If you ever wanted to help create and name a cheese, this is your chance.
Cheesemaker Brenda Jensen, owner of Hidden Springs Creamery, a farmstead sheep dairy near Westby, is looking to create a new flavor of her Driftless cheese, a perennial award-winner. Deliciously simple, consisting of just sheep’s milk, culture, rennet and salt, this wonderfully light, creamy and spreadable cheese is fluffy, lemony and finishes with just a hint of the wonderful grasses which sustain the farm’s flock. Think of it as a sheep’s milk chevre.
Currently available in an ever-evolving blend of flavors, including Basil & Olive Oil, Cranberry & Cinnamon, Tomato & Garlic, Pumpkin, Maple and Honey & Lavender, Brenda is now looking to develop a new flavor. She’s excited about partnering with Wisconsin Cheese Originals members and blog readers on suggestions.
Want to participate? Email me your suggestions for a new flavor and include your name and address so we can give you credit. Brenda will select the suggestions she likes, and then attendees at the Third Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival’s Meet the Cheesemaker Gala on will vote for the winner (tickets to the gala go on sale next week: click here for a preview of festival events).
Here are the guidelines to participate:
1. The new flavor should include ingredients that are available locally to Wisconsin, if possible. Brenda prefers to use local suppliers.
2. The new flavor must be shelf sustainable for at least 45 days, which means fresh fruits are out.
3. Get creative! The name of the cheese doesn’t have to match the ingredients. If you come up with a good name for your suggestion, be sure to include it!
4. Email me your flavor and name suggestions no later than Friday, Sept. 30. This will give Brenda time to select her favorites and develop materials for voting at the Meet the Cheesemaker Gala during the Third Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival on Friday, Nov. 4.
The winning entry will be announced in December and in my Wisconsin Cheese Originals member newsletter. Its creator will receive a free tub of the new flavor from the first batch Brenda makes. Good luck, cheese friends!