Cheese maker Nathan Arnold, right, and assistant Carroll Anderson, work to make a batch of Coppinger cheese at Sequatchie Cove Creamery.WHAT THEY MAKECumberland: A buttery, tomme-style cheese. An overall favorite for general use. Makes good grilled cheese sandwiches or macaroni and cheese. Aged 60 days.Dancing Fern: A velvety, creamy cheese with the taste of crushed walnuts. Delicious on a fresh baguette, melted over potatoes or paired with fruit. Aged exactly 60 days.Coppinger: A semi-firm cheese with a very smooth body. Nutty overtones, with underlying sweetness. Pairs well with fruit or in sandwiches. Aged three months or longer.Gruetli: Named for the town of Gruetli-Laager, Tenn., founded by Swiss immigrants. Firm, nutty, with a taste similar to Swiss, but more complex. Aged at least six months.
A Marion County farm recently won a really cheesy prize.
Sequatchie Cove Creamery took home a blue ribbon in the American Cheese Society’s 2012 competition, winning first place in the Farmstead Soft Cheese category for its Dancing Fern cheese.
The creamery, part of Sequatchie Cove Farm in Sequatchie, Tenn., was licensed in March 2010 and sold its first wheel of cheese 60 days later.
“We’ve always had cows, and we’ve always been a grass-fed beef business,” said cheesemaker Nathan Arnold. “A few years ago, we had the idea to add value to our grass. Like all small farms, we’re figuring out ways to be viable.”