Aries season is almost upon us, plus the start of some rambunctious midnight snacking. 🐏
Swipe for an inspired take on a jalapeno popper and tap the link in bio for your @astrolocheese guide. 🧀 ♈️
Cheesemaking, historically speaking, has long been a DIY endeavor.
“Two hundred years ago, all American cheese was made in the home,” writes Ricki Carroll in Home Cheese Making, originally published in 1982 and now in its fourth edition. In 1800, when 90 percent of Americans lived on farms, making cheese was just part of a farmer’s wife’s life.
While turnkey home cheesemaking kits delivered to one`s door wasn`t the norm back then, home cheesemaking`s popularity soared during the pandemic. Some folks ordered those aforementioned kits; others joined online groups such as Learn to Make Cheese, a Facebook group with more than 50,000 members moderated by Tracey Johnson (@cheeseneeds).
Tap our #linkinbio for a deep dive on the rise of home cheesemaking, from its cultural roots as women`s work to the people shaping the movement today. 🧀
✍️ @christine.rudalevige
Happy St. Patrick`s Day! Today, we`re craving @cashelfarmhousecheese: Ireland`s first farmhouse blue that pairs beautifully with a pint of @guinness. 🇮🇪
Swipe for a closer look at this rich Irish delicacy and the lush landscape of Tipperary, Ireland, where the cheese is made. Link in bio for the full origin story. 🍀 🧀
📸 @denis_vahey_photography_
✍️ Chris Allsop (@ocez)
At the 2025 @american_cheese_society Annual Judging & Competition, a hush fell over the ballroom full of cheese professionals. Who would win Best of Show? It turned out that Quebec-based @fromagerie_la_station’s raw-milk farmstead cheese won First—for the second year in a row—with Vermont’s @jasperhillfarm placing Second Best of Show, and Ontario’s @stonetowncheese taking Third. The results mirrored those from 2024, when the top three winners hailed from two Canadian makers and one American maker. So the new question on everyone’s mind is: What’s up with Canadian cheese?
Canadians have a good 20 years of cheesemaking practice on Americans. Plus, the country was settled by the French, who brought their ancestral techniques across the pond.
Tap the link in bio to keep reading about Canada`s history of cheesemaking. 🇨🇦
✍️ @alana_ped
The vibes were ✨️ immaculate ✨️ at Counter Culture LA, all thanks to the wonderful cheese community. 🧡
The next stop on our Counter Culture tour is Miami on March 31. Get your ticket while you still can at our link in bio! 🎟 🌴
This spring, we’re gathering some of our favorite new food books, from snack-forward entertaining and buttery indulgences to plant-forward island flavors and global cheese adventures. Recipes, stories, and stunning photography make these titles as fun to flip through as they are to cook from—perfect for your kitchen or coffee table.
Swipe for a few of our recommendations & browse the full list at our link in bio. 📖
✍️ @josiekrogh
Queso Oaxaca is a widely adored fresh Mexican cheese known for its mild and buttery flavor, stringy texture, and excellent melting properties.
A stretched-curd cheese made from fresh cow’s milk, queso Oaxaca is crafted by kneading and stretching curds in hot water to form long, rope-like strands. Each strand is then wrapped around itself to form queso Oaxaca’s signature ball-of-yarn shape.
The cheese’s mildly acidic and milky notes make it perfect for melting in quesadillas or enchiladas, shredded on top of soups or refried beans, or sliced for a simple snack during cocktail hour. Tap the link in bio for five recipes that`ll carry you through the workweek and weekend. 🍳
🧀 @quesosnavarro
✍️ & 🍽 @andreajbartholomew
📸 @paul.s.bartholomew
This is who makes your favorite cheese magazine 🧀
The hot honey trend isn’t showing signs of slowing, if you ask @traderjoes—the supermarket chain has placed Hot Honey Goat Milk Cheese on its refrigerated shelves.
