Making cheese is a blend of art and science, and a healthy dose of intuition. Although cheese typically follows a simple outline, it can vary dramatically in the process depending on the style being made. Although cultures and other ingredients can be added to the milk, the physical handling of the milk, curds and finished cheese determines the finished product. We monitor all of our cheeses carefully, particularly the pH of the product, and keep records for ourselves and our inspectors from the Department of Agriculture.
We recommend keeping our cheeses wrapped in wax paper or coated cheese paper to let them breathe, and then placing them in a loose plastic bag in the cheese drawer or other closed container in your refrigerator. All our cheeses are best eaten sooner rather than later but, depending on the cheese, they could last anywhere from a few days to three weeks. Fresh
(not aged) cheeses are the most perishable, so eat those quickly! We also advise taking cheese out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving — cheese has the best flavor at room temperature! If you’re not sure what beverage to pair with it or which meals to make,
hop on over to our blog!Calvander
Calvander is the most robust cheese that we produce and is a multi-year winner of the Best in Show Ribbon at the NC State Fair, and has won a World Jersey Cheese Award. Inspired by Asiago, Calvander is aged for 7+ months, and is simply bursting with flavor! Its buttery and walnut characteristics are balanced by a piquant tang.
We named this cheese after Calvander Crossroads, the site of the 19th century Calvin Andrews schoolhouse just minutes from the Creamery. Shave this cheese over pasta al dente or grate finely to make pesto. Add to a béchamel for serving over chicken, or mix with our Hickory Grove to give macaroni and cheese a real kick. And of course, Calvander makes the perfect flavor-forward cheese for your cheeseboard! We also recommend pairing it with a California red wine such as Pinot Noir, or a Kolsch beer!
Hickory Grove
Hickory Grove makes the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich! It has a rich, buttery flavor, lacy, smooth texture, and melts beautifully.
Hickory Grove has a natural washed rind with just a hint of funkiness – it’s made in the style of monastery cheeses, usually named after the monastery where they’re made. We don’t have a monastery here at CHC, but we do have the Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church at the head of our road; hence the name.
Hickory Grove can be served melted over potatoes like a Raclette, or makes for a great cheeseburger. We recommend pairing it with a traditional Chianti wine, or an Oktoberfest beer. Hickory Grove has won awards at the American Cheese Society, the World Jersey Cheese Awards, and is a three-time winner at the NC State Fair.
Dairyland Farmer’s Cheese
You can really taste the good Jersey milk in this semi soft cheese! Made with pasteurized milk, our Dairyland Farmers Cheese is a fresh, moist cheese and has a clean, vibrant flavor with a tangy hint of citrus. The creaminess and slight saltiness of this cheese make it a delicious addition to pasta salads and vine-ripe tomato sandwiches.
Melt into Mexican dishes such as burritos and quesadillas or crumble into spicy fish tacos. For a heavenly farm-fresh breakfast, add to scrambled eggs. Excellent with hot pepper jelly for an appetizer. Kids (of all ages) love this cheese. Adults may enjoy it with a Chardonnay (especially as Chablis) or a Belgian Wit beer.
We’re proud that our simple Farmer’s Cheese has won first place at the American Cheese Society Competition, as well as won multiple awards at the NC State Fair and the World Jersey Cheese Awards.
We also really enjoy playing around with this cheese, sometimes making what we call Hot Farmers!, a version of this cheese that has a spicy rub on it, or Cool Farmers, which has a lemony dill rub. Keep an eye out for those and other fun seasonal variations at the farmers markets!
Smoked Farmer’s Cheese
This is our favorite variation on our Dairyland Farmers cheese. We smoke the cheese with fruitwood, resulting in a heavenly, creamy, smoky flavor. Perfect for snacking, particularly with grilled or roasted veggies, or melting into a quesadilla. Excellent paired with a sparkling Blanc de Noirs or an Italian Pilsner.
Carolina Moon
Resembling a full moon shining over our beautiful state, Carolina Moon is our North Carolinian version of Camembert.
