Happy Cows in Vermont Make Great Cheese!

in the autumn cows have taken to hiding behind trees so be careful not to scare the cows. — Cow hiding behind tree during hunting season

Most people, when they come to Vermont during the fall foliage season are focused on peak fall foliage and where they’re going to stay. If you’re a foodie and appreciate fine cheeses then why not try organizing your trip around several of the local cheese makers in Vermont.

You may ask why? Because as certain as I am about the autumn fall colors that will follow the summer. I’m equally certain that Mother Nature will do something to disrupt our plans, so you and I should plan other “plan Bs” just in case.

There are around 48 cheese makers on the Vermont Cheese Trail of which 11 are production facilities with no visitation and another 17 are by appointment only and this leaves you with around 20 that are open for visits and are happy to have you drop in. There is a downloadable/printable map at the bottom of this article. The numbers are listed on the 2nd sheet.

We have visited one or two ourselves. As much as I love cheese, I have to admit I’ve only stopped at a few on this list. We had stopped years ago at Hildene which is the home of Todd Lincoln when they first got their goats. They are now listed as well, but we haven’t been there since.

A milk cow letting me know she needs to be milked. See this image in my gallery.

#9 on the map-Green Mountain Blue Cheese

Since I happen to have a passion for blue cheese (yes it stinks and that means it’s good) We’ve stopped at; #9 which is the Boucher family farm Dawn and the Boucher family farm have many other types of cheese for you to purchase just in case you are not a blue cheese aficionado.

We have gone there during our travels and found nobody around the low barn. This means you are basically in self-serve mode. They should have a little better signage to let you know where to go but Lisa knows the farm so we went straight for the low barn where they make the cheese. They probably don’t get a lot of out of town guests.

They have a refrigerator with several different types and sizes of blue cheese and Gorgonzola and a sign on the fridge says how much to leave in the cash box. This probably won’t happen all the time but can you imagine being able to go into a store grab something and leave some money on the counter and head out? It doesn’t happen much anymore, does it? This was a few years back so not sure if they are still doing this.

#11 Cabot Creamery

If you have not been in here, then now is a good time. Basically, there is no bad time for cheese! I usually try to get in there at least once during the fall but I can skip several years if I’m focused on other things. They have tours of the facility and when the tour is over it dumps you in the… CHEESE SHOP!!!

The Cabot Creamery in Cabot Vermont is on the Vermont cheese Trail.

Now if you have already done the tour, you can still visit, just skip the tour and go straight for the cheese sample table. I make a few passes around trying to figure my favorites and then Lisa and I will choose several to take home. Lucky for us some of our favorites are carried in Salem at Market Basket. (Update 2021: Due to Covid, this may not be a thing right now)

Vermont Cheese Council map

This is a map of the different farm/store locations and if they happen to be on your route of travel and you want to stop in at a locally owned farm or business in Vermont to purchase cheese then I highly recommend these places on the map. It’s good for the Tummy and it’s good for the soul. You can download a copy of the map (pdf) and print it out for your trip.