Hey there. I went into my typical pattern of internet silence around the big food holiday. Too much to do in the week before Thanksgiving, as all U.S.-grocery store workers know. You have to wonder about anyone who works in retail food who has time to blog in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
On the “Culture Magazine” facebook, they asked, “What cheeses are you serving for Thanksgiving and I responded, “Whatever doesn’t sell!” That’s true to a point. I would have brought, for example, the Nettle Meadow Kunik if we hadn’t have run out but I wasn’t going to buy any out from under customers, at least for Thanksgiving when the cheese is not the main focus of our food table.
But I did buy the Uplands Creamery Rush Creek Reserve, a raw milk Vacherin Mont D’or-style cheese from the folks who are the only three-time winner of the American Cheese Society Best in Show (for Pleasant Ridge Reserve). True, it didn’t sell, but they didn’t arrive in the store until Wednesday at 1 PM so they were hardly neglected.
Anyways, here is artsy photo of the cheese plate from the Thanksgiving thing in our apartment:
Here’s the more detailed picture:
From top left: Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel/Tumbleweed, Uplands Creamery Rush Creek Reserve, French Fromager D’affinois*, Swiss Antique Gruyere, and Croation Paski Sir** You can’t really seem ‘em but there is a huge selection of Potter’s Crackers from Wisconsin that went along with this.
I forgot to take a picture of the cheese I brought to my parents’ house but that’s ok, right? Feel free to share your Thanksgiving cheese thoughts or pictures in the comments.
*As someone once wrote, “like flystrips around dairy cows, the D’Affinois draws the casual cheese eater at parties away from the expensive stuff”
**This was a free sample that I just got so I threw it on the plate. I am breaking a long-held policy here of not mentioning cheeses that people ask me to mention, but this is a really good sheep milk cheese that we will try and carry when it becomes available. You can read about it here
Gordon ("Zola") Edgar 
AHHHH! How did you get your paws on the Rush Creek?? I’ve been hearing all sorts of ridiculous things about it not making it to the west coast, grumble grumble….
Well, I only got 8. I have high hopes for this cheese.
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oooo – next shipment of Rush Creek, let me know and I’ll be in for a wheel!!! How big are they?
as of Saturday night we still had a couple. they are smaller than the Tomme du Jura you got by almost half, weight-wise. (They are not as complex or strong as the Jura, btw. This cheese is still in its early stages of production so I think it’ll get there someday, but these wheels won’t).
let me take that back. they are half as much pr1ce-wise, about 2/3 the weight.
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