Firefly Farms - Merry Goat Round (Maryland, 6oz)

Firefly Farms Merry Goat Round — Accident, Maryland

The Merry Goat Round is Firefly Farms’ best-selling retail cheese — and it earns that distinction every time. Made in the Appalachian highlands of Garrett County, Maryland, Firefly Farms has been crafting award-winning artisan goat cheeses since 2002, drawing on the clean mountain air and pastoral landscape that define this corner of the mid-Atlantic. The Merry Goat Round is a soft-ripened chèvre with a bloomy, fully edible rind that develops beautifully at every stage of ripening. The texture is supple and impossibly creamy, the flavor is clean and bright, and the rind — as Firefly will tell you — is where the fullest, most complex flavor is concentrated. Chefs, caterers, and cheese lovers agree: this one deserves a giant round of applause.

The paste is snow-white and lush, with a fresh, clean goat’s milk character that is tangy without being sharp. As it ripens, the rind softens and the interior becomes increasingly supple and complex, developing earthy, mushroom-laced depth that contrasts beautifully with the bright, citrusy core. Bake it at 350°F until soft and smother it in honey — it transforms into something extraordinary.

Little secret: the fullest flavor is concentrated in the rind. Eat every bit of it. — Firefly Farms

• Producer: Firefly Farms, Accident, Garrett County, Maryland, USA
• Milk Type: Goat’s milk
• Style: Soft-ripened, bloomy rind chèvre
• Size: 6oz
• Tasting Notes: Snow-white paste, clean tangy goat’s milk, earthy bloomy rind, mushroom, bright citrus core, creamy finish
• Best Paired With: Baked with honey or apricot jam, sliced apple and baguette, dried fruits, candied nuts, dry Riesling, or Sauvignon Blanc

Appalachian craft, award-winning character — Firefly Farms’ Merry Goat Round is the benchmark for what American artisan goat cheese can be.