Bloomy Breeze

Similar to the finest French Brie or Camembert, it has a velvety edible white rind and a dense, lactic, buttery paste inside.

It’s mild and creamy, and continues to get more lush and luscious as it matures.

Serve it on a cheese board alongside candied nuts, dried fruits, and pepper jelly; on a crusty baguette with cured meats; or melted into a quiche or scrambled eggs.

Bake until soft for an extra-special treat.

The cows have come home with this easy, breezy beauty. In late August, summer breezes caress the Allegheny plateau, carrying the familiar scent of overripe blackberries and the new scent of ripening apples straight to the noses of our cows, tinkling their cowbells and tickling their long ears. It’s a time of ripeness, wholeness, and just plain summeriness. A good time to make cheese.

This beautiful, bloomy-rind cow’s milk cheese from Maryland’s Firefly Farms is made with a blend of milks from Jersey and Holstein cows. Bloomy Breeze is carefully aged for three weeks before being wrapped and allowed to soft-ripen for several more until fully matured.

Founded in 2002 in the tiny, northern Appalachian town of Accident in the far northwest corner of Maryland, Firefly Farms works closely with local family-run cow and goat farms and makes their cheeses by hand with the freshest milk available. Along with making a variety of award-winning cheeses, they’re also a sustainable operation, with energy derived from solar power and leftover whey used to feed local livestock.