It's American Cheese Month!

For all you American cheese lovers out there, we are here to tell you that May is #americancheesemonth.  You may be asking, what exactly is American Cheese Month?  Well, American Cheese Month is a grassroots celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers and chefs who bring them to your table. This month is used to:

• Recognize and raise awareness of the quality and diversity of American cheeses
• Support and promote great cheese, local foods, family farms, traditional methods and sustainable production models
• Generate funding for the nonprofit the ACE Foundation

 

How can you help?  Well, the easiest way is to go out and support your American Cheesemakers.  Whether you are buying some delicious AmaBlu, St. Pete’s Select, or another style of cheese, we support you supporting other American Cheesemakers.  If there is one thing about the American Cheese community, it is that we are avid supporters and champions of our fellow makers.  We all work together to build up and support the tight knit community we have curated.

 

If you are looking to build the perfect “American Cheese Board” to celebrate this month, here are some tips to think about when shopping:

• When selecting cheese for a cheese board, try sticking to 3-5 cheese tops.  When considering which cheeses to select, think about different flavors, textures and levels of funkiness.  You want the board to be well balanced. For more fun, make sure you grab a variety of cow, goat and sheep milk.
• Buy what you need, or at least what you’ll eat over a week or so.  We recommend buying enough to serve at your get-together (or party of 1), a bit more to snack on while prepping (we know you will), and maybe a bit extra for an “American Cheese Month Mac and Cheese”.  You have all month to celebrate, so don’t stop at a cheese board. Check out our recipe for a simple mac and cheese that can use just about any melty, American cheese.
• Support other American makers!  Love charcuterie?  Try buying something local, or American-made, in the month of May.  Most of the smaller, artisan charcuterie and salumi makers are huge fans of the American cheese community so spread the love.  Love jam, chocolate and crackers? Support your local producer!

 

To find out more about American Cheese Month and to see how fellow American Cheesemakers celebrate, be sure to follow the American Cheese Education Foundation on Facebook and Instagram, and use and follow the hashtags #americancheesemonth and #buyamericancheese.  The American Cheese Society will also be posting some celebratory posts on their Facebook and Instagram as well!