Food here is about ease. It's about quickness. It's about simplicity. True, it's also about flavor- but so much of the flavor from things that aren't good for us. And really, this country does not appreciate food the way that the French do. I am, and have been for as long as I can remember, a Francophile. I come from a family of foodies, too. So the way that most people approach food...well, let's just say that I yearn for France. I recently returned from a trip to France entirely surrounding cheese. I ate the best food that I have ever eaten in my life. I had the most cheese that I have ever had, saw more cheese than I will probably ever see in one go again. One of the things that I loved the most, was the reverence towards food. Cooking is truly an art in France. Everything is meant to be savored. And the same goes for their 650(!) different types of cheeses produced in the country. The sheer number of cheeses found in France is ridiculous- and heavenly for a cheesemonger like me.
Anyway, enough about my obsession with food, France, and cheese. Well, maybe not cheese- but let's talk a little bit about here. Right here. Right where you are. Chances are, there's more than one farm near you that produces some sort of cheese. In Lincoln, Nebraska, my dad is a big fan of a seasonally and locally made nettle cheese. I know multiple girls who are on track to becoming cheesemakers. Getting my hands on the locally made cheeses is sometimes harder for me-Farmer's markets can be a good place to find them, and my days off are never guaranteed, and work is such that Saturdays and Sundays are our busiest times- bad timing for Farmer's Markets. But! I will find cheeses. I will eat them. And I will tell you about them- flavor, texture, awesomeness on a scale from one to ten, price, where you can find it- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some, you might have to search out more than others. If nothing else, I hope to inspire you to check out locally/artisanally made cheeses around you!
Just keep in mind- the United States is not only the world's largest producer of cheese, but it is also the largest importer. We eat lots of cheese! It used to be that a lot of the made-in-country cheeses we could find were huge companies, mass produced, factory made, facsimiles of what a cheese should be. But this is changing. Specialty cheese has been and still is a massively growing market in the US. I look forward to searching out, finding, reveling in (and probably sometimes not liking quite so much) and loving cheese!

I want to finish this with one of the hardest questions that I am ever asked- what is your favorite kind of cheese? Maybe as you read this, you'll try more, your tastes will change, and you'll discover a new favorite!
As for me, if I have to pick JUST one right now? I'm going with Cypress Grove's Purple Haze. Lavender and Fennel goat cheese is way too darned good!