Each month, your Neighboring Food Co-ops feature our region’s artisan cheesemakers by offering a specially selected cheese at great price. Look for the “Cave to Co-op” sign in the cheese section at your local food co-op. To find one near you, visit www.nfca.coop/members.
This month’s special cheese is Madison from Green Mountain Blue, Highgate Center, VT 
The history of the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence River Valleys includes the history of the French farmers who settled the region. Tradesmen, trappers, and soldiers required a secure local food source that would allow them to pursue their interests, instead of spending all their time preparing, gathering, and hunting for food. Nearly 400 years ago, the Bouchers received several allotments in New France, which eventually became Quebec, Canada. They raised meat and work animals, grew crops, and made soap, butter, and flour – both for themselves and for sale. Wealth, respect, and additional land were the rewards for supporting the local community, but the risk was very high.
During the French and Indian Wars one ancestor, Pierre Boucher, took control of Fort Trois Rivieres after it was depleted of able-bodied men and made peace with the Iroquois, a pivotal event in the history of the province. Boucherville was named in his honor and his statue stands on the grounds of the National Assembly Building in Quebec City. The French legacy remains in the religion, language, culture, and cuisine of the province.
Over the centuries many have abandoned farming, but a line of Bouchers remained in active agriculture. Today Boucher Family Farm is run by the families of Daniel and Denis Boucher. Family members perform all the daily operations on the 90-cow dairy, cropping 800 acres and maintaining over 200 acres of managed forest, which include deer yards and riparian corridors. For the past year, the Bouchers have shared the farm’s facilities with another dairying couple, a partnership that may be unique in the state; two farmers, one dairy, lots of possibilities, and lots of beautiful and delicious cheese.
Madison is made in the Gorgonzola style, tangy, sharp and crumbly. This cheese is cured over a three month period attracting naturally occurring flora to form a rind. The surface is scraped down before wrapping and further aging in their cellar. It has a unique character and bitter chocolate aroma.
Peach and Madison Toasts
- 2 large ripe peaches
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 slices country-style bread
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- 4 ounces Madison, room temperature
- 2 cups (loosely packed) trimmed purslane or baby arugula
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Using the tip of a paring knife, score an X in the bottom of each peach. Cook in a large saucepan of boiling water just until skins begin to peel back where cut, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water; let cool. Peel; cut over a small bowl into wedges, collecting juices. Add lemon juice and honey and toss to combine.
2. Toast bread, brush with 2 Tbsp. oil, and season with salt. Spread cheese on toast and top with peaches, leaving juices behind. Whisk 4 Tbsp. oil into juices. Toss purslane with enough dressing to lightly coat in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Arrange over toasts.
Cave to Co-op is a partnership between Provision International and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) to support local, artisanal cheese producers in our region and make their products more easily available to co-op shoppers. The NFCA is a network of more than 40 food co-ops in our region — including yours — that are working together to advance their vision of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise. For more information, please visit www.nfca.coop.