In the words of Jesus....

... BLESSED ARE THE CHEESE MAKERS

If you have ever seen the Monty Python film, Life of Brian, you get the joke here--people at the back of the crowd when Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount, can't quite hear. Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers...", but by the time it reaches the back of the crowd and someone asks the person next to him, "What did he say?" The person replies, "He said, 'Blessed are the cheese makers..."'. I always laugh at this film, especially this line.

Living in Vermont now, where they say there are more cheese makers per capita than any place else in the country (I think there are at least 40 artisan cheese makers in the state), you come to have great affection for these dedicated cheese makers.

I decided it could be great fun to try a different Vermont cheese each week. So this week I started with a cheese named MOSES SLEEPER, made by Jasper Hill. Now I am no cheese expert but I love cheese and so did my mom...she used to joke that we must be part rat! (Speak for yourself, Mom!).
This cheese, made from cow's milk and aged 4 to 6 weeks, comes in small rounds (I think they refer to them as discs) and reminds me of a Camembert.

With a little research I also discovered that the name, Moses Sleeper, was a real person-- a Revolutionary War scout in Vermont. Jasper Farms makes another cheese named Constant Bliss who was also a scout with Moses Sleeper during this same period.

The cellars at Jasper Hill is a 22,000 square foot underground facility created as an innovative and ideal environment for the aging of cheeses. I'd like to visit there one day. It's up in the part of Vermont called the Northeast Kingdom. Seriously. That is really the name. So cool.

So remember....this blog is not just a place where I post sermons, but I also share some everyday  ponderings as well. And as they say, indeed, "Blessed are the cheese makers!"