This is Randal and Carol's Gouda-style sheep cheese, Mountain Gem...now with a smoky twist! Like their regular Gem, It is aged at least 10 months (note that the label says 3 months, but we get it after a longer aging). This is a milder, slightly sweeter, and very smooth yet firm cheese, now with a touch of hardwood smoke from Randal's very own dedicated hardwood smoker.
Dedicated is important because cheese has an incredible affinity for capturing off flavors; many eaters are turned off by cheeses that carry on a beefy or fishy flavor from the last product smoked in that device. Not so with the Stoker's cheeses!
As a homegrown sheep cheese crafted from raw milk, this cheese is more digestible than a regular pasteurized cow milk cheese. This sheep cheese maintains texture even after freezing, so ships frozen. Thaw slowly in the fridge for best results.
One 8 oz wedge of cheese, individually packaged and vacuum sealed.
Ingredients: Raw sheep milk, cultures, rennet (an enzyme that curdles milk to make cheese), salt.
These cheeses are natamycin free as well. Natamycin is a fungal (mold) inhibitor permitted worldwide in cheeses, and is often incorporated in aged European cheeses.
