It's National Cheese Day!!

Today is the day to celebrate one of my favorite things -- CHEESE.

It's National Cheese Day!! According to the National Day Calendar website, National Cheese Day is observed annually June 4 and celebrates all that can be done with cheese.

According to wikipedia, "cheese is a food derived from milk that is produced in a wide range of flavors, textures and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, the milk is usually acidified, and adding the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into final form. Some cheeses have molds on the rind or throughout. Most cheeses melt at cooking temperature."

Jewett's Cheese House outside Earlville

Just think for a moment what your life would be without cheese. That means a life with no grilled cheese sandwiches. No macaroni and cheese. No cheeseburgers. No Alfredo pasta sauce. No point of eating pasta at all (no ricottta for the lasagna!!) Cheese Danish would be a think of the past as would be -- oh, the horror -- cheesecake.

So I know I will be bowing today to all those who make cheese. And there are lots of these folks right here in New York state. There are individual cheese makers who use cows milk and goats milk to make great cheeses, like Wake Robin Farm in Elbridge and 2 Kids Goat Farm in Fabius.

Poster from last year's Cream Cheese Festival

There also are a number of cheese factories in the state that take in loads of cows milk from New York farmers to make different kinds of cheese.  

New York also has a number of cheese trails, like the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail, where people can visit various cheesemakers and taste their products, and there are cheese festivals, like the Cream Cheese Festival each year in Lowville.