Part 2: Cheeses of Vermont

This year, the Kehler brothers and their partners put the finishing touches on a 22,000-square-foot aging facility with seven cavernous, climate-controlled cellars, each devoted to aging a particular style of cheese. One vault is just for washed-rind cheeses from small producers. Another holds 6,000 wheels of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, each hand-coated with lard that invites just the right molds to grow during their yearlong maturation. This earthy cheddar with hints of butterscotch, a collaboration with the commercial brand Cabot Creamery, is served at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., and the French Laundry, in Yountville, California. If all goes well, it will be sold in European shops and restaurants before long.

Cash flow from this part of the Kehlers' business finances the more modest operations of cheese-makers just getting started, which fuels Vermont's hottest export since Ben & Jerry's ice cream. This is pretty big thinking for a farm that began making cheese only six years ago -- and a delicious example of how community spirit nurtures the land.

Willow Hill Farm"When you eat things made close to you, they always taste better," says Willow Smart.
The farmers: Willow Smart and Dave Phinney of Milton
The cheese: Varieties include Summertomme, herb-crusted and buttery; Vermont Brebis, soft and tasting of mushrooms; and Alderbrook, semi-ripened, with citrus and herbal notes.
Learn more: sheepcheese.com

Consider Bardwell Farm 
"I really bonded well with the goats," says Angela Miller.
The farmers: Angela Miller and Russell Glover of West Pawlet; with partners Peter Dixon, and Chris Gray
The cheese: Seven kinds, four from goats' milk and three from cows'. Standouts include Mettowee, a fresh, creamy chevre, and Manchester, a rustic tomme-style cheese that's nutty and earthy.
Learn more: considerbardwellfarm.com

Thistle Hill Farm"We do it the European way: one place, one cheese. That way your cheese tastes like your farm," says John Putnam.
The farmers: John and Janine Putnam of North Pomfret
The cheese: Tarentaise, an aged semi-hard cheese inspired by Beaufort and Abondance, from the French Alps, and made from the organic milk of the farm's Jersey cows.
Learn more: thistlehillfarm.com

Blue Ledge Farm"People cherish the small luxuries in life, and cheese is just that," says Hannah Sessions.
The farmers: Greg Bernhardt and Hannah Sessions of Salisbury, with their children, Livia and Hayden
The cheese: Seven goats' milk varieties, including Lake's Edge, a slightly tangy melt-in-your-mouth cheese with a layer of ash, and Dunmore, a new semisoft cheese named after a nearby lake. "It knocked my socks off," New York cheesemonger Anne Saxelby says. "It's like buttercream frosting."
Learn more: blueledgefarm.com

Jasper Hill Farm"Our mission is to keep the landscape working," says Mateo Kehler.
The farmers: Brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler, of Greensboro
The cheese: Two made from the raw milk of Ayrshire cows are Constant Bliss, a slow-ripened cheese whose name says it all, and Bayley Hazen Blue, deeply veined and rich, with grassy notes. Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, a collaboration with Cabot Creamery, is as good as cheddar gets.
Learn more: jasperhillfarm.com