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In the Golden Afternoon: A Perfect Picnic $$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
In The Golden Afternoon: A Perfect Picnic
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You can learn
a lot of things
from the flowers,
For especially
in the month
of June
There's a wealth
of happiness
and romance,
In the golden afternoon— Alice & the
Flowers of Wonderland
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This month’s collection contains
everything you need for the perfect picnic.
A ‘Golden Afternoon’ garden party à la Alice in Wonderland?
A dramatic ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ dinner?
Brunch on the balcony?
The June Club is here for all of your
al fresco aspirations.
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Gilbert & Bernard
Wild Mushroom Pâté We are thrilled to be among the first folks to carry this brand new line of pâté! Gilbert & Bernard was founded by Hannah Bae and Scott Bridi, partners both in business and in life. A culinary power couple, Hannah also founded Noona’s Ice Cream, and if you received our April Club, you’ll probably recognize Scott’s name — he’s also the founder of Brooklyn Cured! They embarked upon this delicious joint-venture with sustainability and animal welfare in mind, and they exclusively source pasture-raised, antibiotic-free meats for their exquisite pâtés. |
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This Wild Mushroom Pâté is sure to charm all of you charcuterie enthusiasts out there. Made with pasture-raised pork, a blend of shiitake and porcini mushrooms, herbaceous vermouth, and fresh thyme, it’s got far more depth and complexity than the average country-style pâté. This decadent meat-treat is layered with umami notes from both the pork and the mushrooms, and will instantly elevate any cheese board. If you’re somehow able to restrain yourself from eating slice after slice until it’s all gone, you can always make yourself an extra-fancy sandwich! Use all of the goodies in your box to make our take on a classic French-style pâté sandwich with mustard, Highlander, and pickled ramps on a crusty baguette, or replicate your favorite Banh Mi at home!
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HLTHPunk LB’s Hot Dijon Mustard HLTHPunk is a forward-thinking condiment company with a health and sustainability-focused mission. All of their products are free of additives, processed ingredients, and allergen-conscious, plus they’re packaged in recyclable, eco-friendly (and eye-catching) materials. This mustard is based on the original hot dijon mustard much loved by Louis XI of France, who kept a pot with him at all times.
Made from Biodynamic mustard seeds, this iteration is a sustainable health bomb. It’s the best, so go ahead and squeeze it like a king. |
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We love HLTHPunk's eco-conscious approach to classic condiments, but the fact that this mustard comes in an old-school metal tube really seals the deal! We love all kinds of mustards, but Dijon remains our go-to for most uses — and this one is really stellar. For picnicking purposes, we like to keep it simple: grab a cracker or a bit of bread, slather with dijon, throw on a rustic slice of pâté, and top it all off with a pickled ramp. The versatility of classic Dijon really can’t be beat for everything from sandwiches to salad dressings, and its vinegary bite brings balance and brightness to rich, buttery cheeses.
