Cave to Co-op, June 2023

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  Baby Swiss, Boggy Meadow Farm, Walpole, NH 

Along the Connecticut River, Boggy Meadow Farm has been in the same family since 1812, and has been a dairy farm for most of that time. In the mid-1800’s and the early 1900’s daily shipments of milk, butter, eggs, and produce were loaded onto the Boston & Maine railroad, destined for customers in Boston.
Cheesemaking began in the mid 1950’s and continues today with the same 10,000 gallon cheese vat, which makes 1,000 pounds of cheese. On the days they’re not making cheese the fluid milk is sold to a local milk co-op. Boggy Meadow makes only three cheeses, Baby Swiss, Smoked Baby Swiss, and Fiddlehead Tomme. The New Hampshire Chronicle did a brief video about the farm you can view here.

The Boggy Meadow Baby Swiss is a moist, creamy, mild cheese that is unlike traditional Swiss in many ways. The curd is cooked at a lower temperature and the wheels are aged for a shorter period of time. The cheese has small eye formations, as well as the sweet nutty flavor associated with Swiss-style cheeses.

Ham and Baby Swiss Pinwheels

  • 1 can Pillsbury™ refrigerated Classic Pizza Crust (or your favorite pizza dough crust)
  • 3/4 lb deli ham (thinly sliced, but not shaved)
  • 4 oz Baby Swiss cheese (thinly sliced)
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Unroll the pizza dough onto a cutting board and press into approximately a
13×18-inch rectangle. Top with ham and cheese slices. Starting on the longer side of the rectangle, roll up the edge tightly. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut into 12 slices, approximately 1-inch wide. Arrange in prepared baking dish.
3. Next combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and the glaze is smooth and combined. Pour evenly over the rolls.
4. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until golden and browned. Enjoy!

Hot Ruben Dip

  • 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
  • 8 ounces deli corned beef coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup Baby Swiss cheese shredded
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut drained well
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
  • Triscuit crackers or rye chips, for serving
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a casserole dish or cast iron skillet.
    2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, corned beef, Baby Swiss cheese,
    sauerkraut, sour cream, and dressing and mix well. Spread into prepared dish and bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with crackers or chips.

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.