ÿþ<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> <title>Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise - Description</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="Thistle Hill Farm , aged alpine raw milk cheese, organic milk, organic cheese, beaufort, abondance, finest cheeses of the world, Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise cheese, Organic cheese, organic cheese vermont, organic vermont cheese, organic cheese made on a family farm in vermont, organic cheese made with copper, organic milk of grass fed cows, organic jersey cows, omega 3 fatty acids in milk, grass fed cows, health benefits of grass fed cows, aged alpine raw milk organic cheese, family farm in vermont, traditional cheese making methods, Tarentaise is unique to North Pomfret Vermont terror, certified organic dairy farm, certified organic dairy farm in vermont, intensive rotational grazing, grass fed cows for cheese, gruyere cheese tarentaise, alpine cheese tarentaise, alpine cheese in Vermont, Tarentaise is an alpine cheese made in Vermont on a family farm, Tarentaise cheese is made in a copper vat, Tarentaise cheese is made in the tradition of the Savoie in France"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="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. Tarentaise is a unique American farmstead cheese which reflects the Terroir of Pomfret Vermont and Thistle Hill Farm. The combination of climate, cows, feed and the traditional unmechanized methods of making Tarentaise result in a cheese which can be most closely associated with the Alpine cheeses of France. Unlike the winter cheeses, or those made solely on stored feed, Tarentaise can be compared to the summer cheeses of the Beaufort which are denser, softer and richer in their perfumes than their commercial brethren. Tarentaise is a dense, complex cheese, without the bite of sharpness which can hide the true nature of a cheese. It is smooth, has a subtle nut flavor and a huge presence, while not being too strong. Much of the taste is found in the finish."> <META NAME="author" CONTENT="John and Janine Putnam - Thistle Hill Farm - www.thistlehillfarm.com"> <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="ALL,INDEX,FOLLOW"> <META NAME="revisit-after" CONTENT="15 days"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="thistlestyles.css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="bodyText"> <table width="75%" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" align="center" bgcolor="#F5E298"> <tr> <td colspan="3" class="navbar"> <div align="center"><a href="default.htm">Home</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="aboutthecheese.htm">About the cheese</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="story.htm">The story</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="aboutthefarm.htm">About the farm</a><br> <a href="taste.htm">How good does it taste?</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="whyspecial.htm">What's so special about this cheese?</a><br> <a href="buycheese.htm">Buy The Cheese!</a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td valign="top"> <p align="center"><img src="images/SmallLogo.jpg" width="206" height="318" vspace="10" hspace="10" border="1" align="left"><br> <p class="boldtitle" style="text-align: center">About Our Tarentaise</p> <p><strong>Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise</strong> is an aged, raw milk, farmstead organic cheese which is 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. </p> <p> Tarentaise is unique to Pomfret, Vermont - its soil, geography climate and flora combine to give Tarentaise its characteristic smooth, subtle nut flavor and complex finish. Following the traditions of the Savoie region of the French Alps, Tarentaise is made in a copper vat, which is essential to the development of the proper flavor. The Putnams also make their own traditional rennet using the whey from the previous cheesemaking. Much as bakers use sourdough starter, this difficult process lends a complexity of flavor to the cheese which cannot otherwise be created. </p> <p> The curds used to make Tarentaise are taken by hand from the vat in a large cheese cloth to the fore press. The cheeses are then turned up to five times in molds imported from France which create the distinctive concave sides which Tarentaise shares with Beaufort and Abondance, two fine cheeses of the Savoie. The aging room, where the cheeses reside for at least five months, is made mostly of stone and contains only Tarentaise. During the aging process, the cheeses are turned and scrubbed a minimum of twice each week to develop its natural rind and warm butterscotch color. </p> <p> From its humble beginnings as organic raw milk, to its natural aging and rind development, no preservatives, synthetic flavors or additives are added to Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise. No herbs hide its flavor; no waxes or plastics simplify the aging process. From the hay that feeds the cows, to the end result, everything is done on the farm by the Putnam family. </p> <p> As stated by Giles Schnierle, owner of the great American Cheese Collection,  There isn t anything like it in this country....The layers keep opening-caramel tones, silky tongue feel, a balanced finish. It has a gracefulness in its flavor profile. (Boston Globe, July 9, 2003) </p> <p> <span class="boldTitle">National Awards:</span> </p> <ul class="bulletlist"> <li>1st American Cheese Society 2004; 2006</li> <li>2nd American Cheese Society 2003; 2007, 2009</li> <li>3rd American Cheese Society 2008</li> <li>3rd United States Championship Cheese Contest 2003</li> </ul> <p> <span class="boldTitle">National Press:</span> </p> <ul class="bulletlist"> <li> New York Times 2/26/2003 </li> <li>New York Times 6/23/2004</li> <li>New York Times 11/11/2006 </li> </ul> <p> <span class="boldTitle">Regional Press:</span> <ul class="bulletlist"> <li> Rutland Herald 2/8/04</li> <li> Boston Globe, July 2003</li> <li> Vermont Standard 8/22/02</li> <li> Saveur, April 2005 </li> <li> Boston Magazine October 2005</li> <li> Food Arts, June 2005</li> <li> Burlington Free Press 5/30/06</li> <li> Business Week Online, October 2005</li> <li> Middlebury Alumni Magazine 2006</li> <li> ABC News March, 2006</li> <li> Vermont Law School Alumni Magazine 2004</li> <li> National Public Radio September 2006</li> <li> American Institute of Wine & Food 2005</li> <li> Cheese Reporter 1/12/07</li> <li>Vermont Public Radio 2007</li> <li> Robb Report 2007 </li> <li> Woodstock Magazine 2007</li> </ul> <p> <b>Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise</b> cheese is available at fine food stores and can be ordered from the farm directly at <a href="http://www.thistlehillfarm.com">www.ThistleHillFarm.com</a> </p> </td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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