You know that feeling when you lose something—keys, a significant other, a favorite shirt, your lucky socks—and then you find it again? The stages of grief may be involved at first, and then, when it reappears, it’s nothing but pure excitement.
If you don’t know this feeling, do a quick search for #rushcreekreseve, listen to this, and you’ll get a sense of what we’re talking about.
Rush Creek Reserve—a soft-ripened, raw cow’s milk cheese, wrapped in spruce and usually only made, in limited supply, from September to November—may not be exactly a special someone, but it has stolen the hearts of many. And its return, after a year (a whole year!) hiatus, is being celebrated.
For those not familiar with this tale of love and loss: In 2014, Andy Hatch, owner of Uplands Cheese, announced they would cease production of Rush Creek due to unclear regulations and governing by the FDA related to raw-milk cheese.
Though the future of raw-milk cheeses is still up for debate, Hatch says, at least for now, he feels “clear on the regulations currently being enforced, and we’re confident that we meet them.”
But, it’s not all soft-ripened cheese freedom—though Hatch has brought back Rush Creek this year, he is still cautious when looking beyond this season: “Hate to sound pessimistic, but I suppose we wanted to get one more run in, before the era comes to an end, to prove it can be done safely.”
In other words, if you love it, get it now! Run. Go!
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