First off, let me apologize for being absent for the past few days, I was out of town with limited laptop access and unfortunately, although my iPhone is excellent at most things, the conception of writing to you all from my little device, would have definitely have given me quite the headache. So therefore, I've got quite a bit of catchup to do over today and tomorrow. I wish I could say that I would catch up fully this evening, but my return trip to Manhattan was severely delayed by an over turned tractor trailer on I95 near Stamford, CT turning a little over four hour car trip into over seven hours door to door and I am utterly zonked. I could have traveled to Europe in that time! Crazy! I promised myself, I'd at least catch up with Saturday and then be fully caught up by the end of tomorrow.
So who's curious about Daffodil Days?!? It is an annual festival on Nantucket and the focal point of their Spring festivities. Did you know that between early April and early May three million daffodils bloom on the thirty mile island of Nantucket? Isn't that crazy? Since the mid 1970s, towards the end of April, there has been a festival to celebrate the millions of daffodils that populate this island. The cornerstone of the weekend is the annual antique car parade where over one hundred cars roll through the main areas of town decked out in daffodils brimming with smiling people and dogs outfitted in spring attire with daffodils affixed to their collars. Truly such a fun way to spend a day, you certainly feel transported to another time and place.
In thinking about what to write about to symbolize this special and unique day, since we did not really eat anything exceptionally cheese orientated nor do they make cheese on Nantucket, at least that I am aware of, I decided that I would tell you all about a quintessentially American cheese, steeped in tradition but distinctly fresh, new, and constantly developing -- a little bit like Nantucket and its Daffodil Days Festival.
Also from the Northeast, I thought I would tell you all about Grafton Village, Vermont's Cheddar. Like Nantucket, Grafton's Cheddars have a long history, the creamery was established at the end of nineteenth century in the small village of Grafton. Interestingly enough, cheddar itself dates back to the same century of the first sightings of Norsemen on Nantucket -- the twelfth century!
Did you know where the name Cheddar comes from? Probably not right! Cheddaring is an extra step in the production of cheddar style cheeses where once the curd is heated, it is then kneaded with salt and cut into cubes to consequently drain the whey and then finally stacked and turned. After this, the cheese is aged in cheese caves, like other older cheeses.
So what makes Grafton Cheddar Special? Well, apart from having over a century of experience, it is the specific terroir of Vermont mixed with the special techniques of this particular creamery. My favorite specimen of theirs is their Aged Clothbound Cheddar aged for one and half years. What you get certainly is not anything like the pasty, waxy chemically orange cheddar one can buy from pretty much any supermarket in America; instead you get a crumbly, nutty, gentle, and delicate cheese with a perfect balance of flavors. This is a cheese to eat on its own or with a nice glass of Pinot Noir. You certainly cannot go wrong here! It will show you how Grafton Vermont's cheesemakers certainly excel at their craft!
I know you might be thinking, well how did she go from Daffodils to Vermont Cheddars? Yes quite the stretch buuuut, I think they are both two quintessentially American things steeped in a nice mixture of intertwined American and European traditions...both worth a try!!
Make sure to mark your calendars for next year's Daffodil Days and grab yourself a hunk of Grafton's Aged Clothbound Cheddar and a bottle of Pinot Noir to bring with to enjoy while admiring the millions of daffodils Nantucket has to offer.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more catch up mode. Nite all!
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