Named for the milky-white flowers of the native Galax evergreen, Galax is a  washed-curd, natural rind cheese similar to Gouda. Its mild flavor and smooth, buttery texture bring out the natural sweetness of the milk, with hints of walnut in the finish.

This cheese is still in development and may change in size, shape, and flavor as we continue to work on the recipe. 

Our original recipe, the first cheese we ever made, Appalachian has evolved a great deal over our years of production. Our goal with the Appalachian has always been to develop a cheese that showcased our milk, milk from a herd developed to fit our farm's mountainous terrain, rather than picking a benchmark cheese and struggling to match the farm to it. To this end we've kept the make simple and focused on affinage, allowing the Appalachian to form a white coat of penicillium molds that compliments its unique flavor.

Aged for at least ninety days in our cellars, Appalachian is a lush, vibrant cheese evocative of cream and butter with a mushroom earthiness that recalls the intensity of the cellars. Its lemon notes shade to toasted as the cheese ages. The texture is velvety, melting on the tongue.

Washed rind cheeses are amazing, but they're also difficult to get right. Every summer, we end up with some Grayson that's pretty on the inside but ugly on the outside: it has all the right rich, earthy flavors, but a rind that's sticky; dotted with black or brown; wet, mealy corners; paste that goes brown within a few days of cutting; or other flaws that make it unsuitable for customers looking for a premium product. Too often, these tasty but grotty cheeses end up sad and alone on the compost heap.

Are you able to give an ugly duckling a good home? We offer these flawed beauties in whole wheel quantities only but at a 50% discount. Share it, eat it, try it in recipes like tartiflette! 

For our 25th anniversary -- a 25th anniversary t-shirt! Our logo was drawn for us back when we started the business by local artist Lenore Rose, and features Dottie, a Mayfield daughter, the last cow we ever bought and our herd matriarch for many years. Wear her with pride!

Available in blue and natural. Locally printed by Cotton Street Apparel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

This long-aged version of our original recipe Appalachian is aged for over eight month in our cellars. The extra age turns Appalachian into a lush, fruity cheese with overtones of toasted butter, with a mushroom earthiness that recalls the intensity of the cellars and a tangy, smooth finish. The texture is firm but velvety, melting on the tongue. 

Our regular Appalachian is sold at four to six months; our Extra-Aged Appalachian, we sell at eight months to a year. So what to call this batch of Appalachian sitting at a whopping eighteen months? The toasted flavors typical of Extra-Aged have concentrated, giving the cheese a rich, savory flavor that reminded us of well-aged bacon. The smell is sharp and sweet like a good Parmesan; the texture is firm but still creamy, melting in the mouth, with an edge of crystallization giving a pleasant crunch. We normally recommend only a light white or sparkling with Appalachian, but our wine-drinking tasters thought this Appalachian would pair well with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon.

We've only a few batches of this 2023 Appalachian available, so get a taste while supplies last!

**PICKUP ONLY**. To have this sampler shipped, please go here.

Get three wedges of our crowd-pleasing Appalachian -- one regular, one Extra-Aged for eight months or more, and one Yearling aged for over eighteen months. Pair it with some sweet Crooked Creek Honey, and add on some savory Sopressata Salami. A delicious mountain experience! 

Our Regular gift collection contains approximately 1 1/2 pounds of cheese, while the Deluxe version offers a more generous 3 pounds.