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Casa Anna Cheese Store Union Star Cheese Lynn Dairy Inc Nala's Fromagerie Albrechts Cheese Henning Cheese Inc Organic Valley Carr Valley Cheese Co., Inc. Simon's Specialty Cheese Krohn Dairy Stores Ron's Wisconsin Cheese Inc Pine River Dairy Bletsoe Cheese, Inc. Dupont Cheese Inc Nasonville Dairy Inc. Mullins Cheese Inc Nelson Cheese Springside Cheese Corporation Colonial Cheese House & Gifts, Inc. Kris Cheese to Please Laney Cheese Specialty Cheese Company, Inc. Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company Gibbsville Cheese Company Inc G. G.'s Cheese Mart LaGranders Hillside Dairy Renard's Cheese Widmer's Cheese Cellars Holland's Family Cheese Alto Dairy Coopertive Cheeseville Cheeseboxes LeCoulee Cheese Castle North Hendren Co-op Dairy Cady Cheese Factory, Inc. Northern Wisconsin Cheese Companies Blaser's Premium Cheese 1858 Hwy 63 Comstock, WI 54826 Bolen Vale Cheese The Flour Sack Burnett Dairy Cooperative Sequin's House of Cheese Gad Cheese Inc Miller's Cheese House Bass Lake Cheese Factory The Cheese Shoppe Lake Country Dairy Inc. Wisconsin Cheese Top of Page
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