A Cheese That Makes The Angels Sing
I try to feed my family in a pretty
healthy way while not making them feel like the weird hippie kids,
and one of the hardest areas for me to make health merge with taste
(and what’s in fashion at friends’ houses) has been
cheese. We generally buy Tillamook cheese out of Vermont;
it’s a great company that, while not certified organic, does
not use bovine growth hormones on its cows. This turns out a
relatively cost-friendly yet delicious and nutritious cheese.
Unfortunately, it can’t hold a candle to Velveeta.
My kids absolutely adore the plastic,
imitation cheese that comes individually wrapped in yet more
plastic and contains artificial dyes, preservatives, and heaven
knows what other delicious chemicals. And I have to admit –
American cheese (bless our hearts as a country: our cheese
claim-to-fame is a cheese that is completely synthetic. Go USA!)
does melt better than any other real cheese out there. I understand
its appeal in scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and more.
I cannot justify buying those slices, though, and kept frantically
searching without hope for some acceptable solution.
Until recently.
While we were in Florida on vacation, I was stocking our rental
house at the local grocery store when I happened across the organic
dairy section. They had a wide variety of Applegate Farm sliced
cheeses, and Applegate Farm is a brand I trust, so I took a closer
look. And there, between the mild cheddar and the provolone, was
– could I be seeing this right? – an
target="_blank">organic American cheese.
That is not possible, I thought, and checked the label.
Hmmm –organic cheddar cheese, sodium citrate, rennet, salt.
Now granted, it’s white, because there’s no food dyes
making it that bright orange we’re used to. But could it
taste the same? I threw it in the cart and brought it home.
And came back the next day for another pack.
The girls wolfed it down – sandwiches, plain, you name it.
They love the taste: somewhere between Velveeta and a processed
smoked Gouda. I have to admit, it’s pretty darn good.
We came home in love, and then the honeymoon was over: I
couldn’t find a single store in the area that carries it
here. I’ve petitioned our local grocery store to start
stocking it, but until then I’m actually paying to have it
shipped to us directly from Applegate Farms. Yes, the shipping is
expensive, and yes, I’m buying six packs at a time and
freezing the rest, but boy is it worth it.
And just wait until winter comes, and we heat up the Panini
grill.
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