~Everyone knows that Wisconsin is known for one thing (aside the Green Bay Packers, boo), and that is cheese. And if anyone has ever visited the dairy state you must stop by one of the dozens of cheese stores littered along the highways. What I believe to be the staple of cheese country is the humble curd, the lumpy precursor to cheese that you know of. These creamy, bite sized nuggets of deliciousness pack a flavorful punch and give you an insight to the cheese itself.
As a kid, my family and I went on summer vacations to northern Wisconsin and as soon as we crossed the Illinois-Wisconsin border, we stopped by this store called The Cheese Palace. It was wall-to-wall cheese from cheddar and beyond. But we always bought a packet of cheddar cheese curds to eat in the car until we reached our final destination, Hayward.
But you don’t have to travel all the way to Wisconsin to try cheese curds. Most grocery stores sell them in the deli aisle. But the best and freshest way to eat a cheese curd is from a farmer’s market of course! More specifically from the Stamper Cheese Company, where I had the pleasure of running into them at the Palos Heights Farmer’s Market this morning. They offer curds in two varieties: plain white cheddar, and white cheddar flavored with garlic and dill.
The Garden Goddess 