Widely-available pastured cheese? page

[erica057]

I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for primal-ish cheese that I can easily find? I'm near a Publix, a Whole Foods, and a Fresh Market. Basically I want something made from raw milk from grass-fed pastured cows. Anyone know of a brand that meets this criteria? TIA!

[pjgh]

Mark recommends cheddar and feta as sensible cheese choices. Feta is from goats' milk (or sheep milk) and MUST be Greek for EU designation, but feta-style cheese is plentiful outside of Greece.

... back to cows. Cheddar is made from cows' milk. Find a farm that milks their own cows for cheese - ask how their cows are reared and if they fit the bill, get that cheese. In the absence of folks bringing forward sources in your area, contact your local food administration and find out how and where cows are milked, where the milk goes and where cheese is made. Google is a perfectly "primal" hunter/gatherer tool

Really, any grain fed cows and any cheese that comes from their milk will be made in very much the same way - it's just milk set off with rennet and the whey pressed out of the mix. Find some, eat it ... enjoy it! Nothing wrong with "proper" cheese.

Good cheese will have a lot of fat in it, so treat it as such - a source of fat. It can happily form the main protein and fat content of a lunch, passed to the mouth on crisp lettuce or spliced in between meat slices for a sandwich.

[peril]

Anything from Australia and New Zealand. Its always reassuring me me to take a drive in the country and see the cows queueing at the farm dairy to be milked, surrounded by lush pasture

[erica057]

Find a farm that milks their own cows for cheese - ask how their cows are reared and if they fit the bill, get that cheese. In the absence of folks bringing forward sources in your area, contact your local food administration and find out how and where cows are milked, where the milk goes and where cheese is made. Google is a perfectly "primal" hunter/gatherer tool

Is this what you do? Have you had luck with this? The only local cheeses I've found are chevre and mozzarella. They are nice but I would like to expand my options.

Really, any grain fed cows and any cheese that comes from their milk will be made in very much the same way.

Why grain-fed??

[pjgh]

^ Sorry ... grass fed. My fingers get ahead of me sometimes.

I'm in the UK - there are literally hundreds of farms local to me, many producing cheese and a fantastic Wine & Cheese in a neighbouring village whcih carries local, regional, British, European and even some from further afield.

I tend to buy a cheddar, some "feta" (local, when I can find it: Fine Fettle Yorkshire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ... I put "feta" in quotes since the EU in their infinite wisdom have protected the use of the word feta) and then there are our regional specialities like Wensleydale with a sharp sour tang, or creamy when made as a blue cheese. We also have a renown goat cheese producer nearby: St Helens Farm - Yorkshire Goats' Milk | Goats' Milk Probiotic Yogurt | Goats' Milk Cheese | Goats' Milk Butter | Goats' Milk Cream | Goat Dairy Products | Yorkshire Dairy Products. - this stuff is great, and not at all like "goat's cheese".

Check out any agricultural shows nearby - this is the best place to start; likewise, farm shops, farmers' markets and so on.

[girlarchitect]

Check out Organic Valley Cheeses - I think this is what you are looking for. I think they are carried in most Whole Foods. In my experience, these cheeses are fine if nothing noteworthy.

A couple thoughts:
Why are you looking for pasturized cheese? Raw is typically considered better for primal diets. The organic valley brand I've listed above will give you raw cheeses.
Look for grass-fed & organic - the quality of the diet of the animal affects the quality of their meat and milk. Read Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan if you don't understand this.
Look for full fat cheeses - should be obvious why considering where this forum is.

Search MDA for Mark's posting on what to look for in cheese - title is along the lines of 'Is Cheese Primal?' or similar

Go to Whole Foods and Fresh Market and talk to those lovely people that work in the cheese departments. In my experience, they are really quite knowledgeable and can help you find what you are looking for. Please don't go in saying 'I want primal cheese'. Rather let them know you are interested in organic, grass-fed, full fat cheeses - cow, sheep or goat - what do they have? The cheese departments in both of these stores are usually pretty fantastic. Take advantage of it.

[pjgh]

Search MDA for Mark's posting on what to look for in cheese - title is along the lines of 'Is Cheese Primal?' or similar

Possibly this one: Is Cheese Unhealthy? | Mark's Daily Apple

[Adrianag]

Where do you live? I have a source for raw pastured milk cheese in Atlanta and Alabama.

[Dragonfly]

Whole Foods should have what you want, just ask!

[erica057]

Why are you looking for pasturized cheese? Raw is typically considered better for primal diets. The organic valley brand I've listed above will give you raw cheeses.

Pastured, not pasteurized.