Tap our link in bio for everything you need to know about this swicy offering before your next shopping trip. 🌶️🍯🧀
📸 @traderjoes
The 2026 World Championship @cheese_contest crowned its first place winner: @beemstercheese Royaal Grand Cru made by CONO Kaasmakers in Westbeemster, Netherlands. 🏆️
Tap the link in bio to learn what made this cheese stand out to the judges, plus the Contest`s 20 finalists. 🧀
If your child`s after school snack turns into a guided pairing, you may be raising a cheesemonger. 🧀🧃
🎨 Gail Galligan (@robochai)
Trevor Warmedahl, a cheesemaker and culture contributor known as the @milk_trekker, trots the globe visiting pastoral communities. His purpose? Investigating how milk is treated and transformed by indigenous microbes and the human touch. His new book, "Cheese Trekking (@chelseagreenbooks)," is as much a travelogue as it is a reflection on the links between terroir, cheesemaking, slow-food pathways, and heritage.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Warmedahl, who was staying at a yurt in between his travels. Tap the link in bio to learn about the experiences that shaped his writing, plus his views on the role of old-world food systems in a modern climate with high demand for all things quick and processed.
✍️ @alana_ped
For nearly two decades, Bayley Hazen Blue has defined @jasperhillfarm’s approach to blue cheese. Since its debut in 2003, the flagship blue-veined beauty has collected myriad accolades, including a spot in the top 14 at the 2024–2025 World Cheese Awards. In 2024, the creamery introduced two new variations: Withersbrook Blue, a square format aged in a cryovac pouch with a splash of local @edenciders Ice Cider; and Barnstorm Blue, a collaboration with the @murrayscheese Caves team, washed in malty ale from @focalpointbeer. Though the trio shares the same recipe, each develops its own personality.
The results speak for themselves: At the 2025 @american_cheese_society Judging & Competition, all three of Jasper Hill’s blues landed in the top 10, with Withersbrook taking home Second Place Best of Show. There is no denying that Jasper Hill is setting the standard for American blue cheese—and perhaps blue cheese everywhere.
Link in bio for the full story from our 2026 Best Cheeses Issue. 💙🧀
📸 @ninagallant_ (2)
🍽️ @madstrap (2)
✍️ @josiekrogh
California cheese lovers, this one’s for you. 🧀 🐮
From March 20–22, the California Artisan Cheese Festival celebrates 20 years with farm tours, hands-on seminars, a Cheese Crawl in Sebastopol, and a grand tasting marketplace featuring 100+ artisans.
Three delicious days in Sonoma—and tickets are on sale now. Buy yours today at the link in bio. 🎟️
Next stop for Counter Culture is MIAMI! 🧀🌴We`ll see you at @magic13brewing on March 31.
Here`s what you can expect: A day of cheese education, conversation, and connection. Plus, there`s a heaping farm table of charcuterie and accompaniments that attendees are encouraged to sample throughout the day.
Limited tickets available at our link in bio. 🎟️
We`re manifesting spring with this floral-inspired cheese plate. ✨️🌸
Browse at our link in bio.
📸 @ninagallant_
🍽️ @madstrap
✍️ @malscy
The anchor cheese of our Pisces season guilty pleasure pairing is @blakesvillecreamery`s Afterglow: a goat`s milk beauty that the @murrayscheese team calls "a personal favorite." ♓
Link in bio for @astrolocheese`s suggested accompaniments. (We at culture also propose a watch of @wutheringheightsmovie to satisfy Pisces` penchant for all things romance. ❤️🔥)
Take a closer look at some of our Best Cheeses of 2026 with @graydonscheesecellar in West Vancouver, British Columbia. 🧀 🏆️
Video credit to @graydonscheesecellar. How many of these have you tried? Let us know in the comments!
Cheese is HOT—and so are YOU! 🔥🔥🔥
There`s only ONE WEEK LEFT (2/25) to nominate a cheese pro for culture`s 2026 Hot List. We`re looking for mongers, makers, and more—anyone and everyone making waves in today`s cheese landscape.
Nominate them (or yourself 😉) at our link in bio.
🧀 Brebirousse d’Argental
📸 @ninagallant_
👗 @madstrap
What`s better than a cookie? A cookie with cheese in it. 🧀
Get the recipe for these crumbly @appenzeller_kaese and rosemary sablés (aka French shortbread cookies) at the link in our bio.
✍️ & 📸 @itsjennybravo