This decadent, soft-ripened cheese is made from pasteurized Jersey milk, and has the traditional round shape of its French counterpart. Aged for 4-5 weeks, it has a delicious buttery, mushroom-y flavor and a rich, creamy texture.
Carolina Moon is perfect served at room temperature with baguette or crackers and seasonal fruit or fig jam. Or top with thinly sliced apples, a pinch of cinnamon and bake inside phyllo dough. We love this with a dry rose or a Belgian ale. Carolina Moon has won a World Jersey Cheese Award, as well as three times at the NC State Fair.
New Moon
A semi-ripened variation on Carolina Moon, these small, bloomy-rind cheeses are perfect for a light lunch or appetizer. They have a smooth texture and light flavor, and are ripened for 2-3 weeks. We love these for a unique cheese board twist, particularly to taste next to Carolina Moon for a fun tasting session or palate training! These are also lovely on their own drizzled with honey and nuts.
We’d drink something light and fun with this, such as a champagne, or a hopped lager.
Fresh Mozzarella
Definitely not your ordinary ‘pizza cheese’! We make our Fresh Mozzarella with the rich and creamy pasteurized milk from our Jersey cows, which gives it a soft and delicate texture. And because our herd grazes on a natural diet of grass, this delectable cheese has a warm, butter-yellow color.
It’s both mild and sweet, with that clean, fresh taste of milk. For a burst of summer, enjoy a Caprese salad with alternating slices of vine-ripe tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped basil. Or melt over crusty bread and grilled eggplant, olive tapenade or roasted red peppers for a tasty bruschetta appetizer.
Perfect for ‘extraordinary’ pizzas! Enjoy it with Sancerre wine or a French or Belgian saison. We’re grateful that our mozzarella has come home with four awards from the NC State Fair, including three gold medals.
Smoked Mozzarella
A fresh, traditional cheese with a lovely milk flavor, we smoke the cheese with fruitwood to create a delectable treat. The texture is a little firmer than a fresh mozzarella, making it perfect to shred onto salads or more pizza, or a simple cheesy toast snack.
If eating with a savory dinner, pair with a Merlot or Brown ale, or make dessert extra decadent by pairing with a pastry stout.
Danziger
A washed rind, semi-soft cheese with a bit of funk. Most similar to an Italian Taleggio, this cheese is aged for 2 months.
Nicely pungent, creamy and full of flavor, this cheese pairs well with olives, roasted sweet peppers, thick slices of Tuscan-style bread, and a Chianti Reserva or a strong Belgian ale.
Ricotta
A fresh, traditional cheese with a lovely milk flavor. We have customers who love spreading this on toast with nuts and honey for a nice savory breakfast, but you can also use it for the more traditional cheesecake or lasagna. We also love making spinach ricotta pasta to really showcase the flavorful milk. If eating with a savory dinner, pair it with Merlot or a brown ale, or make dessert extra decadent by pairing with a pastry stout.
YoYo
We started making this fresh yogurt-like variation during the pandemic, as a way to use some of our extra milk and provide more basic staples to customers who were shopping local. This is a cream top dairy food with no sweetener, perfect for breakfast or for using in baking, and also works well in Indian cooking. We love it so much we plan to keep making it!
Paneer
Traditionally an Indian frying cheese with a hint of lime, this is a fresh cheese with lots of flavor. This cheese is meant only to cook with rather than to eat fresh; we love it fried with cooked greens or mixed vegetables, or with your favorite Saag Paneer recipe. It can also often be found on the menu at some of our favorite local spots such as
Lantern Restaurant.
Thunder Mountain Swiss
Our longest aged cheese, this swiss ripens for over a year in our aging room, resulting in a bold cheese packed with roasted, nutty flavor and some grassy spring onion notes. We love this as the star on a cheese plate with prosciutto, but you can also use it to punch up a quiche, mac & cheese, or French onion soup.
When eating with a cheese board, we like to pair it with an Oregon Pinot Noir or a Zinfandel, or even a Cabernet - it plays well with others. If beer is more your style, we’d suggest your favorite IPA.
