About The Cheese

Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise is an aged alpine raw milk organic cheese handmade by John and Janine Putnam on their family farm in North Pomfret, Vermont from the certified organic milk of their grass-fed Jersey cows.

Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise is made using a copper cheese vat in the tradition of the Tarentaise Valley in the Savoie region of the French Alps. The copper vat, essential to developing the proper flavor, is the only one in Vermont, one of only a few in the United States, and was custom built for Thistle Hill Farm in Switzerland.

Following in the footsteps of the cheesemakers of the Savoie, Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise is made using imported French cultures to mature the curds. Further, the Putnam's follow the traditional Savoie process of making their own rennet, using the whey from the previous cheesemaking. Much in the same way bakers use a sourdough starter, this traditional rennet gives a complexity of flavor to the cheese which cannot otherwise be created.

Unlike most commercial cheese operations, which use pumps that harm the curds, at Thistle Hill Farm the curds are carefully taken from the copper vat to the Forepress by hand using a large cheese cloth. The cheeses then go through a series of molds and turnings before entering the Aging room. The Tarentaise molds were imported from France and create a cheese approximately 14 inches in diameter, 4 inches high, with the concave sides unique to the Beaufort, Abondance and Tarentaise cheeses. Aging ranges from 4 months and up, with 6 months considered optimal. The Aging room contains only Tarentaise cheese and its atmosphere has been carefully created to further foster the development of Tarentaises' unique and complex flavor. During the aging process, the cheeses are scrubbed twice each week to develop the natural rind and butterscotch color.

From its humble beginnings as organic raw milk to its natural aging and rind development, Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise is as unadulterated a cheese as you will find. The imported French cultures impart flavor and texture. The traditional rennet provides structure and further complexity to the flavor of the cheese. Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise has no added preservatives, synthetic flavors or additives. No herbs are used to hide its flavor; no waxes or plastics simplify its aging process.

Tarentaise is unique to North Pomfret Vermont's terrior - its soil, geography, climate and flora - which gives Tarentaise its characteristic smooth, subtle nut flavor and complex finish.

Thistle Hill Tarentaise cheese is available at fine food stores and can be ordered from the farm directly at www.ThistleHillFarm.com