613275 Sun Apr 19 16:15:36 -0700 2009 12 8 Midwest 0 4609650 Hi everyone... I'm a southern CA 'Hound visiting the MN/WI for the first time at the end of the month. I found the "Wisconsin Cheese... Amazing" thread and I was inspired to look for some cheesemakers. I love cheese and don't have any particular favorites, except I tend to lean towards very strongly flavored cheeses. I love them all and would love to try some local specialties. A friend of mine is living in Necedah, WI and we're going to drive from Minneapolis to Necedah, with most of the trip on Route 94. Are there any cheesemakers along that route that are worth stopping for? Thanks! Sun Apr 19 16:15:36 -0700 2009 93901 geekyfoodie 1 4610294 If you like strongly flavored cheese, you'll *love* Wisconsin! If you go straight south from Necedah, you can hit an outpost of Carr Valley Cheese in Mauston. Carr Valley makes amazing stuff - I'm currently addicted to their white goat cheddar. http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/stores.html Once you hit Minneapolis, visit any of our amazing cheese shops to pick up the cheese you missed en route. I like Surdyk's, Seward Co-op, and the Wedge, but there are many other great places to buy cheese (like all the natural food co-ops in town). Enjoy your trip! Anne P.S. I don't know if James Norton's & Becca Dilley's book, "Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin" is out yet, but it would be the perfect resource. For now, check out Mr. Norton's web site: http://mastercheesemakerbook.wordpress.com/ Sun Apr 19 21:17:19 -0700 2009 4609650 12541 AnneInMpls 1 4610947 Cady Cheese near Spring Valley (about halfway between Menomonie and Minneapolis/St. Paul) would be a fun stop. They make their own cheeses and have a factory tour, but also have a gift shop/tasting room where you can taste "over 100 kinds of cheese." They are 3.5 miles off of 94. As a Wisconsin native, I have to say our cheese is the best! Here's a link: http://www.cadycheese.com/tour6.html Mon Apr 20 07:45:04 -0700 2009 4609650 220082 midwaygirl 2 4611123 Outside of Cashton WI (not too far from LaCrosse is the Old Country Cheese Factory, which is really the "Amish Cheese factory" as it's known out there. Great cheese, and lots of fun to see all the little backroads. Also a chance to buy lots of local Amish goods along the way. It's located at 5510 County Highway D Cashton WI 54619 . We just went over Easter and had a great time, and got some marvelous ten year old cheddar for really cheap. Mon Apr 20 08:40:09 -0700 2009 4610947 171426 jenniegirl 1 4611375 Just over the Minnesota/Wisconsin border in a place called the Creamery in Ellsworth, WI. They make some of the best cheese curds around. You can't go on a cheese tour of Wisconsin without trying cheesecurds, both raw and deep-fried. Mon Apr 20 09:51:15 -0700 2009 4609650 245076 GutGrease 1 4620626 I just tasted a FABULOUS Wisconsin cheese: Northern Lights Blue Cheese by DCI (Dan Carter, Inc - so cute!). This cheese is incredibly rich and powerful - so pungent that it scared my husband, who is just learning to appreciate blue cheese. But it's so very, very creamy that he ate it anyway, and then said he liked it! Yesssss! DCI is north of Milwaukee, so it isn't on your route from Necedah, but you can find this cheese at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. It's definitely worth a special trip. Anne Thu Apr 23 00:53:15 -0700 2009 4609650 12541 AnneInMpls 2 4620703 Straight west of Necedah on 21 at the east edge of Tomah is the Humbird Cheese shop. This is my go-to place when Carr Valley is closed on Sundays or I happen to be shopping in town. We have a place just 5 miles south of Necedah in Castle Rock Estates. Humbird is a bit more expensive but not so significantly as to drive me off. They have a vast selection of cheeses, sausages and lots of other WI gourmet foods as well. They have an aged brick that they call "Stinky Brick" that keeps me coming back. Thu Apr 23 03:28:03 -0700 2009 4620626 14012 DetectDave 2 4644337 Thanks for the tip, Anne! Do you remember which stand you bought the cheese from? I found a Northern Lights blue at the Grassroots Gourmet stand, but it's made in Burnside, MN (I think I have the location