I had a chance to visit Jasper Hill Farm in early December, the caves are a pretty incredible sight once you find them tucked under a hill just off a back country road.
Origin: Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont
Style: Bloomy rind, wrapped in birch bark
Milk: Pasteurized cow's milk
Aged: 3-6 weeks
Tasting Notes
Harbison is an unusual cheese, and unusually tasty! For starters, it is wrapped in Vermont birch bark. This bark helps impart woody, savory flavors into the cheese. Harbison can be served either by peeling away the top rind and scooping from the top, or in slices, bit don;t eat the mold infused bark! The cheese is a luscious, soft, fluid paste that still manages to be slightly tacky in your mouth. The paste covers your tongue and finished with a flavor reminiscent of a grilled cheese with mustard.
Harbison is an American creation by the Kehler brothers of Jasper Hill Farm. The brothers created this soft, bloomy rind cheese, wrapped in Vermont birch bark, and named it after the town's "grandmother," Anne Harbison. The Kehlers met Anne Harbison during their youth when they would visit Greensboro for the summer. Years later, and all grown up, the brothers both returned to Vermont with their families in tow to open Jasper Hill Farm. Their herd is made up of Ayrshire cows, known for producing milk high in protein and fat. The milk is also very consistent and clean tasting. The herd grazes on fresh grasses during the warm months and local hay during cold, harsh months.
With their farm prospering, the Kehler brothers decided that they could do more for their community. Vermont is a very special place and Vermonters have created a mindset and vocabulary to discuss their state’s prosperity, which they call "the working landscape." That means keeping farms hugging roads and rivers, keeping towns small without sprawl, and keeping the mountains filled with many types of trees. In order to accomplish this, those farms need to be working farms. That’s where the Kehler brothers come in. They want to help current dairy farmers and local cheesemakers maintain their rural lifestyle.
To do this, the Kehlers created the Cellars at Jasper Hill. The Cellars is an aging facility that offers small cheesemakers a place to age their cheese and a way to get their cheese to market.
Favorite Pairings
A nice dry French or American Saison, like my Miss Saison.
