California may be a leading dairy state, but Vermont has us beat in terms of supporting artisan cheese production. The University of Vermont is nurturing the state's upstart creameries, and the camaraderie among the small-scale cheesemakers there is genuine and palpable.
Vermont Butter & Cheese, one of the pioneering small dairies, has done a lot to raise the profile of the state and encourage others to attempt artisan cheese production with a smart business plan, and I am increasingly impressed with its output. When I win the lottery, my household's everyday butter will be the cultured butter from Vermont Butter & Cheese.
In the meantime, I content myself with an occasional sampling from the product line. I had not tried Vermont Butter & Cheese's Bijou, a crottin-style goat cheese, for a couple of years, but re-reading my old notes reminded me of how much I liked it.
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