Gort's Gouda and Maasdammer

A few weeks ago my mother drove out from Alberta to visit. Lucky for us, her route took her past Gort's Gouda Cheese Farm (http://www.gortsgoudacheese.bc.ca/index.cfm). Knowing me like she does, she thought I might enjoy some artisanal BC cheese (she was right of course), and so she stopped to check it out.

She brought us two cheeses, the aged gouda and the aged maasdammer. The gouda was spectacular. It is at once bold and strong and subtly nuanced in flavor. Mildly nutty, it equally at home on a cheese platter at a fancy dinner party or in a homey grilled cheese sandwich on a rainy day. I was proud to serve it recently to one of my foodie friends who was visiting from down south, who was quite surprised to find out it was a BC product. The maasdammer was milder, although still nutty. To me it had more green qualities, by that I mean only that it tasted like it had been made with spring milk, from cows eating new shoots. The quality of the milk was clearly evident in both cheeses, and it is the milk that I think makes these cheeses so unique; the cows eat well, and so their milk is rich and flavorful, resulting in cheeses full of local flavor.

Both were quite addictive, so if you are watching your calories or cholesterol, I suggest buying only a small block. (Buying none at all would be going too far.)
I am now on the look-out for their extra-aged gouda, which is one of my three favorite cheeses. I'll let you know what I think of that when I find it.