The Massachusetts Cheese Guild sent us a reminder that today is National Cheese Lover's Day. The BostonZest team is made up of cheese lovers, so today is a day for us! We even have a separate category, Food: Cheese for our cheese coverage.
Because we live a freelance lifestyle, we often eat our main meal of the day in the afternoon and enjoy a plate of cheese with a bit of something else and a glass of wine for our evening bites.
We also find ourselves shopping for great cheese in Boston's wonderful ethnic markets. Above is a collection of foods we purchased in Watertown's Middle Eastern neighborhood. A trip there will always include string cheese and feta.
Smith’s Country Cheese at the Brookline Farmers' Market
Crystal Brook Farm goat cheese lunches at the Copley Farmers' Market
We love supporting Massachusetts cheeses at area farmers' markets. Both of those above are members of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild. Here's a link to the other local cheese artisan producers who have joined to provide mutual support and education about our state's cheese products.
Artisan Cheese Trail
The guild also has created their Artisan Cheese Trail, a map for you to explore the possibilities in person. We highly recommend that you pop over and explore the guild's site. You'll find cheesemakers to visit from Westport to Williamstown and beyond.
Explore New Cheeses
One of the truly great things about cheese is that a good shop will let you taste a bit before you buy. If you avoid the precut and shrink wrapped, you will not have to be afraid to try a new cheese.
You might discover that there are some blue cheeses you love and some you don't. We had that happen with a friend who didn't think he'd like the blue cheese his partner adored. Until our cheese tasting adventures put one on his plate with a slightly different flavor note.
If this day speaks to your soul, set out from here to explore more Massachusetts Cheeses in particular, and different cheeses from your current favorites in general.
Here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!
What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese.
These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.
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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar photo courtesy of Cabot Cheese.