Green Mountain Blue Cheese

Boucher Family Farm
The history of the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence River Valleys is the history of the French farmers who settled the region. Tradesmen, trappers, and soldiers required a secure local foodsource that would allow them to pursue their interests, instead of spending all their time preparing, gathering, and hunting for food. Nearly 400 years ago, the Bouchers received several allotments (seigniories) in New France, which eventually became Quebec, Canada. They raised meat and work animals, grew crops, and made soap, butter, and flour – both for themselves and for sale. Wealth, respect, and additional land were the rewards for supporting the local community, but the risk was very high. Many had to flee into the woods with their livestock during conflicts. During the French and Indian Wars one ancestor, Pierre Boucher, took control of Fort Trois Rivieres after it was depleted of able-bodied men and made peace with the Iroquois, a pivotal event in the history of the province. Boucherville was named in his honor and his statue stands on the grounds of the National Assembly Building in Quebec City. The French legacy remains in the religion, language, culture, and cuisine of the province.

Over the centuries many abandoned farming, but a line of Bouchers remained in active agriculture. Rene Boucher moved his family to Vermont to farm in the 1940’s. His son Gilbert, the youngest of eleven brothers and sisters, took over all responsibilities at age 14; he increased the milk herd from 16 to 180 cows and the land base from 45 to 1,000 acres. Today, two of Gilbert’s four sons, Daniel and Denis, perform the daily operations, raise the calves, and grow the crops – and they now milk only 110 animals.

Cheese Varieties

Cow:
Boucher Blue/Vermont Blue Cheese
Smooth, very creamy, and mild, with undertones of chestnuts, sweet hay, and truffles. Based on a French Fourme d’Ambert over the years it has become a true farmhouse cheese, unique to our farm. Serving suggestion: Part of an American Cheese course with sweet fruity wine: its mild character does not conflict as other, more well known blues can. You may serve either of our blue cheeses on a spoon as an amuse-bouche with a drop of Amaretto. An American Cheese Society award-winner.

Cow:
Gore-Dawn-Zola
Made in the Gorgonzola style, tangy, sharp and crumbly. This cheese is cured over a three-week period attracting naturally occurring flora to form a rind. The surface is scraped down before wrapping and further aging in our cellar. It has a unique character and bitter chocolate aroma. Due to its crumbly texture, it is best cut with a wire. Serving suggestion: try as dessert or an appetizer with caramelized walnuts, sweet raisin bread, or drizzled with honey. Great over a light green salad with a sweet dressing. Has won the Cheese Reporter Trophy at the British Empire Cheese Show.

Cow
Brother Laurent
A washed-rind French Muenster-style cheese named for an uncle, Holy Brother Laurent Boucher, who made frequent trips from Montreal to the farm during his lifetime. This cheese is very aromatic, dense, and tangy. It melts well and is traditionally served over boiled potatoes. Serving suggestion: A great addition to creamy meat sauces, or at the side of a wine-poached pear as dessert. We simply eat it alone with crusty bread at the side, savoring each bite. An A.C.S. award-winner.

All of our cheeses are made by hand with fresh, whole, unpasteurized milk. Our Holstein, Jersey, and French Normandy cows eat the feed we grow and harvest ourselves and are rBST-free. Cheeses are cured and aged for over 60 days in the cellar below our cheese house.