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Pitchfork Pickle
Hand-Foraged Pickled Ramps If you’re not familiar with ramps, they’re kind of a big deal up here. Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are wee wild onions that grow in the moist, wooded soils of the eastern United States and Canada. New England is especially ramp-friendly, but depending on where exactly you’re foraging, they can be pretty elusive. In many places, ramps are rare enough that foragers encourage best practices such as only taking a small percentage of ramps from a single grouping, and cutting them at their base instead of pulling the whole bulb out of the earth so that they can continue to regenerate. |
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As you can imagine, harvesting ramps is tedious. Not only does it take a lot of time and effort to gather them, but they can be tricky to clean (imagine the way that soil creeps up into the layers of a leek, but tinier). We are incredibly fortunate to live in a region with soil conditions that seem to be perfectly-calibrated to maximize rampage. See the greenery covering the forest floor
in this photo? That’s all ramps! |
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Our amazing friends over at Pitchfork Pickle agreed to make us a bespoke batch of pickled ramps, with the condition that we provide them ourselves — so a few weeks ago, over a sunny spring weekend, our team meandered all over the Jasper Hill sugarbush to hand-forage twenty-five gallons of ramps just for your June Cheese Club Collection! Ramping season is incredibly short, so even with our local bounty, each harvest is precious. Thanks to Pitchfork Pickle, in each jar, a fleeting glimpse of spring in the Kingdom is carefully captured. |
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As a member of the allium family, ramps taste sort of like a concentrated combination of leeks, garlic, and scallions. They’re tiny little guys, but they pack a punch, particularly in the ‘garlicky’ department. They don’t have as much bite as, say, a red onion, but they do lend a sweet, oniony edge to any prepared dish. Pitchfork Pickle has kept the recipe for these ramps super simple — ramps, salt, and shallot are the only ingredients you’ll find listed here. This, and the fact that these are naturally-fermented, really lets the ramps’ natural flavors and complexity shine through. Like all of the pairings in this collection, these pickled ramps are perfect on a sandwich, in a salad, or on a cheese board. And if you’re thirsty, these make a great garnish for martinis and the like — try this Ramp Gibson recipe, which we’re currently in love with (except for the fact that *our* gin of choice is Barr Hill, of course)!
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All June Cheese Club Members will be granted access to our upcoming
Beer + Cheese Class with Tavour on June 18th, and the cheeses included in this month’s box mirror the cheeses we’ve chosen for the pairing workshop. Click the button below to learn more about the class and how to order your own beer tasting kit (or use our suggestions for finding similar beers yourself) to accompany this collection and fully maximize your June experience!
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Willoughby
Cow | Washed-rind | Soft-ripened Willoughby is one of those ‘its bark is worse than its bite’ cheeses. It can be pungent on the nose, but beneath that aromatic rind lies a gentle, silken paste. Flavors of freshly-risen dough, tart stone fruit, and cured meats shine through. All of these notes work well with beer on their own, but in tandem, they make Willoughby our go-to for pairing with a range of beer styles. |
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Harbison
Cow | Bloomy-rind | Bark-wrapped How could one ever tire of Harbison? It’s a true all-seasons cheese — its sprucey warmth makes it a winter holiday essential, but warmer months offer opportunities to amplify Harbison’s sweeter, more floral and herbaceous notes. A hint of raspberry, a whiff of vanilla, a soft lemony finish…a dry cider or fresh farmhouse ale is perfect for bringing out Harbison’s summery side, highlighting its more delicate notes while balancing out that sweet-cream richness. |
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Highlander | Raw Goat + Cow
and
Whitney | Raw Cow
Both Alpine-style, washed-rind cheeses Alpine-style cheeses always make for dynamic beer pairings. That’s why we’ve included two different kinds here! Whitney and Highlander are both inspired by French and Swiss melting cheeses, so they do share a handful of qualities (they’re both smooth, savory, and a little funky, with fruity and nutty notes). But enjoying them side-by-side, you can really taste the difference between the mixed-milk Highlander and the all-cow milk Whitney. The nuttiness in Highlander might be like that of a cashew; Whitney may have a more hazelnut quality…you’ll see! |
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Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Cow | Bandaged Cheddar | Natural-rind Not only is our Cabot Clothbound the ultimate crowd-pleaser (who doesn’t love cheddar?), it’s also incredibly accommodating when it comes to beer pairings. Basically, Cabot Clothbound doesn’t do cliques; it wants to hang out with everyone.
It’s that perfect balance of saltiness, acidity, and a hint of caramel sweetness that makes this cheddar so versatile. Like magic, it works with everything from dark stouts to fruity saisons to mouth-puckering sours. |
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When you sign up for our Cheese Club,
you’ll gain lifelong access to our virtual
Members-Only Clubhouse. You’ll find various resources including updates about
upcoming collections, recipes and pairing ideas, and you’ll be able to join our new monthly Club Cocktail Hour and connect with fellow members across the country!
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