We've been excitedly awaiting spring's arrival, and for good reason. Several months ago, DLM Cheesemongers and Bakery leaders traveled to Wisconsin to roll up their sleeves and work alongside the master cheesemakers at Henning's. We took part in helping make our very own big batch of DLM Wisconsin Reserve Cheddar, which has spent the past several months aging and developing flavor. The result is an amazing cheese that's a bit buttery and creamy, with a slightly sweet tang. It's a Cheddar that we're not only proud to have our name on, but that we quite literally helped make!

THE LAND OF GREAT CHEESE

While cheese is made all over the U.S. and there are states that actually produce more cheese in volume, Wisconsin is the state that is most often thought of when buying American cheese. From soft ripened cheese, hard cheese, and blue cheese, to everything in between, Wisconsin produces something for every type of cheese lover. 

This is thanks to an abundance of fertile land for milk cows and a balanced climate that allows for excellent milk production. The region also had a healthy influx of immigrants from cheesemaking cultures of Alpine Europe, thus making this truly the cheese capital of America! In fact, Wisconsin leads the nation in dairy plants and is still the only state that has strict technical requirements that stipulate a certified cheesemaker must be on the team to make cheese. 

Before even taking the rigorous final exam, such a specialist must have a minimum of 4,000 hours of work experience in cheesemaking over six years, in addition to 2,000 hours of a combination of work experience, formal education, continuing education, or professional development. A Master Cheesemaker must have all of this along with 10 years’ experience, 5 years with the variety of cheese they wish to be certified, and a 3-year apprenticeship.

THE MASTERFUL CRAFT BEHIND THE CURD

One such Master Cheesemaker is Kerry Henning, a third-generation cheesemaker at Henning's. He works together with his brother Kurt and many other family members. We've proudly sold Henning’s cheese for many years. This past August, we visited to not only spend time with our friends there but to take part in the making of a 3,000-lb batch of cheese to offer here! 

We arrived early in the morning, fully caffeinated and raring to make cheese. Much like farmers, these folks rise early, as the milk was already being prepared. We took part in the cheesemaking steps that followed, including setting the milk, cutting the curd, processing the curd, draining the whey, knitting the curd, pressing the curd, and adding salt. We quickly found out that it's incredibly physical work to “cheddar” cheese. Cutting the curd involved using large stainless-steel tools to divide the nearly 4,000-pound piece into “pillows” that are then cheddared. This term "cheddaring" is the developmental stage that involves a series of turning and stacking the blocks, or pillows, of curd and allowing them to cool, drain, and “knit” together over time. After several months of aging, we are proud to introduce our limited cut of DLM Wisconsin Reserve Cheddar! It's truly perfect as a nibbler, on a grilled cheese, in homemade mac and cheese, or melted on a delicious burger.