News

The United States is the world's largest producer of cheese, but its reputation as a cheese maker is often not taken seriously. After all, the country's most recognized contribution is the mass production of those pumpkin-orange slices we melt over burgers, if not the fateful union of the terms "aerosol" and "cheddar." I have nothing against these products -- certain classics such as the grilled-cheese sandwich or ballpark nachos depend upon them -- but these days, more and more American farms are being hailed for their hand-crafted, or artisanal, cheeses, and the European sensibility they bring to dairy production.

This may be most evident in Vermont, a state already proud of its dairy history (the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory in Waterbury is the state's most visited tourist site, with 300,000 ice-cream tasters a year). Cheese-nibbling vacationers can also follow the Vermont Cheese Trail to enjoy the work of New England's very best cheese artisans. The trail is varied and fascinating in how it combines American tradition with a new interest in European cuisine, from old Yankee diners that remind you that "a slice of apple pie without cheese is like a hug without a squeeze" to sheep farms that make their own Bulgarian-style feta.

I love the country roads of Vermont, and interspersing my weekend drive from Montreal with cheese-tasting could only increase that pleasure. My plan for the two-day trip was to cross the border at Rouses Point, N.Y., shadowing Interstates 89 and 91 along Vermont's scenic country and state roads. My first stop was Lakes End Cheeses, just across the border in northwest Vermont. Located on the lip of Lake Champlain, the picturesque Lakes End -- think weathered barns and chickens pecking at the grit -- functions like other working cheese farms. An outdoor fridge and money jar on the premises allows visitors to cart home hunks of cheese even if the farmers are busy. After observing the process of making their curd, I picked up a chunk of Misty Cove Pure, a tangy cow's milk cheese, and hit the road.

In the next county, Dawn Boucher and her husband, Daniel, run Green Mountain Blue Cheese -- a supplement to the family dairy. Dawn makes a variety of artisanal cheeses, including a delicious salty gorgonzola called Gore-Dawn-Zola, which may have been the single best cheese I bought during the trip. On a tour of the dairy, Daniel was incredibly helpful in explaining the process of cheese making, and was the first to sound a theme many Vermont cheese makers also noted: cheese is a "live" culture, and as such, small farm efforts can vary from batch to batch, producing unique flavours, whereas commercial products strive for absolute consistency.

Lunch hour had me in Burlington -- Vermont's largest city -- and, from what I could tell, the capital of hemp candles. For real cheese lovers, a classy yet casual restaurant called Smokejacks, located on Church Street, is perfect. Smokejacks' menu features a detailed cheese list where local treasures can be sampled as appetizers or desserts. If these cheese samplers aren't enough, the restaurant's elegant take on macaroni (served with five cheeses and maple-smoked bacon) is the best version of the dish I have ever tasted in a restaurant.

To the south, situated on the shores of Lake Champlain, is Shelburne Farms -- a 560-hectare working farm. Shelburne produces a farmer's cheese called Tractor Cheese, which had the sharpest bite of all the cheeses I sampled on the trail. Past Montpelier off Route 2, the Cabot Creamery is a huge dairy that makes popular flavoured cheeses (the Habanero Jack was fall-down fiery-hot) as well as some aged cheddars. For a few dollars, visitors get to watch workers separate curds and whey and begin the process of "cheddaring" the curd.

The next morning, after a night spent in the sleepy town of White River Junction, in the roads that follow the misty gorges of the Green Mountains, I came to Sugarbush Farm, where bars of cheese were being wax-sealed by hand. Sugarbush makes its own maple syrup, and upon finding out I was Canadian, my pleasant host deferred to me as an expert. "I know your country produces some excellent maple product," she said, filling a plastic spoon with Light Vermont Fancy, "so I'd like your opinion." What could I say but "sweet"?

The cooler I brought to store my purchased comestibles was getting crowded, but I wasn't about to stop. I was getting better at the cheese-farm visiting protocol, and now I was bumping into more cheese-curious people who seemed to be on the same self-guided tour.

Mark Fischer, Woodcock Farm's sheep's milk cheese maker, was very accommodating; as he ushered the group (mostly foodies from upstate New York) toward his flock of sheep and into the room where the cheeses are made, he patiently explained the unique process of making sheep's cheese. At one point, he told us that, come autumn, his three rams are pretty much guaranteed to impregnate all 150 of his ewes. Kindly, he even gave us time to get over our high-school snickering: "Where are these rams?" one tourist asked. "Can we go over and applaud?"

There was some heavy rain as the day passed into afternoon, and I made a last brief stop at a gouda dairy, where I may have panicked slightly when a Collie barked at me (nobody in the group was impressed when I yelped, "I think Lassie is trying to bite me!"). With one last stop at the celebrated Grafton Village Cheese Company, I had decided to return to Montreal, as I had purchased enough quality cheese to host tasting parties until the leaves turned.

With what I learned in Vermont, I could see myself holding court in my Plateau apartment as guests sliced into my excellent stash without a slice of Velveeta in sight. I could even hold a glass of wine aloft and invoke Canadian literary legend James McIntyre, the so-called Cheese Poet of Ingersoll, Ont. "And let us all with songs and glees/ Invoke success into the cheese."

Pack your bags

VERMONT CHEESE TRAIL

Vermont Cheese Council: http://www.vtcheese.com.

Lake's End Cheeses: 212 West Shore Rd., Alburg; 802-796-3730; http://www.lakesendcheeses.com.

Green Mountain Blue Cheese: 2183 Gore Rd., Highgate; 802-868-4193.

Smokejacks: 156 Church St.; Burlington; 802-658-1119.

Shelburne Farms: 1611 Harbor Rd. Shelburne; 802-985-8686; http://www.shelburnefarms.org.

Cabot Creamery: Main St., Cabot; 1-800-837-4261; cabotcheese.com.

Sugarbush Farm: 591 Sugarbush Farm Rd., Woodstock; 802-457-1757; http://www.sugarbushfarm.com.

Woodcock Farm Cheese Co.: Weston; 802-824-6135.

Taylor Farm: 825 Route 11; Londonderry; 802-824-5690;

http://www.taylorfarmvermont.com.

Grafton Village Cheese Company: Townshend Road, Grafton;

http://www.graftonvillagecheese.com.