the cheese blog

Cherry Grove Farm Gouda

When I was at Fair Food Farmstand last week, there was a 2oz sliver of Cherry Grove Farm’s Gouda. It is a raw cow’s-milk Gouda that is aged for 2 months. It had a nice natural rind (no wax here!). The interior is semi-firm with the characteristic eyes towards the center. The color was a mellow to medium yellow. The cheese was also giving off a bit of oil, indicating it was likely rubbed with olive oil while aging (the rind was a good indicator as well).

This was definitely much better than traditional Gouda exported to the US. It had a fruity aroma and tasted similar. It wasn’t a complex cheese, just a very fresh and well made Gouda. If you aren’t a Gouda fan (and who really would be), and you can get some of Cherry Grove Farm’s Gouda, I think you’ll understand that a Gouda doesn’t have to be aged for two years to be tasty.