Farmer's cheese is one those salt-of-the-earth kind of cheeses – it's hardworking, unassuming, and will do anything you ask it to. Need a creamy cheese sauce for filling lasagna or pierogis? Farmer's cheese is happy to oblige. Whipping up a cheese dip for a pre-game spread? Farmer's cheese will always volunteer. Making a simple cheese recipe for a snack drizzled with honey and topped with crisp pear slices?
In Wisconsin, we think of farmer's cheese as an everyday cheese. Made fresh from pressed curd and as white as Wisconsin farmlands in February, farmer's cheese is low in fat content, so there's never any guilt about adding it to all kinds of recipes. (Not that we really feel guilty about cheese of any kind.) So, come on people, let's give it up for farmer's cheese, the humblest but hardest-working act in the cheese business.
We like to use farmer's cheese as filling for blintzes and pierogis, or as the foundation for a cheese spread. We'll also lightly fry it and use it in a sandwich, and it's great for cheese and crackers. You can also slice it really thin and roll it with your favorite salumi.
The mild flavor of farmer's cheese pairs well with any crisp, dry white like young chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or an off-dry riesling or gewürztraminer. For reds, try young and fruity unoaked bottles like pinot noir, gamay, or zweigelt.
When drinking beer, a lighter pilsner, wheat ale, or American pale lager will make your farmer's cheese happy.
Farmer's cheese, a fresh cheese variety, is a pressed cottage cheese that is slightly more acidic and has a firmer texture, thanks to a lower moisture content. Farmer's cheese can be made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats and can be rolled in different herbs or seasonings for extra flavor.
Farmer's cheese is made by adding rennet to milk to coagulate and acidify it. The curd is pressed to remove the milk liquid or whey from the solid curds, then salted and refrigerated.
When sealed in a container in the refrigerator, farmer's cheese should keep for up to one week.
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When you think farmer's cheese, you want to think Wisconsin. It's not because we have so many farmers or so many cows. It's because we have so many cheesemakers who are making the freshest, tastiest cheese on the planet.
See, in Wisconsin, cheese is kind of our thing – you might call it an obsession. Cheese is why we get up in the morning. It's the reason we come to the dinner table on time. And it's why it's illegal to yell "Free cheese here!" in a crowded theatre. (Okay, so that's not really a thing. Yet.) Point is, we dream in cheese in Wisconsin. We produce more cheese than any other place in the world, and we've won more awards than any other state or county on earth.
So, next time you want to savor the fresh creamy goodness of a farmer's cheese, make sure it comes from Wisconsin.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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