A bunch of cheesy links

Recently, I checked out a book called American Cheeses by Clark Wolf. It's a light read, and it gives some practical advice about how to store and serve cheese, and it has some tasty-sounding (and absurdly complex) recipes, such as Winchester Gouda and Basil Gnocchi with Porcini and Asparagus Ragout.

But, it also has the names and Web sites of an assortment of small U.S. cheesemakers, many of which I'd like to visit . . . when I have the money for gasoline again. Sigh. I'm picking out the Washington and Oregon creameries that sound interesting:

Sally Jackson Cheeses, Oroville, Wash. Sounds very interesting to me, with Goat, Cow and Sheep cheese. None of the links on the homepage work, though. Too bad she hired a Web designer that went out of business.

The Rogue Creamery, Central Point, Ore. It was founded by a co-op in 1928. They once won a "London Best" award for their cheese. Too bad all of their cheeses are blue cheeses, which make my mouth vibrate if I eat them. But maybe you like blue cheese.

Quillisascut Cheese Company, Rice, Wash. I had no idea there was such a town as "Rice" in the state of Washington, but there is. It's on the Franklin Roosevelt Reservoir. Clark Wolf says that whatever the cheesemaker, Lora Lea, makes, is an ingredient of choice of top chefs in Seattle and Portland. I'm very interested to find out what UFO cheese tastes like (who came up with that name?), but the Quillisascut Traditional Curado sounds the nicest to me, made from raw goat milk and having sweet, nutty and grassy flavors.

Willamette Valley Cheese, Salem, Ore. This sounds kind of interesting, especially the Brindisi Fontina. I have no idea what that means, but the product description assures me that it's "perfect for sophisticated tastes, yet accessible for less adventurous eaters." I think that's marketing-speak for when your Mom says, "try it, you'll like it" without telling you what it is.

Golden Glen Creamery, Bow, Wash. I rode my bike through this town 10 years ago, but was too tired to see clearly, so I must have missed this place. But it's in a very scenic location, just south of some lovely hills that overlook Samish Bay. Chuckanut Drive is the road you take to get here. Their Web site uses actual words I've heard, such as "cheddar," "gouda," and "feta." Maybe that merits a visit.

Samish Bay Cheese, Bow, Wash. Two creameries in the same town! That's kind of neat. They have one called the "Port Edison" that they make from raw milk. I want to try it.

Beecher's Handmade Cheese, Seattle, Wash. One of the few I've actually visited. They have some kind of robot stirer device that you can watch as it makes the milk turn in to curds. They claim to have the world's best macaroni and cheese.

Washington State University Creamery, Pullman, Wash. Another that I've actually visited. Back during the 1930s, they got the idea that it would really help our troops to have cheese in a can. I don't know if the Army really caught on to it, but it's got its own wikipedia page. They say that the cheese could stay good for decades in the can. I bought a can of it a year ago, and am still waiting for the right opportunity to open it. Every time I bring it to an event, someone else brings cheese, and we don't eat it. Maybe I need to throw my own party.

The Seattle Cheese Festival at the Pike Place Market. Who knew we had such a thing? And, how nice of them to plan it between Pascha and Pentecost.

The Oregon Cheese Festival, in Central Point, Ore. Who knew Oregon had a Central Point? Kind of cool, though -- my sister lives in a spherical state. But, unfortunately, it's two weeks in to Lent. Sigh...

The Pacific Northwest Cheese Project. They put on a grilled cheese contest and they give out scholarships for aspiring cheesemakers. And, this site has a whole bunch of links to creameries that didn't make it in to Mr. Wolf's book. Mr. Wolf said that he drove really long distances when he was in Washington state researching the book, and he was astonished at how espresso stands would appear at the oddest places. Maybe he got tired of driving.

Aren't you glad to know all this stuff? Mainly, this blog post is a list of places I want to go, later, when I have employment and money to buy cheese. And, by that time, I'll have given the book back to the library. So I figured I'd write this stuff down, and maybe you could benefit from it, too.

I guess the real summary of what I'm trying to say is, please, I need a job so I can stop thinking about abstract cheese! Somebody fix this economy.