Your Weekly Cheese Bites! — Cheese News Roundup

1. For the love of ham! This year upheld the fairly new tradition of Ham Independence Week, which was originally established by La Quercia—an award-winning Iowan charcutier. The week was dedicated everything ham and "celebrating American prosciutto in all its glory". Our team joined the festivities with a With discount prosciutto, educational seminars AND special tastings, their celebration was made for the die hard, passionate lovers of this great, great meat. [Culture Cheese Magazine] 2. Cheesy cool downs for the hottest of summer days. What better time to indulge in the greatest superfood ever created than when you're flat out on your couch after sweating out all of the toxins of the day, and then some? Consume back all of the healthy fats and enzymes your body needs, while enjoying a delectable wedge of creamy goodness with minimal movement required. Doesn't get better than that! So put aside your fourth box of ice-pops of the day, and enjoy a lazy day inside with your favorite hunk of cheese. [VICE] 3. The United States leads in cheese production. Many factors including but not limited to supply and production of cow's milk, an abundance of land, award-winning cheeses, and state of the art inventions and production methods result in the U.S manufacturing over 5 million metric tons in just 2014! That number is twice the amount of Germany, which currently holds the second-place title behind the U.S as the leading global producers of cheese. [Dairy Herd] 4. There is no worse feeling that unwrapping that perfectly cut wedge of cheese, ready to dive into the rich and creamy flavors and then pausing...ever so slightly and coming to the earth shattering realization that your cheese has gone bad. However, there are several ways to prevent this tragedy from occurring. Top tips for storage such as purchasing quantity, packaging quality, cooling methods and various shelf lives will ensure that you consume your cheese only at its prime, enjoying each and every bite at its most flavorful peak. [Tasting Table]