I love when we get shipments and deliveries to the Cheese Cave! It is like a birthday with every package. At times the boxes pile up on themselves and overflow with wheels and wheels of Beemster Goat Gouda or Parmigiano Reggiano. Other times the boxes come in quietly – like today when Lou from Receiving walked behind the counter holding a small package.
It didn’t look like much, but when opened the labels were unmistakable: these were our cheeses from Lazy Lady Farm. The present in the box this time was a batch of Oh My rounds. The hand-made aspect of these small cylinders is evident in their varying sizes, and each is carefully wrapped. What a treat!
Lazy Lady Farm is a certified organic Vermont farm that has been around since 1987 and operates off the grid using solar panels and a wind generator. Even the aging cave is geothermal. This “lazy lady” isn’t lazy at all – she tirelessly produces a wide variety of artisan cheeses. The name refers to her original pampered herd of milking goats as they had a short lactation period and, for the rest of the season, were not producing milk. I digress, but I encourage everyone to find out more about this wonderful farm.
I purchased a small round of Oh My. This young, rich brie-style cheese is made with milk from Jersey cows and enriched with cream from Butterworks Farm - Vermont’s original organic dairy.
As I start dinner, I pull the round out of the fridge so it can lose its chill in time to enjoy as desert with the sweetness of a ripe pear and a bottle of crisp, ever-so-slightly effervescent Vinho Verde. After the meal I get to open my package and enjoy my cheesy treat. The rind has a heavy bloom that, only for a second, reminds me of the snows we have only too recently come out from under. Below this thick, mushroomy rind is a thin, only slightly custardy layer which almost immediately becomes a thick, densely creamy paste that is simple and just a bit tangy. The fresh milkiness of this cheese changes my thoughts from snow to Spring.
While there are certain guidelines you can follow when it comes to pairing, I am a big fan of putting what you like with what you like - and I really like Lazy Lady’s Oh My.
While this cheese is available from the farm from September to April, our batch is just in and exclusive to Chestnut Street while supplies last!
