Learn all about Cabot cheese in Vermont

Vermont is famous for their unique Cheddar and also, goat cheese. Now, you can learn all about them on your next trip there! Cabot is a cooperative of 1,200 family farms in New England and New York, making cheese, yogurt, butter and other luscious dairy products. Their visitors center in Cabot, Vermont — hey! — is a wee bit remote, but oh-so-worth getting there! It’s where the whole magic started in 1919.

Cabot makes a range of Cheddar cheese, but even their most mild is interesting: redolent of the sweet clover grass and fresh air way up north. Cabot, Vermont is, after all, part of Vermont’s storied “Northeast Kingdom,” so-named for its special beauty. In this part of the world, they don’t shy away from aged, sharp or tangy flavors. I adore those notes! If you’re unfamiliar with cheese that doesn’t taste like a crayon or a stick of butter, do like I saw so many Vermont restaurants do: grate the sharp cheddar over your favorite foods, in the same manner that people grate Parmesan over Italian dishes.

During the tour, you’ll see the award-winning product being made. Another delightful part? The tasting room! I really looked forward to it, as I regularly peruse their website. It was hard for me to tell the difference between some of the varieties online and also, I was curious about flavors I’d never seen back home. Artisan Reserve styles are available regionally. They also have a super-premium, 5 year aged cheese that’s only available at the visitors center. Of course, I had to buy a brick to take home! To my palate, its sophisticated complex flavor profile included walnut husks, toasted yeast, sea salt and buttermilk. Love at first bite!

Some of their more household line is distributed through national grocery store chains along the East Coast. They sell a clothbound cheddar wheel that I’ve seen at Whole Foods locally.

The center has a bunch of different free pamphlets with recipes, ranging from healthy eating to serving suggestions for the Jewish High Holidays.