Oser Communications Group

8 The Cheese Guide rolling hills and valleys is home to some of the 1,800 farmers who belong to the national organic cooperative. They share the goal of tending the land with sustainable methods and have an average herd of about 70 cows. "They're not 100 percent grass-fed, but they're out on pasture as much as possible in a Midwest climate," Westrich said. Kickapoo Blue is made from a decades-old recipe that uses this milk combined with Penicillium roqueforti. "That milk, that great organic milk from our family farmers really makes the difference," Westrich said. That difference is gaining the notice of the critics. Kickapoo Blue won a gold medal this year at the Los Angeles International Dairy Competition and a second-place award at the American Cheese Society's 2015 competition. "Clearly we're doing something right with it," Westrich said. Kickapoo Blue is sold in a 4-ounce wedge wrapped in plastic and foil and in tubs of crumbles that are made from the same cheese sold in the wedge. Bleating Heart Cheese Bleating Heart Cheese's Buff Blue is one of most unusual blue cheeses on the American market. Cheesemaker Seana Doughty makes it from water buffalo milk supplied by dairy farmer Andrew Zlot, who uses it to make his gelato during the spring and summer months. Demand for gelato diminishes during the winter, so Zlot urged Doughty to take some of his winter milk and try making cheese with it. Water buffalo milk is traditionally used to make mozzarella di bufala in Italy, where it's been made since around 1200. Doughty, though, who specializes in American Originals cheeses that are an expression of her own creativity, had absolutely not interest in making mozzarella. "But he kept coming back and asking me," she said. Zlot finally talked her into trying some experiments. She made a couple of experiments at home and then did some thinking about the implications of the milk's very high fat content – water buffalo milk contains about 8-10 percent fat, compared to around 7 percent fat for sheep milk, which doesn't sound like a lot of difference, but the extra fat makes a very dense, very rich milk that's distinctively different to work with. After playing around with the milk a bit, Doughty began to wonder if it might make a good blue cheese. The result was Buff Blue, an absolutely unique cheese for the American market. Doughty made it in multiple batches for the first time in late 2014, then sent it to the World Cheese Awards, where it won a bronze medal in its first competition. In 2015, Buff Blue made from spring milk went on to win a third-place award in the American Cheese Society competition. The water buffalo milk supply went to Zlot's gelato instead during the summer, but as soon as the cooler weather came, Doughty went right back to making cheese with it. "I have been getting so many requests for it because people who did get a little bit of it loved it," Doughty said. "Markets have been sending out purchase orders for it even though I told them that we were sold out." Buff Blue retails for about $40 a pound, depending on the retailer and the distance from the Bleating Heart creamery, but the reception has been so enthusiastic that Doughty is planning to expand her production of Buff Blue with all the milk that Zlot's willing to sell her. The cheese, made in 2-1/2 to 3- pound wheels, will continue to be made in the fall and winter, ending each year with the arrival of spring weather. Buff Blue is aged for at least 90 days, so it's available for sale in the spring months through June, if it lasts that long. "The buffalo milk is tricky and can be difficult to work with, but I'm used to it now. I know what to expect," Doughty said. "I feel a sense of accomplishment as a cheesemaker that I have found a way to make an award-winning cheese from this very difficult milk."

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