correct) by a fellow who coordinated with the university to develop the cheese. His name was something like Joe Saunders... and a day of travel with little sleep leaves my memory in tatters. The cheese was amazing... rich, creamy, and fresh, but with the punch one expects from a strong blue. We bought a wedge, stopped next door at the Produce Exchange for some sea salt-topped crackers, then brought them with us on the drive to Necedah. We ended up enjoying them at the top of an observation tower at the wildlife refuge and what a beautiful and quiet place to enjoy a good blue cheese. :) Thanks for the rec! We're headed to Carr Valley tomorrow, so I will return with more updates. Thu Apr 30 20:30:47 -0700 2009 4620626 93901 geekyfoodie 3 4644506 Yup, that's the Midtown Global Market stand, and that's the cheese. Silly me - I just assumed that it was a Wisconsin cheese. When I think cheese, I automatically think Wisconsin. But I'm extremely pleased to learn that it's actually a MINNESOTA cheese. It makes me proud to think that such a talented cheesemaker lives in the same state as me. (Not that I can take any personal credit for such excellence...) I'm almost done with my little wedge of Northern Lights blue, and will need to buy some more soon. What a fabulous cheese this is. Hope you enjoy your Carr Valley and other Wisconsin cheese, too! Anne Thu Apr 30 22:14:47 -0700 2009 4644337 12541 AnneInMpls 1 4646058 Agree with everything posted here. I would add that you should avoid many of the roadside cheese shops which carry all kinds of ill-advised flavored cheddar (cranberry cheddar, for example). I make the trip to visit in-laws from Mpls to Milwaukee frequently, and have tried all of the places. Carr Valley in Mauston is by far the best. I would also suggest purchasing some Fancy Cheese (specifically pepperjack) if you see it. Fri May 01 11:52:03 -0700 2009 4609650 234845 KyleThomas 1 4646072 Hope you have fun with the cheese! At Carr Valley they have great caraway cheese curds Fri May 01 11:55:14 -0700 2009 4609650 171426 jenniegirl 1 4656372 Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! And now... the trip report: I couldn't try all of the suggestions, but we did stop at a few places. The first was Midtown Global Market, where I found the blue cheese that AnneInMpls recommended (btw, Anne, the cheesemaker's name is Joe SHERMAN... I could not remember it for the life of me). I'd have to say that it's one of the best blues I've ever had. See the rest of the thread for more comments. We stopped in Carr Valley's Mauston outpost and watched their video on cheesemaking. Then, I took ages to decide which cheeses to bring back with me to CA. I bought the 10-year cheddar, the Mobay (a layer of goat and a layer of cheese separated by a lining of grapevine ashes), the white goat cheddar, and also a wedge of the wildflower baby cheddar for a friend who was dog-sitting for us. They barely survived the trip back to CA because y'all were having San Diego-esque weather and we had limited access to refrigeration. Back in our living room, with the pooch eyeing the 10-year cheddar longingly, we feasted. We loved the white goat cheddar and the Mobay. The 10-year cheddar was very, very sharp and definitely could not be had in mass quantities, but it was amazing. We regretted not buying a Gouda, but we might be out in Necedah again later this year, so there's always next time. On our way back to Minneapolis from Necedah, we took Route 10 and stopped the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery for cheese curds. Not having grown up with them, I'll say that the texture and the squeaking took me slightly aback. We bought a bag of regular cheese curds and a bag of garlic for on-the-road munchies. The leftovers came back to CA and we plan on frying them up tonight. So many choices for cheese... I'm glad my friend moved out there and we have more opportunities to sample everything Wisconsin has to offer! Thanks again! Tue May 05 11:52:09 -0700 2009 4609650 93901 geekyfoodie 2 4659890 Oops... I just noticed a typo... the Mobay is a layer of goat's milk cheese and a layer of sheep's milk cheese separated by a layer of grapevine ashes. Wed May 06 13:00:40 -0700 2009 4656372 93901 geekyfoodie