The Cheese Board Collective and Prairie Breeze Cheddar

Prairie Breeze, a flavorful cow's milk cheddar from a small farm in Iowa, is one of our new favorites.  Picking it up was almost an afterthought, a last minute suggestion from one of the workers at The Cheese Board who thought we would like it.  She couldn't have been more right. 

We're blessed with great cheese shopping options here in the Bay Area, but have most often found ourselves at The Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley, about 10 minutes from our house in Oakland.  The Cheese Board is a worker-owned collective bakery, cheese shop, and pizza place (Cheese Board Pizza Collective) on Shattuck, just a few steps from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse.  I love the history here.  A family business became a worker-owned co-op.  They bake, buy and sell cheese, and help hungry customers like us.  Click the history link to learn more about the collective's history and business model. 

When you open the door, the world of cheese is in front of you.  Cases of double creams, cheddars, blues, goudas and more, from the famous to the obscure, fill the cases.  It looks like 300 or more, but we haven't asked yet.  Customers are either waiting their turn or working with one of the collective members on selecting their cheese.  These consultations can be quick or take upwards of 15-20 minutes depending on your needs.  People are there for everything from a fairly standard hunk of cheese to a more elaborate cheese plate (e.g.  "I want to serve artisan sheep cheeses with some that are aged and others that aren't").  Though personalities differ, I have always found the collective members adept at helping us find the cheese we want while offering a cheese or two (or six) we hadn't thought of.  During one of our favorite excursions, the person helping us brought a range of three to five cheeses for each cheese we were looking for.  Asking for something alpine brought us everything from a very quiet, grassy, cheese to one that felt like we could plant it in the front yard and it would sprout a new lawn. She also introduced us to Big Woods Blue, a delicious beefy blue from Shepherd's Way (we'll talk more about that one soon).  She was as excited to share it with us as we were to eat it.

Prairie Breeze was suggested to us after we had selected cheeses for a fondue night.  I think it is usually clear to the person we work with that we are incredibly curious about and eager to learn more about cheese.  We've enjoyed learning about how variations in geography, technique, temperature, aging process, and more affect the cheese we eat.  We know more than some folks and less than many, but always have a good time, even if we are just dropping in for a quarter pound.

Prairie Breeze  was on my list to try because it was a winner at the American Cheese Society awards.  I'd read about the winners in Culture Magazine, but had forgotten to have a look at my list before our visit.  It took first place in the Aged Cheddar category.  It's not hard to tell why.

This is a smooth and flavorful semi-aged cheddar.  It's deliciously balanced between some fruitiness and nuttiness with a restrained sharp edge.  It's not a hit-you-over-the-head sharp, but makes a strong statement.  I also love the lactic acid crystals that give it a bit of texture.  Since enjoying our first bit, I've learned that Prairie Breeze is made by a teenager in Iowa at his family dairy, Milton Creamery.  The family uses milk from area Amish farms to make a handful of cheeses and has spent years selling cheese at local markets.  If this is something he can make this early in his career, I can't wait to see where he goes next if he sticks with it.

Further Reading:
Learn more about this cheese by downloading this article from Cheese Reporter (pdf). 

Click for a Google Blog Search.

Looks like the top cheese, Gordon Edgar over at Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, likes it too! See his top cheeses for 2009 here.

Have you tried Prairie Breeze?  What did you think?  Comments welcome :)