Rush Creek Reserve
North of Dodgeville, Wisconsin is an expanse of rolling hills and valleys that were left untouched by the Ice Age glaciers. These are the same glaciers that later helped to form Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and the many lakes dotting the Wisconsin landscape. The untouched area is known as the Uplands and it is here where Mike and Carol Gingrich have their farm and Uplands Cheese Company.
Mike and Carol's cows are free to graze on three hundred acres of ridgetop land where the soil is ideally adapted to producing rich grasses and other grazing herbs. Because the Gingrich's make sure their cows graze in a rotational manner, they are certain to nosh fresh pasture every day.
Inspired by Vacherin Mont d'Or, Andy and Mike wanted to make an Autumn seasonal cheese that reflected the region's terroir. They tailored the Mont d'Or process to their own milk supply and ripening environments and have created a soft, raw cow's milk cheese made with evening milk. The washed-rind is wrapped in a thin strip of spruce bark then aged for sixty days. The paste is luscious and silky and easily eaten with a spoon.
Farm / Company: Uplands Cheese
Cheesemaker: Andy Hatch
Proprietor: Mike & Carol Gingrich and Dan & Jeanne Patenaude
Affineur:
City, State: Dodgeville, Wisconsin
Region: Midwest
Country: USA
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Traditional
Rind: Washed, bark wrapped
Texture: Soft
Aging: 60 days
Size(s): 12 ounce round
