Bingham Hill Cheese Company (the cheesemakers who, in a very roundabout way, first inspired me with this whole cheesemaking thing) are suing Morning Fresh Dairy for theft of trade secrets, claiming the other cheesemakers stole their recipes. The funny thing is, Bingham Hill has been defunct since February (apparently because they put most of their eggs in one basket, Trader Joes).

I really don't understand how a traditionally made artisanal cheese recipe could even be considered a "trade secret." While there is certainly an art to the production of cheese, there's really no great secret to how it's made. The techniques and ingredients have been the same for centuries and any self-respecting "artisan" should be aware of his or her place in that tradition.

More people join the fight to secure EU name protection for Wensleydale cheese, including Wallace and Grommit. The cynic in me says that, for most products, EU protection is done simply as a way of getting the name out there for marketing purposes rather than out of any true desire to stop abuses of the name.

The posting wagon, that is:

Wensleydale seeks protection

Fluffy article on the rising popularity of artisanal cheeses. According to Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma was responsible for introducing the concept of farmhouse cheeses to the U.S. back in the 70s. First time I've heard that theory.

Ok, this article in the NJ Herald News is really about Bobolink Dairy, but Kari and I were there the day the reporter came and we warranted a mention. The lede makes Jonathan out to be a bit of a misanthrope, but I think that’s more than a little off-base. Anyone who’s met him would have to agree that he’s really quite personable. Other than that, this is quite a nice piece.

Fresh Ideas
Another NPR piece, this time on The Leonard Lopate Show. A walk through Manhattan’s Union Square farmer’s market with Ruth Riechl and chefs Bill Telepan and Tom Colicchio.

Don’t Get Fresh With Me
NY Times editorial by Julie Powell, the writer responsible for the fascinating and fun blog, The Julia/Julie Project. The editorial in question posits the argument that local and organic food is an elitist pursuit. I’ve often thought this myself, but ultimately I’ve decided that there are ways to incorporate well-raised and carefully farmed foods into one’s diet without breaking the bank something that benefits everyone. Unlike her excellent blog, this piece is overly simplistic and, ultimately, smacks of reverse snobbery.

Going Green in Agriculture
Articles and radio broadcasts from Morning Edition and All Things Considered, including a piece on pasture-raised cows and subsidizing enviromentally conscious agriculture practices as opposed to large-scale corporate operations.

International Dairy Foods Association to Hold Cheese Safety Conference

450 Turkish Sheep Leap to Their Deaths

Cheese rolling roundup at Google

TNT Cheese Goes with A Bang
Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK

Belgians are consuming more cheese
Expatica - Netherlands

Sales of cheese up after milk loss
Shropshire Star - Telford,England,UK

Scotland’s Strathdon Blue — Available in the US

From failing farm to big cheese
Allentown Morning Call - Allentown,PA,USA

116 cheese plants produce 2.2 billion pounds of cheese annually
Monroe Times - Monroe,WI,USA

Cheese fest menu offers a full plate
Seattle Times - Seattle,WA,USA

DeLaurenti hosts first Seattle Cheese Festival this weekend
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Seattle,WA,USA

Big cheese rules on feta
Guardian Unlimited - UK

America Says Cheese
Creative Loafing Charlotte - Charlotte,NC,USA

Homey mac and cheese an American standard
Monterey County Herald - Monterey,CA,USA

Say mac ‘n’ cheese, please
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA (free signup required)

Cheese Focus
SpecialtyFood.com
Section of the site devoted entirely to cheese. Articles include The Myths About Raw Milk Cheese, Beyond Gym Socks: The Allure of Washed-Rind Cheeses and more. Definately geared to the specialty food trade rather than the general public, but interesting nonetheless.

The Cheese Diaries
Another blog devoted to cheese. This guy has a ton of links that - honestly - kind of put my little blog to shame. This makes me think it’s time to revamp.

eGullet Q&A with Fairway Market Cheese Expert Steve Jenkins
eGullet
Excellent Q&A with the author of The Cheese Primer. In response to one question he slams overpriced American artisan cheesemakers: “I have chosen NOT to participate in numerous new American cheeses because, while very good, they are just too expensive; for example, the Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. Outrageous. Won’t carry them.” Curious, I bought a disc of Red Hawk from Cowgirl a couple of weeks ago. It was good, but not really worth the $30 (!) that it cost for 10 oz. Obscene.

New York State Cheese Makers Guild
This is the group that I tried to do some work for last year. Not a whole lot there, but a good little site. Resources and events section are most helpful.

Jonathan White’s Bobolink Dairy was the subject of a recent Talk of the Town piece in the New Yorker. Unfortunately, the online version doesn’t include the excellent little sketch of Jonathan. I’ll try to scan it in and post it here soon.

There was an interesting editorial in the NY Times the other day about the state of New York City’s Greenmarket. According to the author, Nina Planck (recently fired from the director’s position at Greenmarket), there are some big problems with the way things currently work. I don’t have too much of an opinion on this, but found it interesting. Also of note is this thread on eGullet. Ms Planck herself expands on some of the issues raised in the editorial.