I discovered Sweet Rowen Farmstead's amazing cheeses when I was at the Farmers Market in Burlington a few weeks ago. I love cheese, so I tend to try a lot of them. I wasn't expecting anything special (there are so many cheddars in Vermont) but Sweet Rowen's cheeses were right up my alley in terms of taste, freshness and novelty. Utterly sublime, creamy and delicious. According to Sweet Rowen's cheese vendor at the market and its website, Sweet Rowen is a grass-based, family owned and operated dairy farm located in the North East Kingdom of Vermont, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border. It milks a small herd of Randall Lineback cattle, a heritage Vermont breed and feeds them the hay that it grows on their land. Sweet Rowen began selling milk in 2011. In 2012, it built its own creamery, enabling them to bottle their milk on-site and sell it locally. The creamery now sells small batches of non-homogenized milk and fresh cheese. For those of you not in the know, homogenization is a process in which hot milk is pumped at high pressure through very small nozzles, tearing fat globules into tiny particles and evenly dispersing them throughout the milk. When milk is non-homogenized, the cream is left in its whole form. This allows for a natural creamy taste that is lost through homogenization. I tried their Farmer's Cheese, Wood Nettle, Mountain Ash and Storm varieties. All were soft. The Wood Nettle was a fresh chevre-style cheese rolled in dried nettles and salt and was absolutely delicious. The Farmer's Cheeses were soft, cream cheese-style cheeses, each unique and tantalizing. The Mountain Ash was a form of Camembert cheese that was dusted with ash. So good. And the Storm cheese was the same as the Ash but without the ash. My boyfriend who is a big fan of French cheeses, loved the Ash and Storm, as did I. All of the cheeses were buttery, nutty and divine. If you are lucky enough to be able to attend the Burlington Farmers Market this summer, I highly recommend that you sample and buy these delicious and remarkable cheeses. Sweet Rowen will also be at the Shelburne Cheesemakers Festival. I'm happy that I will be there, too! read more

Sweet Rowen Farmstead - List of SR cheese offerings at the Farmers Market - Farmers Market Near Me - Irasburg, Vermont

Wow, I'm starred. We received an early Christmas gift of Sweet Rowen cheeses, so we would have them to serve to company over the holidays. Two of the cheeses really stand out; Mountain Ash a beautifully ash dusted cheese soft and smooth insanely tasty, we paired it with a Chardonnay and it disappeared fast. The other softer and with a bit cream just under its bloomy rind was storm and my wife seems to be hoarding it for herself. I'll just have to up the order next time. read more

Sweet Rowen Farmstead - Guest ready and already half gone! - Farmers Market Near Me - Irasburg, Vermont