Bear Cheddar Curds

This week's pick is the ultimate snacker: Cheese Curds!

These squeaky little cubes of creamy farmstead goodness come to us from Conneauttee Creamery in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.

The Showman family of Conneauttee Creamery are sixth-generation dairy farmers who intimately care for and name each of their cows, bulls and calves. "Bear Cheddar" was named after one of the family cows.

Like most Western Pennsylvania dairy cows, the Showman cows graze on fields of fresh grass from April through November. During winter months, the Showman family feeds their cows hay. They take the health of their cows seriously, ensuring that their herd is happy, healthy and - as a reusult - antibiotic free!

Cheese curds are among the few pasteurized cheeses that we carry at Family Farm Creameries. Cooking and curing curds enables their famously tangy flavor. If you'd like to try to incorporating them into a dish, rather than just simply snacking on them as-is, try your hand at sprinkling Bear Cheddar Cheese Curds onto a dish of poutine! Poutine originated in Canada and is popular throughout the Midwestern United States. Poutine can be eaten as a main dish or featured as a side dish - it includes a layer of medium-cut french fries, a hefty scattering of smaller-than-bite-size cheese curds and a topcoat of thick brown gravy!